Multi-tasking is an evil myth. You can only work on one task at a time. Multi-tasking tires you out, wears you down psychologically and does not provide the energy that comes from seeing a task through to completion. You need to take on fewer concurrent projects, and put more effort into each one, so that you complete more projects before going on to the next projects.

 Let's discuss other time allocation tips to help you control the army of distractions that compete for your attention every day.

 Firstly, take note that these are time allocation tips and not time management tips. We cannot manage time. We can only allocate time to various tasks. You have the choice on where you want to invest your time.

 Secondly, realize that your time is your most valuable asset. You can always make more money, but you cannot make more time. Once you have been diagnosed with a terminal disease, you fully understand the value of time as it passes you by. If you are not yet in this situation then you can simply take my word for it. Learning to manage your time well is the best investment of your time that you can make.

 No one else will manage your time effectively. It is up to you to manage your time effectively and not allow other people to take control of your most valuable asset.

 With the time allocation guidelines in place, let's get right to the quick and easy time allocation tips.

 1.  It is better to move three projects forward a mile each day, than try to move 15 projects forward an inch at a time. Humans are most effective when working on fewer projects because we can see the progress. How many concurrent projects are you working on right now? Take steps to stop working on some of these projects and feel the relief as you lift the burden off yourself.

2. Record the amount of time it takes for you to respond to an email. You can easily invest 10 minutes of your life answering a long email. When you are aware of this, think of more effective ways to communicate. Pick up the phone and speak to the other person so that you can wrap up questions quicker.

3. Your biggest time allocation challenge is interruptions. Minimize interruptions by turning off your email, instant messaging and letting your phone go to voice mail for 30 minute periods so that you can work efficiently. Then respond to calls every hour when you take a break from your scheduled tasks.

4. Do not allocate time to the current "urgent" tasks for the day if someone else determines the urgency. Don't let other people tell you how urgent something is. Push back and determine the urgency and importance for yourself.

5. Rediscover the power of a paper calendar. Allocate your tasks to time slots in your calendar. At the end of the day you realize that another day in your life has passed and you can see what tasks you spent your life on. Electronic calendars allow time to pass without you realizing how quickly your life is passing by.

6. Take a 10 minute break every 45 minutes to improve your focus and produce more. Firstly, you can become so caught up in what you are doing that you may be blind to a seeing a better way to achieve the goal that you are working on. Secondly, you can last longer if you pace yourself and working without a break tires you out and causes stress and physical pain. Take a break, get up, and move around to get oxygen and stretch your muscles.

7. Every day, before making your "Must get done list", think to yourself. What is the objective that I want to accomplish today? Every morning, when you get up, think "What are the objectives that I want to accomplish today", and don't think in terms of "To do lists". Instead, focus on the objectives that you want to achieve, not the tasks you can do today.

8. Don't hesitate to eliminate tasks from your life and days. There are always too many things to be done in the time available, so as you eliminate tasks, others will creep into your life. You won't find yourself without work as you eliminate tasks. For example, don't be afraid to question your invitation to meetings where you are not needed.

9. Look for time-robbers at the source. If you have emails or junk mails or anything that habitually tries to siphon your time, then find the source of the initiation and remove yourself from the mailing list. If you are involved in volunteer work that no longer meets your needs, then withdraw. If you find yourself with magazine subscriptions that you no longer read then make the effort to stop them at the source and not allow them to require your time going forward.

10.  Time is measured in minutes, not only in blocks of hours. Keep a book with you so that you can use time productively when waiting for an appointment or fetching the children from school. Write an article while waiting at the car dealership.

11. The biggest determinant of being able to control your time is your belief that you can and will control your time. If you believe you can manage your time, then you can. Conversely, if you believe that other people's demands on your time manage you then you are correct.

12.  Don't allow "busy work" to rob your time. Get someone else to do what you don't need to do personally. Accepts that some things will not get done. Stick to your tasks and your "Things that have to get done".

13.   Set the goal of keeping your email inbox empty. Ruthlessly get off yourself removed from mailing lists and emails where you are copied but have no reason to be informed or included.

14.   Plan your next day before going to bed each night. Then expect to adjust your plan during the day, sometimes more than once, as new tasks come in and priorities change. Don't worry if your day never goes according to your plan. The value is more in planning, than having a perfect plan.

15.   Only touch an email or piece of paper once. Finish the task once you start it. When you are distracted, take care of the distraction and then get back to your task.

16.   Focus on finishing tasks. A book that is 99% complete is not complete. Dropping out of college with only one exam left does not count for an almost degree. Finish what you want to achieve. It is better to finish three tasks that work on ten incomplete tasks.

17.   Activity doesn't count. Results count. Always measure results and progress towards the result. Don't bother trying to measure activity because it doesn't matter. Make sure that the results of your time investment is a result that measures up to your satisfaction.

18.   Be willing to let go. Tasks usually take longer than we estimated. Often the best thing to do is to not to do a task. If you have 5 tasks planned for a day and each one will take an estimated two hours, then understand you will probably not finish all five tasks. Be willing to let go of some of the tasks and live the rest of your life without this task getting done.

Make no mistake - time management requires self-discipline. You need to identify the tasks that are important for you to complete in order to reach larger goals and then work on those tasks, and not be distracted to invest time on other tasks. No-one is going to decide for you which tasks to invest every minute of your life in. You need to make many decisions as to what to invest your time in to create the life you desire.

In summary, remember that no time management system is perfect. Plan your day and then be ready to adjust your plan during the day as reality forces adjustments on you. Keep simple time allocation plans because the more detailed a plan is, the less likely the plan is to work. These quick and easy time allocation tips help you evaluate where to invest your precious time and then to invest the least amount of time to reach your desired objectives, so that you can spend more quality time on the really important things in life.