ArticlesBase.com - Free Articles Directory
Free Online Articles Directory
19.07.2008 Sign In Register Hello Guest
Email:
Password:
Remember Me 
forgot your password?


How to Use a To-Do List to Control Your Time

Author: Gerri Stone Author Ranking Blue | Posted: 28-08-2006 | Comments: 0 | Views: 298 | Rating:  (57) Article Popularity - Blue (?) Got a Question? Ask.
Sign Up Now!

Good time management is simply managing the events and activities of your day. If you feel like your days are getting away from you, you are not alone. Advances in technology have brought more information rushing toward us than ever before. Ten years ago, we used telephones, fax machines, and letters to share information. Now we have emails, video phones, pod casts, and a continually evolving workplace. Managing our information has become the focus of the majority of our time.

A good time management system will help you organize your information and help you track the important events of your life. It will also work as a tracking system for what happened on a certain day, so you can easily refer back to it if needed.

A simple calendar works as a scheduler. You can record any future appointments and commitments. You can mark down significant dates so you will always remember birthdays and anniversaries. You can also record future deadlines so they are never missed. It is a good idea to record the deadline about three days before the actual date to give you a cushion.

Your daily to-do list is a catch all for all those tasks that you need to complete, but you haven't set an actual date for. When you look over your to-do list, you can assess the tasks in order of priority. When does the task need to be finished? How much time will it take to finish? How big of a priority is it? When do you plan to finish it?

When estimating the length of time to complete a task, you should allow yourself 50% more time than you think it will take to finish. This will keep your day on schedule, and you might even find you have some spare time throughout the day.

Another great use for your to-do list is as a catch all for all the pieces of information that accumulates on small pieces of paper in your pockets. How often do you empty your pockets at the end of the day to find ten or fifteen scraps of paper with phone numbers, names and dates on them? You can use your daily to-do list to record all this information at the time, and then move it to the appropriate place from there.

Here are six advantages to using a daily to-do list:
1.A to-do list helps you keep track of what needs to be done.
2.A to-do list is more dependable than your memory is.
3.You can prioritize items on the list.
4.You can easily see overlapping activities. This will save you time by grouping activities that occur in the same place, or use the same resources.
5.You will get a great feeling of accomplishment when you cross something off your list.
6.You can carry over any uncompleted tasks to the next day, without risk of forgetting them.

Using a to-do list will help you focus on what you can realistically expect to accomplish in a day. It will help you spend your valuable time on what is really important, and help you reach your goals much faster.

Rate this Article: Current: 0 / 5 stars - 0 vote(s).

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/time-management-articles/how-to-use-a-todo-list-to-control-your-time-50324.html

Print this Article Print article   Email to a Friend Send to friend   Publish this Article on your Website Publish this Article   Send Author Feedback Author feedback  
About the Author:
Gerri Stone publishes articles and free time management tips at Tips For Time Management
Submitting articles has become one of the most popular means of generating quality backlinks and targeted traffic to your website. Join us today - It's Free!

Article Comments

Comment on this article Comment on this article
Your Name
Your Email:
Comment Body
Enter Validation Code: Captcha


Related Articles

Time Management Benefits - How to Reap the Payoffs of an Effective Time Management Program
By: Eddy K Elgin | 10/10/2007 | Organizational
Whether you are working for people or yourself, you need to have an effective and easy to follow time management program.

How to Regain Control of Your Time
By: Gerri Stone | 10/08/2006 | Time Management
Here are a few tips to help you turn your out of control schedule into a system that can put you back in control of your time

Successful Time Management Tips
By: Yola Eve | 24/05/2007 | Project Management
To make a reality of your long-life dream is not as difficult as may seem. Your career depends on your patience, will-power and readiness to work. In addition to that you have to realize that efficient organization of workflow is half of your success. To be ready to overcome unexpected problems learn main rules of Time Management.

Finding Time: Utilize Time Conflicts With Coworkers as Strategic Opportunities
By: Paula Eder | 24/03/2008 | Self Improvement
Do your co-workers share your views on time and how best to use it? If not, don't let your differences sabotage your projects! To learn 5 ways you can strengthen work skills while dealing with conflicting time philosophies, read on

Time Management 101: Time Management for Families
By: Colleen Kettenhofen | 09/10/2007 | Self Improvement
Successful time management results in successful stress management. And in today's busy world, it's especially important for families to find quality time to spend together. Discover 6 easy time management tips you can incorporate today. Teach your children to form good time management habits now so they'll become better students...and better leaders!

4 Workable Time Management Strategies
By: Wendy Hearn | 04/04/2008 | Business
If you are feeling like you do not have enough time, or that you are not getting the most out of your time these strategies can radically alter how effectively you manage time and hence how much quicker you’ll reach your goals.

Advantages Of Time Management
By: Christos Varsamis | 08/02/2006 | Management
The advantages of time management include reducing stress, gaining time, reducing avoidance, while promoting reviews and eliminating cramming. Another advantage is that managing time helps us to stay motivated while we avoid procrastination.

