If you’re like most people, you probably feel that time management is one of the most difficult things to master. That’s because it takes more than just good intentions and a few simple tricks to becoming proficient at managing your time. It takes practice, patience, and some serious commitment. But don’t worry; with the right tools, tips, and tricks for getting organized, there are plenty of ways to get better at managing your time so that it works for you instead of against you.
Time is the most valuable asset of all of us. It's the only thing in life that's limited. We all have the same 24 hours in a day and we can't make more of it. Yet, we've all found ourselves on the wrong side of time management at one point or another; whether it's forgetting an important meeting, missing out on opportunities, overcommitting to tasks and people, feeling like you're constantly running behind schedule or perhaps not getting enough time for yourself and the things you love.
Time is the only limit in life
Know that your time is limited – life is full of distractions and it's easy to get off track or take on too much, but by applying some solid time management skills, you'll learn how to create a schedule that works for you and stop living in reaction mode. Here are 10 fundamental practices of good time management.
You can't control everything in your life, but you can always control how you react to it. Chances are, a large portion of the decisions and problems that arise during everyday life are completely out of your hands. You may not be able to fix the traffic on the way home from work or make sure that your boss is never upset with you, but you can control how you react to those things. The more patient and accepting of life's little setbacks and roadblocks that you are, the better time manager you will be.
The sooner we realize this, the less stress we'll all feel as a result.
The right mindset to time management is key
People aren't perfect; no matter how organized or well-planned you are, things will go wrong and the more time management skills that you learn and refine, the better you'll be able to handle it. Make a list of the tasks that trip you up most frequently; it might be forgetting appointments or losing track of your schedule. Leave yourself reminders all over your calendar and room to jot down things that come up throughout the day.
Make an appointment to clean your kitchen every Sunday night at 8pm. Don't leave it for another week or you'll fall further and further behind, creating unnecessary stress in your life.
Don't feel guilty about prioritizing your time – make plans with friends and family, but respect your limits. Make time for things that you love, but also make sure to take time for yourself in the process.
You can't do everything; don't try to – it will never end well
Being realistic about what you're capable of is one of the most important steps towards successfully managing your time. You may be able to work longer hours for a while, but at the cost of your health and happiness. Is it really worth it? Don't bite off more than you can chew; make realistic goals for yourself that compliment your lifestyle instead of depleting it.
Don't feel like you need to respond to every email or phone call right away. If you're in the middle of a meeting, for instance, it's okay to politely excuse yourself and slip your phone into silent mode until the meeting is over. That way, you're still accessible if something truly urgent comes up or if there are any questions that require your immediate attention, but you aren't distracting yourself with every little thing that pops up on screen during less important moments.
Say no – a lot!
Your time is valuable, so respect it and don't give it away too easily. You may feel like you're being rude or that you're letting people down by turning them down, but think of the consequences before jumping at every opportunity that comes your way. If someone needs to reach out to you about something, they will.
It's okay to say no occasionally
As long as you don't become a stranger or totally disappear from the lives of those around you, it's just fine if you're not available every second of the day. This isn't high school and people understand that life gets busy sometimes – chances are, they don't mind waiting a few days or weeks to hear from you if it means that when they do, it will be because you really have something important to say.
Eat the frog first
The great Mark Twain once said: “If it's your job to eat a frog, it's best to do it first thing in the morning. And If it's your job to eat two frogs, it's best to eat the biggest one first.”
If you're feeling indecisive or overwhelmed about what to start on first, think of the one task that is most important and get that done right away. As long as it doesn't take forever to do, tackle that task head-on instead of postponing it until later in the day.
Doing one task at a time is much more effective than doing several
It's much easier to stay organized and on-task when you're not trying to juggle a million different things at once. If you're having trouble focusing on one thing for more than five minutes, try setting an alarm or timer to go off at that interval and then move on to another task when it goes off.
This way, you will feel refreshed and ready to tackle other tasks without feeling like your mind is overloaded with too much information at once. Take the time to recharge yourself every hour or two. This will leave you feeling more focused and energized, which makes it easier to concentrate on the task at hand.
