15 Tips on Time Management for Business Journalists

Tami LuhbySenior Writer, CNNMoney

Help you accomplish what you need to doOffer time-saving tips

Assist you with prioritizing

Aid with organization

Today’s Agenda

Tracking Your Time

RescueTime.com

Toggl.com

Stayfocusd – extension for Google Chrome

What do you do now? Tip #1

Prioritize

What do I have to do this morning?Today

This weekThis month

Keep track of your job Tip #2

Photo by Flick user Joe Lanman

Stay focused

Work on one task until completed

Block out outside interference

Turn off your personal email/IM

Stay on the agenda in meetings

Keep track of your job Tip #3

Photo by Flickr user Dexte-r

Don’t procrastinateJust pick up the phone or send the email

Once you start, momentum will buildLimit the water cooler chat/Web surfing

Keep track of your job Tip #4

Set up a system

First, write the story

Then tweet it

Then do the podcast/video

Will help you juggle demands

Keep track of your job Tip #5

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The To Do List

Use it to plan out the week

Personalize

Keep all in one place

Write down all that you have to do Include phone numbers/directions

Keep track of your life Tip #6

My ToDo list

Batching/Alarms

Do things in clusters

Set time to check email

Set up alarms in Outlook

Keep track of your life Tip #7

Be reasonable in what you can accomplish

Schedule when you have to finish tasks

Focus on highest priority things first

Don’t try to do everything in one day

Keep track of your life Tip #8

Relax, refresh, reboot

Take some downtimeGo back to story after

break or in the morning

Let yourself think creatively

Keep track of your life Tip #9

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Watch the competitionRead rivals – consumer & industry

File their storiesKeep track of facts & statistics

Keep track of your beat Tip #10

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20th Century filing

21st Century filing

Use Web alerts

Set up Google Alerts

Create My Yahoo, Google Reader, RSS feedsFollow sources on Twitter

Sign up for email daily digests

Get SEC/regulatory alerts on companies

Keep track of your beat Tip #11

Know what’s coming

Read the papers the night before

You know what’s in store

Your editors don’t catch you unaware

Keep track of your beat Tip #12

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Handling sources

Note rivals’ sources

Enter all sources in your file immediately

Jot down what rival source quoted onEmail the night before to set up interviews

Keep track of “real people” who contact you

Keep track of your beat Tip #13

Keeping track of sources

Story ideas

Keep file of story ideas

Include sources

Note studies/websites

Keep track of your beat Tip #14

Working on project

Make list of all sources and their

status

Maintain list of what needs to be done

Keep files of relevant documents

Keep track of your beat Tip #15

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Prioritize

Stay focused

Know what you have to do

Read rivals

Keep track of sources

Maintain story idea file

In Summary