Rid yourself of "time thieves"

"Time thieves" can steal your day and leave you feeling stressed and frustrated if you don't plan ahead for them, says Debbie Carr.

But, she says, good time management and organisation can help ensure that life becomes "a little less hectic".

She recommends using the following checklist to rid yourself of "time thieves":

1. Plan your day. "Spend at least 15 minutes each morning or evening planning your day. Review your diary, write your task list, prioritise it and allow a certain amount of time for interruptions."

2. Prioritise your tasks. "Give all tasks a priority rating, such as urgent/important, non-urgent/important, urgent/non-important and non-important/non-urgent."

3. Set due dates. "Assign tasks a due date and complete them on time. Give yourself a reward at the end of it."

4. Give everything a place. "Good time management means being organised, which includes being able to locate things quickly. A clear environment will help your head to be free of clutter as well."

5. Deal with email. Once a massive time-saver, email has itself become increasingly stressful to deal with. Carr suggests:

• Deal with emails at specific, set times, such as in the morning and late afternoon only;
• Allow yourself enough time to get the task done; and
• Ensure you deal with every single email in your inbox at those times. Either deal with it, delegate it, or dump it. "Don't keep it in your inbox to deal with later. Aim to keep your inbox clear.
• Create folders for different items and set up rules so certain emails go directly into the appropriate folders."

6. File items daily. "Take just a few minutes to organise a filing system. After you have read something, decide whether you will keep it - if so, file it immediately - or discard it. Train your mind to remember that you handle each piece of paper just once and either file it, reassign it, delegate it or dump it."

7. Stop hoarding. "Hoarding creates chaos and time wasting. Have a look at your environment and take stock regularly. If you have not looked at the items around you for some time, consider if you really need to hold on to them."

8. Institute a clear desk policy. "Try to keep your desk clear. You only need one tray for work in progress (in) and one for (out). Keeping a clear desk will help you to feel less overwhelmed and more in control. When you're not using something, put it away."

9. Do it now. "Don't delay tasks and projects. If you can't do something straight away add the item to your task planner and assign it a due date."

10. Delegate, or say no. "Don't be afraid to delegate tasks to others if you can. Don't take on extra tasks if you don't have the time."

11. Always carry a notepad. "Keep a notepad with you at all times and write down any thoughts that you wish to remember. Once you have written something down you can forget about it until you action it or write it into your diary."

12. Limit time on the telephone. "If you are taking a phone call from someone that you know will keep you busy for longer than you can spare, tell them upfront that you only have five minutes for the call."

13. Use your "wasted" time. "Nobody likes being kept waiting with train delays and at medical appointments etc. Change these frustrating times into opportunities for catching up on the reading you have been putting off, planning the week ahead, and visualising your goals."

14. Schedule "you" time. "Always schedule time out for yourself."