Time: a very precious commodity in the fast-paced, hectic world in which we live. Success in this day and age means setting goals, making schedules, meeting deadlines, and generally cramming thirty hours into a 24-hour day (or else learning how to exist without sleep).

If you're still in school, consider classes and studying as practice for your future job. If you've already entered the work place, managing your schedule is critical to success. Think about what is important to you today and what kind of life you want to have tomorrow. This is the first step in learning how to be a good time manager.

Alec Mackenzie, one of the nation's foremost time management experts, stresses the importance of goals in the workplace or while in school. "Effective time management is deciding what you really want to do in life and shifting your emphasis from doing everything to doing the right things, which will result in a sense of fulfillment and accomplishment," he advises. Here are some of his suggestions:

Come up with a master plan

• Have specific personal and educational or professional goals in life.
• Determine the goals to which you need to commit in order to meet objectives.
• Write down your major goals.
• Make sure that they are achievable.
• Give yourself a realistic deadline.

Map it out

• Chart your long range goals.
• Get in the habit of planning what you need and want to do in the month, week, and day ahead.
• Keep a calendar listing all the personal and school and or job events.
• Frequently check the days, weeks, and months ahead to get a sense of your available time and your priorities.

See where your time is going

• Keep a time log and make detailed entries every half-hour or hour to discover how you spend your day.
• Example: "11:30 to 12:45--meet study group in library."
• Decide priorities at the end of the day.
• Determine the priority of each action on a one to four scale, with one for very important and four being time wasted.

Identify your time-wasters (many of which will include the following)

• Indecision
• Lack of planning.
• Jumping from project to project.
• keeping a disorganized desk (or study area).
• procrastination
• insisting on perfection.

Stay focused

• List your personal and educational goals daily in order of priority.
• Get number one finished first, if nothing else.

Learn to say NO

• Listen--to show interest and understanding of the request.
• Say no immediately--to avoid building up false hopes.
• Give a reason--so the refusal will be understood.
• Give alternatives--to prove that you are, in fact, interested and to show good faith.

Control Interruptions

• Remain focused on a project until your work is completed.
• Don't allow distractions to sway you from your commitment to a goal.
• Don't allow friends or coworkers to coerce you from your work. (you can always politely say, "This really isn't a good time for me. Maybe we can plan something tomorrow." )
• Set time aside for other interests.

Take a Break

• Improve efficiency by allowing periodic breaks of five, ten or fifteen minutes.
• Stretch your muscles.
• Eat something healthy (avoid too much sugar or caffeine).
• Take a quick stroll around the block.
• Meditate for relaxation.
• Read something for pleasure.