(MONEY Magazine) – GOT A MINUTE? HOW 'BOUT A FREE HOUR OR half a day? If you're like many Money readers, you don't have much time to spare these days. According to our recent reader poll (see details at left), nearly half of you say you're working more hours than a year ago, capped by a frazzled 20% who are toiling as much as two hours more each day!

"There's no doubt that most people have more work to do today," says Ann McGee-Cooper, author of Time Management for Unmanageable People (Bantam, $10.95). "This phenomenon is real, not imagined." The causes include new technologies, downsizing and re-engineering. As a result, many people (including me, as I write this article over a fleeting, sunny weekend) are searching for ways to become more efficient on the job. Sales of computer software that help organize your time soared 70% from the first quarter of 1994 to the first quarter of 1995 to $65 million, according to the Software Publisher's Association. And enrollment in $50 million Franklin Quest's time management seminars has grown 68% since 1991 to 300,000 people a year.

To help you (and me) become more efficient, I interviewed more than a dozen leading time management experts, as well as psychologists, management consultants and overworked employees. Among other things, I learned that 1980s-style time management techniques, which simply emphasized getting organized so you could work faster, are passe. The strategy you should use today, say the experts, is to first decide which of your assignments are truly important, based on the unique expertise you can bring to them. Then you can employ time management techniques to help you complete those tasks more efficiently. Experts recommend that you take the following five steps:

Set your priorities. "Most of us feel underutilized yet overworked," says Stephen R. Covey, author of First Things First (Simon & Schuster, $23). That's because we tend to let deadlines, bosses and late-breaking crises dictate how we spend our time. To break this cycle, Covey and others suggest you pore over your assignments and decide which are the most important tasks for you to spend your time on. For instance, if you're loaded up with penny ante duties that pull you away from more critical work, approach your boss about delegating the less important tasks to an outside contractor or a lower-level staffer. Result: You'll become more efficient and more satisfied with your job.

Make a weekly plan and stick to it. Instead of drawing up daily to-do lists filled with minutiae, plan by the week on a grander scale. Pencil in your most important projects first, such as a month-end sales report or a proposal to your boss for a future project. Then schedule time for writing memos, meeting with subordinates, calling suppliers and lunching with clients and colleagues. Finally, fill in any holes in your schedule each day with less critical tasks that others could handle for you if need be, like proofreading memos.

If you prefer to computerize your schedule, use a time management software program such as the best-selling ACT! (Symantec, $199) for DOS, Mac and Windows. Such programs typically link your electronic Rolodex, appointment calendar, note files and to-do lists. Other good choices are ECCO Pro (NetManage, $175) for Windows, and Now Contact (Now Software, $99) for Macs.

Once you make a plan, stick to it. "The single biggest office time waster is interruptions," says Jeffrey Mayer, author of Time Management for Dummies (IDG Books, $16.99). If your assistant knocks on your door while you're making phone calls, ask him or her to come back during a period that you've blocked out for meetings. Says attorney Tor Braham of Palo Alto: "It might feel awkward at first, but once you set a pattern, your clients and colleagues will get used to it."

Work at home. If interruptions are unavoidable in your office, work from home on days when you need to concentrate intensely on major projects. A survey of 103 white-collar telecommuters conducted last spring by Lamar Reinsch of Georgetown University's School of Business found that 73% claim they operate more efficiently at home. Employers are finally catching on: About a quarter of all companies have formal work-at-home policies, and another 21% are considering implementing them within the next three years, according to Hewitt Associates, a Lincolnshire, Ill. benefits consulting firm. If your company lacks an official policy, you may want to pitch the idea to your boss. "The best way to win approval for your request," advises Marie Lipari, a workplace consultant at Hewitt, "is to approach it from a business standpoint rather than a personal one." Stress how you'll be more productive at home, not how much you'll enjoy working in your sweats.

Retrain yourself. If you find it hard to break old habits, you might benefit from taking a time management class. Ask your company's human resources department whether they offer such seminars or will fully or partially reimburse you for one conducted by an outside consultant. For example, the American Management Association offers a two-day time management seminar that stresses basic planning techniques ($1,085 for nonmembers; 800-262-9699). Franklin Quest gives one-day TimeQuest seminars ($195; 800-983-1776) that aim to help you identify your most important workday duties. And the Covey Leadership Center conducts one-day First Things First courses ($295; 800-331-7716) that help you pinpoint your personal and professional goals.

Slack off a little. Finally, squeeze some time into your schedule to simply chill out. Steven Berglas, a psychologist at the Harvard Medical School and an expert in stress management, declares: "You need to disconnect periodically, so you can recharge." Berglas insists that his clients break for lunch each day. He also advises them to take all of their vacation time, unlike nearly a third of the work-crazed readers who answered our poll. Think of vacation as an investment in your job. That's because the best way to work smarter is to occasionally slow down and take the time to reassess your goals, advises Berglas. So put in a call to your travel agent, pronto. That's what I did the minute I finished this article.