Have you ever wondered about the people that seem to have all their ducks lined up, in a perfectly straight, harmonious row? How do they have a schedule that allows them to do all these cool things, and maintain their daily obligations without fail? I mean, we all share the same 24 hours each day. How come their day falls together so much better? The answer my friends is that they have awesome time management skills. They have successfully figured out how to rock at life, the most productive and efficient way possible. Our post will explain the common habits and how you can do them, too.

Habit 1: Write out your agenda and stick to it.

When beginning to harness your inner time management guru, start by writing out your agenda. You want to have a tentative schedule that puts the hardest tasks first. Prioritize these to the top of your list, since you will need the extra brain power to complete them. If you wait until the end of the day, when all your energy is drained, things are going to be extremely difficult.

Additionally, your agenda will keep you on track. Set realistic timelines and keep the work train moving. If something is taking longer than it should, you’ll have to decide if it is important enough to continue. Doing a second evaluation, at that moment, will give insight if something you are doing is really wasting your time. The more you practice using a planned agenda, the better you will be at sticking to it.

Habit 2: Eliminate distractions.

This could be as simple as turning off your phone and email notifications. There is no way that you can focus on completing your tasks if your mind is constantly distracted. Therefore, the biggest habit that people with great time management skills keep, is avoiding things that make them lose their focus. Straight and narrow, if it does not pertain to what you are completing right now, turn it off or put it away.

Habit 3: De-clutter your work area.

This kind of ties into eliminating distractions. Your work area needs to be clean and organized. Whether it’s your physical desk or your computer’s virtual desktop, it needs to be de-cluttered. There is no reason to have anything that does not add value to your day. People with awesome time management skills don’t leave behind garbage at their desks, or have 1,000 bobblehead dolls next to their staplers.

Habit 4: For great time management skills, hold yourself accountable.

Or, have others do it for you. Putting goals aside is easy if no one’s there to hold you accountable. Those with great time management skills are not scared to talk about their plans. In fact, they do it regularly. Why do you think you’re always hearing about how phenomenal they are, anyway? Since you already have an agenda (discussed above in habit 1) you can confidently share your plans with others. No backing out now. Let’s be full swing ahead with production.

Are you ready to be awesome?

We’ve just reviewed 4 essential habits that people with awesome time management skills keep. Processes such as creating an agenda, eliminating distractions and clutter, as well as holding themselves accountable, all add up to a day with complete potency. So, next time you ever feel like you’re spinning your wheels and getting nowhere, just start implementing these habits. You’ll be really glad you did.