Developing the right time management techniques can take just a little time and effort, but it is well worth it when you see the results. Although these time management techniques can be taught by a personal coach or a time management expert, you can effectively learn these techniques yourself if you wish to.

An important part of time management is keeping a time plan and this is a regular habit you need to get into so that you’re well prepared for the day. However, there is no way we can prepare ourselves for all possibilities and each day will bring up some unexpected and unusual situations. Dealing with these situations effectively is essential for good time management so I am going to share two vital time management techniques with you. These are asking powerful questions and listening.

Powerful questions

When an unexpected situation arises or you are simply wondering what to do next, you need to ask yourself powerful questions to move yourself forward in the right direction.

In general, a powerful question should be open ended and begin with the word 'What'. It should encourage you to identify all of the possible options in any given scenario. As you practice this you will get a better idea of the questions that work for you and here are some examples to get started.

• What is the most important thing for me to focus on at the moment?

• What would enable me to use my time more effectively?

• What is the next step for me in this moment?

• What do I most need?

Listening

If you ask a question there will inevitably be answers, maybe lots of them. However, you need to learn to listen to them and decide which is the best one in a particular situation. You need to be willing to stop what you are doing and shift your focus to listening to yourself. Take that short amount of time, perhaps one minute, to listen to the response that comes to you. Alternatively, you can write down the answers that come or speak them into a dictaphone. If you do this, more often than not you will find that one of the answers provides you with the right course of action for the situation.