Pareto is your friend – the 80-20 rule
If you're not familiar with the Pareto Principle, this may be one of the most valuable lessons for you. Pareto found out that in most systems, 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes. What does this have to do with time management?
Everything you do makes up a part of your life – big or small, it all contributes in some way to that total sum. So when you think about what tasks or activities are worth your time and energy, don't get bogged down by all of the little things that may come up and distract you. Look at the big picture and focus on what matters most.
Your top priorities for this week should be your top priorities, period – not just when it's convenient or fits in with your schedule. The more often you do something, the more likely it is to become a part of your routine and the less effort it will take you in the long run. This means that even if something like eating healthy or exercising feels like a chore, make sure you keep doing those activities as often as possible.
Replace bad habits with good habits
Ok, this one sounds easy, but it's definitely not. It's a process – yet an inevitable one. Make an honest list of all of the habits that work well for you and your life and also of those that have negative effects on your time schedule, productivity and personal life. After you've thought it all through, start replacing one or two bad habits per week by picking up good ones in their place.
This will begin to improve the quality of your life and give you more time in return. Some great habits to look for include: healthy sleeping patterns, meditating every day, drinking more water, exercising regularly and getting up earlier.
Plan Ahead to Prevent Delays
There's nothing worse than having a big project due at the end of the week and then realizing mid-week that you'll need much more time than you planned to complete it – which means cramming all weekend long to get everything done before Monday or Tuesday.
Get ahead of schedule by planning out what you need to do for the week ahead of time so you don't have any surprises. You can use tools like a calendar or a planner to track your appointments and then write down different tasks that need to be completed in order of importance. This will give your mind a chance to relax and not worry about remembering everything on its own, plus it will leave you feeling more confident that all of the things on your to-do list will get done.
Use a checklist
This is definitely not an original idea, of course, but it's still very effective. I know from personal experience how much stress can come from forgetting one small detail on a big project or presentation. That being said, put together a checklist of things that need to be done before you begin. Doing this for every project or task will eliminate the chances of forgetting something important (like printing out an email with big attachments, double-checking your spelling and grammar – you know all those tiny but crucial details).
Avoid multitasking like the plague
This is probably one of the best practices for time management one can give. Unfortunately, it's also one of the most difficult to follow. When you're in the middle of working on something and all of a sudden you get an email or text message, it's very tempting to check your phone or read that long email that just came in (and then wonder why you're at work and not sleeping in your bed).
Fight the urge to multitask – it's rarely ever worth it. Check email, phone calls and texts at specific times of the day (preferably once an hour) so you don't constantly get distracted. This way you'll finish projects much faster since you won't be summoned back to a source of distraction.
Keep your desk organized
This is one of the best ways to keep your mind organized as well – create a filing system with folders for all of your active projects so that you never have to worry about misplacing a file or forgetting where you put it.
If your desk is a mess, chances are good that your mind is too. Chances are also high that if you spend even five extra minutes every day straightening up and organizing your space, you'll find yourself feeling much more focused at work.
Take care of yourself – the better you feel, the more effective you are
Living a healthy and active lifestyle is the best way to approach life itself. If you're sick, you can't focus on your work. If you're tired all the time, it's hard to concentrate. And if that chronic pain is persistent enough, you may feel like focusing on anything at all is nearly impossible.
If your mind and body aren't in good shape, it will be tough to get your tasks done. Get some exercise, eat well and get enough sleep. This will give you the power to tackle anything that comes your way.
Surround yourself with positive people
Negative people – those who spread rumors or talk about other employees behind their backs – can derail even the most prolific workers' concentration. Make it a point to stay away from these sorts of people and surround yourself with positive, hard-working individuals who make you want to be better every day.
Get inspired
To constantly produce results, we all need some inspiration from time to time. Reading biographies and motivational books can help you find your inner strength and pull out of a funk in no time. There are so many great books and stories of highly successful people out there that went through hell and back to achieve success. If those stories don't motivate you, nothing will.
