Time management is among the most valuable, both personal and technical, strengths that will take you very far in your life. If you don’t handle your time efficiently, you’ll reach the chaos state eventually. Time needs to be acknowledged most respectfully, being such a significant component of living. Learning to perfect the art of managing time will help us change our lives positively.
The advantages of effective time management include better control of operations, better efficiency, less stress and finding a balance between work and personal life. On the flip side, you can encounter the repercussions, if you are barely able to manage your time effectively. It can lead to failed deadlines, poor performance, anxiety, disequilibrium of job and exhaustion.
You can quickly plan your hours to maximum advantage with efficient management. You happen to be more innovative, relaxed, and less susceptible to emotional exhaustion at tasks when things go as per the schedule. Perhaps, a command of time-management abilities helps a true professional to perform their regular duties efficiently.
Although on the internet there are plenty of them floating about, here a few time management tips and strategies which would make a massive difference.
1. Keep a to-do list
Develop to-do lists for each purpose and task, listing all the achievable measures that are needed. You’ll not have to worry what is on the regular checklist or what to do next if you have a guide. Each time you check off a task from your list, it will give you clarity and inspiration, focused on experiencing that sweet satisfaction. It helps you track your performance.
2. Prioritize your tasks
Where the first step towards better time management is to compose a to-do list, sequencing your tasks should be the next. It directs you through the day’s operations in order of priority, guaranteeing that the most important tasks are completed first. Prioritization’s efficacy cannot be stressed upon enough. We sometimes end up concentrating on work that is urgent but not that important, simply because a deadline is hovering.
3. Manage distractions
We do get distracted despite our best intentions. From social media notifications to chatting friends–and the very human issue of laziness– sitting down and having things done is almost always demanding than it may seem. The productive expense of our routine distractions adds up. So, handle your distractions appropriately to preserve your momentum and focus. While some diversions are easy to detect, many people may not be aware of the many constraints that break their days. Once you have understood the source, you can set the safeguards in place so that you can make a decision when to let the notifications enter. Try an activity tracker app like Timely. It is your safest choice as it can automatically record the time you invest in every work tool and webpage.
4. Time block your work
To produce what you set up, having an organised schedule is key. It allows you to secure your workspace and creates a positive pressure to finish it. Time blocking is among the most intelligent ways to do this; preventing one task from outpacing your whole day and preventing you from multi-tasking. Many of us simultaneously juggle several tasks, assuming we’re going to get more done, but in reality, the opposite happens; when we concentrate on one task at a time, we are most efficient. In essence, time blocking is a reasoned approach to splitting focus through all of your work.
5. Make your day longer
We are all having 24 hours a day. While the number of hours cannot be altered, you can certainly try to wake up a bit earlier to make your day longer than the others. Preferably, to be at your maximum energy levels, your body needs 6-8 hours of sleep. Try to set up your alarm 15 minutes earlier than before and, over time, increase the time frame. You can use this extra time to workout, practice meditation, give priority to, or even seek a hobby. Steadily, you will increase your overall productive capacity, and time management will never be a concern.
6. Discover your zone
You must have observed that you are as concentrated as an eagle at particular hours and your performance shoots up. It occurs the mind is in complete sync with the circumstances outside. Some refer to it as ‘flow’ or some refer to it as their ‘zone.’ Uncovering your flow or zone, will lead to your time being used appropriately. When you feel and function your best, it helps you achieve an ideal level of awareness.
7. Quality over quantity
If you are proud of handling so many assignments at once, well here is a news for you. A study shows that only 2 per cent of individuals can efficiently multitask. It is just really wasting their time and decreasing their work effectiveness for the remainder 98 per cent of individuals. It is easier to concentrate solely on one thing and marvel at it instead of splitting your concentration into three separate things. Try time boxing them to make it more efficient. It refers to the act of fixing a timeline for each task which increases the probability of its satisfactory implementation.
8. Batch similar tasks together
Little things like placing similar jobs together could also save you a great deal of time. We all know that different tasks require various forms of thinking and arrangement. Rather than jumping from one assignment to another blindly, it would be smart to put them together. For instance, you can give a specific period to reply to essential phone calls and emails than to make them multiple times a day. It allows you to work in an organized form.
Also, you encourage your mind to concentrate more when you work on similar tasks and get them completed quickly from your list. Handling recurring activities in advance will save you a deal of time and resources.
9. Use technology to keep on track
Every year, time tracking and routine management apps are becoming more commonly incorporated into the working environment. Time-tracking software lets you know how long it takes to execute a specific task, and day-to-day management software blends your time-tracking performance into your routine. Together these tools can enable us to create more practical, and consistent schedules and will help you keep up before you get interrupted or procrastinate for far too long.
10. The 18-minutes method
The 18-minute strategy of Peter Bregman, Chief Executive Officer of the global consulting firm Bregman Partners, enables us to browse through a bunch of emails, phone calls, messages and mountains of paperwork that prohibit us from concentrating our time on things that matter.
• Five minutes in the morning: Take time to think what you would like to do presently to ensure success. Then take those things out of your to-do list and put them in your timetable.
• One minute each hour: To reinvigorate. Set the alarm every hour, and when it buzzes, take deep breaths and ask yourself whether you’ve invested your last hour efficiently.
• Five minutes at dusk: Turn off your computer to see how the day ended up going.
All-in-all, the 18-minute framework provides you with quick insight into how to maintain your day and have a moment to get your life back from interruptions.