Time Management Tips for Taking Action

Taking action is skill. It's one of the best skills you can use in conjunction with time management. The trick is to combine your time management skills in a way that helps you take more action.

Here are 10 ways to take more action and improve your time management:

Start your day early. "Get a jump on your day." Rather than feel like you are always behind or playing catch up, take the lead.
Just start. Avoid analysis paralysis, and just start. By just getting started, you will quickly have a reality check that will help you adjust your path and take new action in the right direction.
Start with something small. Sometimes the best way to start is to break it down into something small. Even the small wins count and will help you chip away at the stone. If you are having trouble getting started, just find a small win and go for that.
Worst things first. Do the worst thing in your day to get it out of the way and avoid looming over you.
Take decisive action. Deciding to take action builds momentum. The more decisive action you take, the more momentum you will build. Start the ball rolling, and give it a good kick whenever it gets stuck.
Do it now vs. do it later. Avoid and reduce procrastinating. Things can pile up fast. Don't let them. Instead, find excuses to get things done now vs. pushing them off to later, where they will weight you down or overwhelm you. This will help you get on top and stay on top of things.
Don't be a perfectionist. Think in terms of "good enough for now" and treat perfection as a "journey", not a "destination." Don't let your inner Critic or Perfectionist get in the way of your inner Doer.
Make it a routine. Things get easier to do once you make them a routine or habit. Establish routines for your recurring activities.
Reduce friction. Establish glide-paths to simplify your day and make your routines friction free.
Leverage your personal action patterns. Find and use your personal patterns for taking action. For example, maybe you are a morning person. Use the morning to make things happen. Maybe you are more productive with a clear desk. Maybe you find it easier to take action after you work out. Experiment with what works, and pay attention to when you find it the easiest to take action, and use that to get your edge.

Action really is a habit. If you get in the habit of taking action, you'll start to find more creative ways to take action in more scenarios. The better you get at taking action, the better you'll get at time management. As you find more ways to take action, you'll start to ask more questions, like "What's the next best thing to do?" If you can balance taking action with embracing "non-action", you will gradually master the art of time management.

About the Author

J.D. Meier created the time management system, Getting Results the Agile Way, which is a simple system for meaningful results. You can take Getting Results the Agile Way for a test-drive by checking out the free time management training system, 30 Day Boot Camp for Getting Results.