We all share the same finite resource – time. No matter what we do, we can’t magically add more time into our days, or extend our weeks. Therefore, how well we manage our time, and our tasks, is critical to our overall success. There are many time management books and systems out there, along with ones that you can create from whole cloth. For off-the-shelf systems, choosing one can be daunting – there are so many, and it’s hard to know what criteria to look at when you’re selecting one to try. Here are a few key things to keep in mind to help you:

Big picture or small tasks? Are you more of birds-eye view person, focusing on ideas and high-level plans, or do you really like planning out every detail? Different systems approach these two perspectives in different ways. Getting Things Done is about getting the small tasks under control so you can focus on the big picture, while FranklinCovey is about focusing on the big picture to help guide you towards the right small tasks. It’s all a matter of perspective – both the one you already have, and the one you’d like to gain.

How planned do you like to be? Each of us varies on how much we like our days to be structured. Some of us thrive with lots of structure and have most of our day fully planned, while others work better when just a few key items are planned and the rest of our time gets filled as each day progresses. One method is not necessarily better than the other – and there’s certainly a continuum between them. Systems vary on how much structure they encourage – for instance, Action Method helps you plan and strategize your individual tasks, while The Now Habit’s Unschedule leaves your day more open. Choose a system that fits what works well for you, and you’ll likely be more successful.

Learn and use your system and give it a fighting chance. Once you’ve chosen a system, make sure you take the time to understand not only its big tenets, but also the ins and outs of how it’s meant to work on a daily basis. Listen to podcasts or read blog posts from the makers of your system, or work with a productivity expert to help guide you through the process. As you gain understanding into your chosen system, make sure that you’ve given yourself adequate time to practice using it. As with anything new, it takes both understanding your new time management system and putting it into practice for a while before you can see what is – and what isn’t – working well for you. Especially with time management, change typically doesn’t happen overnight.

Use bits and pieces. Whatever system you choose, don’t feel obligated to use every single element of it – especially if you find that parts of it don’t work well for you or if all your needs are not fully addressed. Use the parts that DO work well for you and if there are areas where your chosen system doesn’t fit the bill, choose elements from other systems to fill in the gaps. For instance, maybe some of the big-picture planning tools from your main system work really well for you, but you find that the day-to-day task planning isn’t really your cup of tea. In that case, choose a daily planning method from another system. After all, it’s your time – how you plan it should fit you!

Master your calendar with a few easy ideas!

Time flies when you’re having fun, but what if you’re not having fun and your time still seems to “fly away?” Do you ever feel like your schedule runs you, rather than the other way around? Maybe you’re feeling like you can’t get everything done, or that you don’t really know where your time goes. Sound familiar? If so, a “time makeover” might be just what you need! Here are some simple strategies to help get your calendar under control:

Take stock. To truly maximize your use of time, it’s helpful to first find out how you’re currently spending your day. In a journal or on a notepad, write down what you’re doing from hour to hour for a few days. Note what your current daily schedule is (if you have one), what’s working, and what isn’t. Also notice what your energy rhythms are – are you more “up” in the evening, or are you more of a night owl?

Check it out. After keeping a log for a few days, start looking for patterns. Are you spending most of your time on the things that you want or need to do, or are you wasting lots of time procrastinating or surfing the web? Where is time being used well, and where do you see room for improvement? Also see whether the things that are most important to you are synchronized with when you are the most “up.”

Build blocks. Group your different daily tasks into categories, and then make the categories into “time blocks.” Common categories are work time (time you spend at your job or business), admin tasks (paying bills, processing paper, etc.), pleasure time (breaks and other downtime), and kid-related time (carpooling, getting the kids ready for school).

Fill it in. Look at a blank calendar, and start setting up your revised schedule. Put your time blocks onto your calendar, based on how much time the tasks within each category take up. As things come up during your day or your week, you’ll now have time literally “blocked out” for the tasks to fit into. Try to group related tasks together – for instance, if you noted in your logs that you were paying bills online on Tuesday and writing checks on Friday, try to group those together on your calendar. Every process that you can group or streamline will make a difference in how efficient you can be.

Keep at it. After you’ve filled in your time blocks with tasks, you’ll be left with a revamped schedule. Try implementing your new schedule slowly – that way you can make adjustments and tweaks. If something works well – great! If not, see if you can shift a task to another time block or shift the blocks around. Keep with it until you find the mix that works for you.

You CAN get control over your schedule! With a little advance planning and a few of my tips, you’ll soon be master of your day once more.

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Joshua Zerkel, CPO® is a the founder of Custom Living Solutions, a San Francisco-based productivity and organizing consulting firm, specializing in helping busy people save time, space and money by getting organized at home and at work. For more FREE organizing ideas, visit www.customlivingsolutions.com or call 415-830-6345.

© 2009 Joshua Zerkel and Custom Living Solutions. All Rights Reserved.