Mapping out your day-to-day tasks is the key to effective time management. Doing it properly means more than keeping a tidy desk

According to time management guru and author, Harold Taylor, "Time management is more than a tidy desk, an organized file system and efficient work habits. It is a continuing process that integrates technology with managerial and interpersonal skills directed toward a pre-determined goal in a way that maximizes the return on invested time."

I think most people would agree that you can't really manage time; you can only use it wisely to accomplish the most important things you need to and want to do. Keeping in mind that most busy professionals have over 200 hours of uncompleted work at any one time, you can't do it all. So, how do you decide what to do and when?

One of the most important techniques I have learned and shared with my clients is to complete your No. 1 priority item first thing in the morning before you check email or pick up the phone. As soon as you open your inbox you're bound to be distracted and falsely think that answering email is more important than anything else. There goes your day.

The next most important habit you can develop for successfully using your time is to stop work 15 to 30 minutes before your day ends and spend that last piece of time organizing yourself for the next day. This means returning all paper to its proper home and then looking at your appointments and tasks for the next day. Plan out what you will do in order of execution. Many people make the mistake of waiting until the next morning to plan their day and invariably miss something that needed to be done.

The final new habit for success is spending one or two hours every Friday working on your plan for the next week. There are several key steps to this process:

1. Review your calendar for the past week and look for any action items from meetings that you need to add to your tasks. If it's a large piece of work, try booking an appointment with yourself to work on it.
2. Look at your calendar for the coming week. Do you need to prepare anything for upcoming meetings? If so, how long will it take and when will you do it?
3. Review your tasks or To Do list for any items that are urgent and/or important and decide when you will work on them.
4. Change dates on uncompleted tasks based on their importance.
5. Review any major projects and book time with yourself to ensure they move forward to completion.
6. Ask yourself whether your schedule is realistic. In general, you need to keep 20% to 50% of your week open for unexpected people requests and projects.

The effort put into planning is less painful than the consequences of not planning at all.

Jane Veldhoven is a Certified Professional Organizer ® and owner of Get Organized! Professional Services. For more information visit www.janetheorganizer.com.