How to Use Good Good Employee Time Management Techniques and Tricks?
By: Eddy K Elgin | 10/10/2007 | Organizational
This should help you to share the problems you face in your business operations. This will help you to open up some of your own time. The problem is, you are sitting there looking over information about your profits and you become concerned.

Got a Question? Ask.

Ask the community a question about this article:

Q&A Powered by:
Powered by Yedda 

Latest Time Management Articles

Procrastination - Why People Delay
By: Andy Smith | 19/07/2008
To delay or postpone an action that needs to be done is procrastination. I will do this afterwards. There is enough time still. What do these people think by setting deadlines? I have my own priorities. This is boring. What I do not do this work at all? Ultimately what will I gain by doing this? Why cannot I have some freedom? Why everything needs to be done on time? These are all typical thoughts of a procrastinator.

Learn Proven Techniques To Accelerate Your Reading Speed
By: Francis Hesse | 15/07/2008
Speed Reading is a skill that you can learn to master and change your life forever.

Lower Stress With Better Time Management
By: Andy Smith | 15/07/2008
Why is it so stressful to have an irregular schedule? I don't know, but it's certainly the case. Perhaps it is because it gives us mental clutter. If you are feeling a lot of stress these days, here is one technique you can use for giving yourself less stress.

Time Management Tips: Nine Ways to Leave the Office by Five
By: Sharon Mann | 12/07/2008
Are you usually the last one to leave your office every night? Do you have trouble managing projects? This article is designed to provide you with some time management tips that will guarantee you'll never have to stay late at work again. Specifics may vary from person to person; however, the following information includes helpful and important guidelines from which everyone can benefit.

Comprehension and the Art of Speed Reading
By: Francis Hesse | 11/07/2008
Speed reading is a skill that all can acquier. There are steps that you must follow that will help to increase your reading speed and most importantly your comprehension as well.

What Is Effective Time Management
By: Paul Hata | 10/07/2008
Some people view time management as a list of rules that involves scheduling of appointments, goal settings, thorough planning, creating things-to-do lists and prioritizing. These are the core basics of time management that should be understood to developing a efficient personal time management skills.

Technology: Time Savers or Time Wasters?
By: Cindy Hartman | 06/07/2008
Voice mail, text messaging, email, IM, cell phones…the list goes on and on when it comes to communication. How do you control the flood of incoming and outgoing communication? A little structure and self-imposed guidelines can make a big difference.

Time Management Tips: 10 Things You Can Do to be Effective With Your Time
By: prakhar maheshwari | 04/07/2008
If you find yourself constantly frustrated at the end of the day, with a pile of things that need to be done and wondering why you weren’t able to do it, you’re not alone. Plenty of people suffer from an inability to make the maximum use of their time, but there is a solution! By implementing these simple time management tips in every area of your life, you’ll be surprised at what you can accomplish – and how quickly things will get done – every day.

More from Gerri Stone

How to Succeed at Selling Your Own Home and Saving Money
By: Gerri Stone | 08/12/2006 | Non-Fiction
More often than not, people hand over the task of selling their house to a real estate agent, paying them hefty fees for this service. You can save that money and get an even better price for your home if you sell it yourself.

Completing Your Adult Education Degree Online
By: Gerri Stone | 05/12/2006 | Non-Fiction
Some adults merely take an education degree online so as to challenge themselves to see if they are still sharp mentally. There can be nothing more rewarding for an intellectualist than challenging one's brain at a later age to discover that it is still up to the problems and challenges of a post-secondary level educational program.

The World Of Distance Education Online
By: Gerri Stone | 04/12/2006 | Non-Fiction
There is a wide variety of distance education online programs that are available for many walks of life and educational preferences. You never know what type of course you could get from using your home computer and an internet connection, so be sure to spend some time browsing the web sites for information

What Really Causes Acid Reflux
By: Gerri Stone | 01/12/2006 | Non-Fiction
Acid reflux occurs because the muscle at the bottom of the esophagus fails to close properly. This muscle should work like a one-way valve, allowing food to enter the stomach, and stopping stomach acid from backing up.

The Challenges Of An Online Nursing Degree
By: Gerri Stone | 30/11/2006 | Non-Fiction
The online nursing degree program likely varies from school to school in terms of the basic details, but most of them operate under the same fundamental principles. The classes are generally hosted on the web site of the school itself

You Can Diminish the Damage Caused by Years of Smoking
By: Gerri Stone | 07/09/2006 | Quit Smoking
Many people hesitate to quit smoking because they think the damage is already done to their body. Tobacco smoke does damage every body system, but it is never too late to reap the benefits of quitting.

Discover the Secrets to Managing Your Time
By: Gerri Stone | 01/09/2006 | Time Management
Each day we make dozens of choices about how to spend our minutes and hours. When we plan how to spend it, we are in control of our time.

How to Regain Control of Your Time
By: Gerri Stone | 10/08/2006 | Time Management
Here are a few tips to help you turn your out of control schedule into a system that can put you back in control of your time

Article Categories






Give Feedback

Sign up for our email newsletter

Receive updates, enter your email below