The Law and Order of Time Management

As a law enforcement officer, your entire career revolves around maintaining law and order in our communities. However, maintaining that same balance in our own lives isn’t always a simple task.

It is absolutely impossible to truly “manage” time. Despite the world’s best efforts, a day will always be 24 hours. However, we can always manage what we do within those 24 hours. With a little planning and discipline, you can take a hectic life and turn it into a smooth schedule.

People who practice time management find they are more productive, deal with stress in their lives more effectively, and have an overall, better sense of pride in themselves. Here are some tips to help you practice the law and order of time management:

1. Set Your Goals and Priorities: Make a list of goals you want to reach (whether they be daily, weekly, monthly,etc) and put them in order of importance to YOU. Which ones will take longer or require more steps? Which goals will be more short term? Perhaps you can number them, or divide them into Short/Long Term Goals. Once you have a tangible list in front of you, it’s easier to decide the steps you need to take and how long they will take to achieve.
2. Use A Planner: It can be a calendar, a to do list, a daily agenda, or a simple piece of paper...but have something that holds you accountable for your time and how you managed it. Experts recommend that it’s something you keep with you on a regular basis, because we all know, “Out of Sight, Out of Mind.” Keep track of your accomplishments as well as unfinished tasks to stay motivated!
3. Examine and Eliminate Time Wasters: We all have distractions. That’s a reality we can’t hide from. The trick is deciding which time distractions are time wasters. Which activities use up your time, but have nothing productive to show for it? When you are accomplishing your goals, what distractions throw you off track? Identifying these issues is the first step to eliminating them. Make a list!
4. Stay Positive and Centered: Don’t forget that you need time for yourself! Try to schedule your more strenuous tasks in accordance with your own energy cycle. What time of the day are you more energetic? When does your body wind down? And DON’T FORGET to schedule yourself time to relax. When we fight our bodies natural cycles and don’t allow it time to rejuvinate, we fight fatigue, moodiness, and poor concentration...which will not help anyone get anything done! No matter how many things you manage in your time, don’t forget that you are the most important element!

Everyone is unique, so everyone has to develop their own time management system for their lives. If you find these tips are helpful, keep them in practice. If you find that at times you still feel off balance in your schedule, you can always implement new strategies until you get it right!