Much may be done in those little shreds and patches of time which every day produces, and which most men throw away.
- Charles Caleb Colton
With blocks on your schedule filling up, it’s easy to overlook the nuggets of time that, with proper management, allow you to recapture the value of your day.
The first question to ask is how do you want to be productive? Try mind-mapping your thoughts in order to answer this question.
Mind Mapping – a mind map is a diagram used to represent words, ideas, tasks, or other items linked to and arranged around a central key word or idea (from Wikipedia)
FreeMind – premier free mind-mapping software written in Java
MindMeister – online mind-mapping tool with real-time collaboration and mobile apps
Further discussion of the uses of mind-mapping available here
How will you keep track of the results of your efforts? Create a searchable notebook.
Searchable Notebook – whether it be a personal wiki or an emailed note to self, having a central place for your notes can boost your time management
Wikihost – a collection of public and private wikis to publish content, share thoughts and find people with similar interests.
Evernote – save your ideas, things you like, things you hear, and things you see, available as a mobile app
Further discussion about personal wikis here
Spend a lot of time commuting? Use a portable mp3 player to listen and learn.
Podcasts/Audiobooks – make use of your time by learning and reading.
Open University – iTunes provides search for free lectures via podcast at Open University
Librivox – LibriVox is a volunteer-driven provider of audiobooks from works in the public domain
A list of sources of free audiobooks may be found here
What tools do you use to get better value from your time? Or do you have enough already?