Looking for a few quick ways to make the most of your time?

In this post, I offer five tiny time management tips that can make a big impact on your calendar.

Try implementing one or two of these tips…and see what happens!

Pencil in personal time.

You may have a schedule for all your work-related activities, but what about your personal life?

Are you spending enough time with family and friends, or just decompressing after a long day a work?

If things are looking a bit blurry, you may need to do some boundary-setting.

Purposefully enter in time for yourself into your calendar for you and your loved ones.

You won’t regret it!

Schedule buffer time between meetings.

Scheduling meetings and appointments back-to-back may seem like a smart move…you’re saving time right? Things can quickly get out of hand, however, when meeting attendees run late, traffic is snarled and you want a quick snack. Give yourself a bit of flex time after any meeting or appointment, anywhere in the neighborhood from five to 15 minutes. This allows you to take a quick coffee break, use the restroom, wrap your head around your next commitment, or have a few extra minutes of travel time to get to your next destination.

Avoid scheduling items after last-minute cancellations.

Your afternoon meeting was cancelled at the last-minute. What should you do? Fill up that time with another meeting, some work, or take a much-needed break? You might want to consider taking the break. If you’re looking for some respite from your schedule, now’s the perfect time to take a breather. Why not make the most out of this rare and precious gift and just enjoy the time given to you?

TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR CALENDAR.

The Order Expert’s Guide to Time Management is a hands-on workbook that provides practical solutions to common, everyday time management problems.

Click here to learn more about the workbook >> 

Layout your clothes the night before.

Do you find yourself spending an unnecessary amount of time getting dressed in the morning? If so, you might want to try selecting and laying out your entire outfit for the following day the night before. This tip may sound really simple (and it is), but it works. No more standing half-asleep at your closet or dresser wondering what to wear. You just wake up, bathe, and put on what you’ve set out for yourself.

Make hitting the snooze button a thing of the past.

“Just five more minutes and then I’ll get up…” Oh, the snooze button. How could such a simple button on an alarm clock cause so much trouble? Routinely hitting the snooze button in the morning can easily turn into ten, fifteen or twenty minutes. Banish lateness (and mindlessly slapping the snooze button) by moving your alarm clock (or cellphone) to the other side of the bedroom. You’ll have to get up and out of bed to turn off your alarm. The best part about this? You’ll already be up and out of bed. Might as well begin your day in earnest…

How about you? What small time management tips seem to make a big impact in your schedule or calendar? Join in the conversation and leave a comment below!