Procrastination can be your greatest enemy. But what would be a greater enemy than that? Not being able to manage your time. If you’re unable to prioritize your tasks, things will be delayed.
Long hours at the office and not being able to focus on work are some common complaints. However, work is not the only place where you need to manage time. Time management is necessary for everyone. This way, you can create time for personal development, improving your balance.
Let’s look at seven specific techniques that will help you manage time effectively.
1. Set Your Goals
Goals can be in terms of the journey you are planning to take or the ultimate destination you want to reach. We are all aware of SMART goals: specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound.
Let’s talk about being smart when managing your time. Ideally, you should set a long-term goal and a short-term goal. Apart from this, you should also consider a mid-term goal, which is somewhere in between the two.
Focus your efforts on attaining the short-term goal that is essential and your priority. A to-do list for the day is your goal. Completion of a particular milestone can be a short-term goal.
When you are jotting down your goals, make sure your goals align with those of the organization. If not, then create goals that are and sync them.
Along with goals, you need to create key measurable results, which will help you measure the goals and objectives you have set for your work. It will also help you in the long run.
How will goals help you manage your time? You will know where your priorities lie. And it will help you focus better on the tasks and improve your definition of time.
2. Avoid Multitasking
We normally fall into the habit of handling too many tasks at once. This can hamper our productivity and cause time management issues.
We believe that handling two things at a time is actually managing time, but, on the contrary, it is failing in time management.
You don’t focus on either task, which means you don’t cover either task or complete it perfectly. Instead, if you can only focus on one thing at a time and get to the next task once this is complete, you will be able to manage your time well. This way, your first task gets done, and so does the next task. You will be able to gain more with the right kind of focus.
You will also find it easier to remember things and manage them well when you are not multitasking. So make sure you take some time out, organize your affairs, and focus on one task at a time.
3. Plan Your Day
We often start working without planning the day, which makes it difficult to manage. It is good to know what you expect to complete in a day and how you aim to achieve it.
The night before you go to bed, plan the next day with all the tasks and activities noted down well. You should have a broad outlook of the day and then a detailed view of each part of the day. You can use one of the many organizers available at your disposal to plan efficiently. You should have to-do lists to the point. If possible, allocate the priority and the time required to complete a particular task.
4. The Break Method
Our productivity is majorly hampered when we don’t take enough breaks. So we are not refreshed and cannot concentrate.
For every 20 minutes of work time, take a break of five minutes. As a result, in an hour’s time, you would have accomplished more and only needed a 10 minute break.
You can enjoy a cup of coffee or read your favorite book during break time so you feel better. A good number of breaks is good for both your health and your work.
5. Use Efficient Tools
There are many tools available online that you can use to manage your time efficiently. Time tracking software can help you keep track of the time taken to complete projects. To-do lists can help you note the things you have to finish by the end of the day.
Project management software will help you stay connected with the team and the client and keep everyone in the loop regarding the project’s progress.
6. Communicate for Better Management
There is a good chance that you are losing out on your time because you have not discussed the obstacles with your team lead. Instead of procrastinating, communicate the issue as soon as you have identified it. If you don’t communicate immediately, there might be conflicts later on.
The ideal way to manage an issue would be to discuss it as soon as you face it. Various companies make use of an employee management app to manage their team. With a number of apps and software solutions, companies can face challenges much easier.
7. Have a Morning Routine
The idea of a routine might sound boring. But it is important if you want to achieve success. Set a morning routine that will help you stay more productive.
For instance, if you have scheduled morning hours for exercise, make sure you do it regularly. It will help you stay ahead of your work. You can even read your emails and answer them in the morning. This will make sure you are able to answer them without interruptions.
Apart from this, you will find a number of AI-based productivity apps that will help you track your daily schedule and suggest the best way to manage it, saving time and effort. With the increasing usage of AI and machine learning for mobile app development, companies are looking forward to having their own productivity apps that improve the daily routine.
Summing Up
Managing your time is easier than you think. You need to concentrate your efforts on identifying the glitches and saying no to things that take up too much time. The idea is to delegate things that will reduce your productivity and allocate time to all the activities.
If you manage your time efficiently, there is a good chance that you will be able to stay productive and complete your projects on time.
Related Articles
How Do You Work on Time Management?
If you have ideas that you feel like sharing that might be helpful to readers, share them in the comments section below. Thanks!
Would you like to contribute a post?
