Here are 3 Time Management Problems Holding You Back (and how you can fix them).

Time Management is my jam! That’s why they call me the Time Tamer.

I thought I’d randomly pick 3 time management problems I regularly see and give you some real strategies you can immediately apply.

1. Being a Perfectionist

Perfectionism often stems from the need to control outcomes and avoid mistakes. While the intention is to always deliver excellent work, the downside is that it consumes more time than necessary, causing delays and stress.

You might find yourself spending too much time on minor details, thinking that everything must be flawless to demonstrate your professionalism.

But if you are ending up falling behind on things, you’ll end up looking even worse!

You’ll end up spending longer hours at work, working weekends to catch up and eventually feel tired or burnt out.? It will be impacting on your ability to meet deadlines or shift between tasks. The fear of making mistakes may also prevent you from delegating effectively.

You need to consider where you can ‘afford’ to drop your standards and live by the mantra “done is better than perfect’ rather than “A job worth doing, is worth doing well.” Forget that!

Time Tamer Tips:

• Get comfortable with imperfection. Ask yourself if your effort is relative to the task’s importance.
• Stop and reflect on where you are at.? See where you can relax your standards without adversely impacting the outcome.
• Take pressure off yourself by focusing on what's actually important and share your work with others for feedback.

2. Not Being Able to Concentrate & Maintain Focus

Distractions lack of focus are often caused by not setting clear boundaries.? Or it can be from having scattered attention due to multiple tasks.

You might be multitasking, juggling too many priorities, or allowing distractions to interrupt your workflow.? Maybe you’re trying time-blocking or taking short breaks but it’s not cutting it.

Maybe you find yourself struggling to complete tasks efficiently, reading the same information repeatedly, or losing track of your goals. Killing distractions is one of my favourite things to do when helping my clients.? We identify specific distractions and look for causes of procrastination.? ?

Time Tamer Tips:

• Identify workplace distractions and remove or limit them. (Yes those damn notifications!)
• Forget about bragging about how little sleep you need. That’s NOT something to brag about and won’t be helping your focus.? Get good sleep, keep hydrated and watch out for energy draining foods like excessive carbohydrates.
• Use peak performance times for critical tasks and take regular breaks to refresh your mind.
• Practice single-tasking to eliminate the inefficiency of multitasking.

3. Ineffective prioritisation.

This can also be about procrastination! This is about prioritising ?less critical tasks and mismanaging workload distribution.? You’re probably putting off doing the complex or difficult tasks.?

To-do lists, and task management apps are no good unless they help you to prioritise and make you feel overwhelmed with the enormity of things to do.? You probably feel overwhelmed by your workload. I bet you’re also rushing through tasks or feeling unsure which to tackle first. Hello anxiety, procrastination, or burnout.

I have an email mastery system which alleviates so much of this issue. I can help you build a time management system that will supercharge your prioritisation and likely give you back 2 hours in your day!

Time Management Tips:

• Use the Ivy Lee method to identify the six most important tasks for each day.
• Utilise the Important/Urgent matrix to prioritise your tasks (ask me how)
• Narrow down your to-do list and "eat the frog" by doing the hardest task first.

These challenges are common but solvable with the right strategies. As your coach, I will support you in implementing these time management techniques, enabling you to work more efficiently, reduce stress, and achieve your goals.

HOW I CAN HELP YOU RIGHT NOW!

1.????? Utilise my powerful Time Management Prioritisation Tool

2.????? Book your personal Time Management Strategy Session

3.????? Listen to my Spotify Playlist “Chill Out Music for Work & Focus”

If you enjoyed this article click the subscribe button below, and you'll receive a new one just like it each week.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Barbara Clifford is a co-founder of The Hinwood Institute.? She is the lead trainer and coach in Time Management and a recognized leader in Stress Management. She is a highly experienced coach, international speaker, columnist, facilitator and accredited mediator.

Barbara?equips busy business leaders to make courageous decisions in pressure situations for the long-term benefit of their business, team and personal wellbeing. Giving them a sense of order; taking them from chaos to calm and transforming their stress into a source of strength.?? She lives in the desert of Alice Springs, Australia working with people around the world