Welcome to Part Three of our Guide to Managing Time (managing a 60-hour workweek) mini-series! Please read our previous sections:

Part One – Creating a consistent schedule.

Part Two – Working with others.

Tools to help you manage yourself

When you’re working over 50 hours a week, you need the right tools to effectively manage your time and organize yourself – otherwise, you’ll just be overwhelmed by the enormous amount of work you have to do.

These are a few of the tools I use on a very regular basis:

– Timer. I actually use a simple kitchen timer, but you could even use the timer on your cell phone if you wanted to. The point of this is that it helps you to stay on schedule, track your hours and integrate breaks into your day. If you’re working multiple jobs, this is especially useful. I’ll start the clock and work for a couple hours, then mark onto my Excel spreadsheet (see below for more information on it) how long I was working on that particular task for before moving onto the next one. If you’re busy juggling several things around, it’s very easy to lose track of how long you’ve worked on something. The timer is also excellent to prevent distractions: promise yourself that you’ll work for an hour, and then you’ll allow yourself a 10-minute break to cruise the Internet or have a cup of tea.

– Excel spreadsheet. I don’t know where I would be without my handy-dandy spreadsheet! Every day, I list the amount of hours and minutes (to the nearest five minutes… I’m a little neurotic, but I don’t go to the extent of 12 minutes 30 seconds or something ;)) that I spend working on each of my jobs. I also include reading books and exercise on my daily spreadsheet, just because I think that they are important to factor in on a very regular basis. Seeing them on my spreadsheet reminds me to include them in my day. I also have the amount of time I “should” spend on each item per week listed at the bottom of my spreadsheet so that I can look at it and see if I’ve been neglecting one thing or another.

– “What am I doing today” Word document. This has become just as important to me as my Excel spreadsheet. It’s great because I can just write down really quickly into a Microsoft Word document what I want to do for the next couple days and the times I’m supposed to do them at, and that way when I wake up in the morning, I can open up the document and my day is laid out in front of me. It helps to have it on the computer since I use my computer 24/7. I can also delete things with the click of a mouse, which is nice and seems less intimidating than a journal full of tasks – the document is never more than a page long.

– Giant monthly desk calendar with large squares. I haven’t been using this tool quite as much lately, but it’s fantastic for laying out your entire month. You can include deadlines, social events, work hours… I prefer it to a daily planner because it allows you to see everything all at once for the next month. It’s also fun to use different-coloured pens and highlighters so that you can easily categorize everything with just a glance.

– Notebook and pen. I adore my computer. I really do. But there’s nothing quite like pen and paper for jotting down some quick ideas.

– Smart phone or other similar intelligent device. What can I say? I love my iPhone. I love being able to access the Internet any time I want, and to use their Google Maps function to find out within seconds exactly how long it will take me to walk from one point to another if I have a meeting. Plus, the Notes function is incredibly useful for grocery lists, things to do, etc. I also use the Calendar function every single day. I’d be lost without my iPhone.

What tools could you not be without? Is there anything that really helps you organize yourself? Do you feel that it’s important to use tools like these to keep yourself on task? Share your thoughts and suggestions in the comments section below!