Time is the most important resource you have, so it should be managed well. Plan ahead as to how you will use your time. Your plan should be based on specific goals you want to achieve. Make sure the most important things are accomplished. Don’t spend time on “busy work” activities. At the end of the day or week, look back to see if you accomplished the things you needed to. To learn about other time management skills, read Time and Goal Management.

For more information on this topic, see the links listed below of articles posted on related Web sites.

Why Time Management?

• Time Management – Kansas State University Extension -- Keep a balance between your volunteer time, personal time, work time, etc. Accomplish priority items. Have free time without feeling guilty. Gain a sense of accomplishment. Reduce stress.
• Managing Time in the Workplace – University of Florida Extension -- According to Time Management Training.com, fifty percent of management time is spent processing information, and eighty percent of that information is of no value.
• Time Management and Organization – Entrepreneur.com – Articles on organizing your work to better manage your time.
• Balancing Priorities on Schedule – HBS Working Knowledge -- We get pulled in many directions during the day—unexpected interruptions, phone calls, e-mails. It’s time to get control of your schedule.
• Understaffed and Overworked: What Now? - HBS Working Knowledge -- When resources are scarce, you need a plan for managing your career, your team, and even your boss. Here's what works: balance, focus, and effective communication.

How to Manage Your Time

• Making Time – Small Business Administration -- Although life will always provide us with its little twists and turns, once we learn to manage our time wisely, much of the day-to-day chaos in our lives can be reduced or even eliminated.
• Balancing Priorities on Schedule – HBS Working Knowledge – We get pulled in many directions during the day—unexpected interruptions, phone calls, e-mails.  It’s time to get control of your schedule. 
• Articles about Time Management – SalesVantage.com – A variety of topics relating to managing your time.
• Time Pressure and Creativity: Why Time is Not on Your Side – HBS Working Knowledge -- Even as time pressures increase in corporate life, the need for creative thinking has never been greater.
• Management Time, Who’s Got the Monkey – HBS Working Knowledge (charge publication) -- Many managers feel overwhelmed. They have too many problems--too many monkeys--on their backs. All too often, they say, they find themselves running out of time while their subordinates are running out of work.
• Tips on Effective Time Management – Ohio State University -- In a small business, poor management of time will prevent the business from reaching its full potential.