Keep learning
We should always be evolving, learning and improving. The more we know and the better we get at our craft, the better work we'll produce. Instead of watching reality shows and gossip programs during your spare time, find something that will motivate you to learn more about what you do best. All those late nights spent watching “Bones” or “Castle” could have been spent reading industry blogs and learning about the latest trends.
Platforms like BVA, Udemy, Coursera, etc. allow you to learn new things every day, from the comfort of your own living room. Times have never been better to learn new stuff. The internet opened up a whole new level for all of us. Remember the days you needed to drive to the library to research for school or college? Today you have access to all of the books that have ever been written right at your fingertips. Use this power you've been given and reap the results fast.
Don't forget to take time for yourself
If you never stop working and never leave the office, your mind will become exhausted and unfocused and your body won't get what it needs to stay healthy. Make sure that on a daily basis, you set aside some time for your personal growth and happiness.
This could be as simple as taking a walk around the block every afternoon or it could mean going out and doing something that's just for fun (but still productive – like learning a new skill). The key is to make sure that you're not spending all of your free time working on your free time.
Make sure that you're hitting your deadlines
If you know that there are certain tasks or projects that must be completed by a certain time, make sure that you meet those goals. Being able to follow through with things is an excellent character trait for any professional to have – it shows people the kind of reliability you have and how dependable you are.
Be honest with yourself and honest about how you work
If your desk is a mess and you can't seem to focus on one task at a time, don't be afraid to admit that. There's no shame in taking pride in the things that you're good at and being realistic about the things that aren't your biggest strengths. That way, when you start to feel overwhelmed and unfocused, you'll know why and you can work on improving those skills instead of seeing them as character flaws.
Don't try to tackle everything at once
Become a master of your schedule by planning out every day of the week. To keep yourself on track, create a new calendar event for each task or appointment as it comes up. This way, you'll never forget a thing!
Incorporate breaks throughout the day to help yourself stay on track and focused on what you're doing at all times. If you know that your mind needs a break after a certain amount of time on the same project, make sure that it happens as scheduled – this will help your productivity and organization overall.
Give yourself time to think things through
We all have those days where we feel rushed and overworked, but the best thing you can do for yourself is try to take a step back from it all. Close your computer, focus on one task at a time, and don't worry about how many things you have to do.
Nurturing your mind is as important as nurturing the rest of you, so make sure that you take a little time out from what you're doing to relax and think about everything calmly. You'll feel refreshed and ready to tackle new tasks.
Try using a kitchen timer to limit how long you can work on something – this will force you to focus on one project at a time. When the timer goes off, take a break for five minutes and then move onto another task.
Keep your calendar up-to-date and accessible to yourself and everyone else in the office
This helps you keep track of what you need to get done and who is responsible for getting it done so that you don't have to worry about it.
Make sure that you submit your time off requests in advance so that they get approved ahead of time – this will let you focus on your work without having to worry about whether or not you can even take off for a weekend getaway with the family.
Acknowledge when things are good, but also when things need to get better
Take pride in what you're good at, but don't fall into the trap of feeling satisfied with how much you've accomplished. There's always more that can be done! Be critical of yourself and keep your mind open to new opportunities.
No one is perfect at everything all the time, but it takes time management and self-awareness to figure out what you're good at and what you could use some help with. Your work will benefit from your honesty, and soon time management will become second nature to you.
Once you get the hang of it, you'll be able to keep up all day long instead of falling prey to distractions and procrastination. You'll be a lot more productive, and you'll see the difference in your work life as well as your personal life. No matter what time management means to you, make sure that you stay on top of it so that every day is as productive as possible!
Takeaways
Work on your time management skills by keeping a list of the tasks that need to be completed next to you at all times, but make sure that you don't get distracted by it either. Your new skills will start to show themselves over time, and soon enough the whole concept of “time management” won't seem like such a daunting task.
Remember that time management is a skill – just like any other – and it takes practice to get better at any type of skill, whether you're trying to improve your typing speed or your organizational skills. Stay focused, but don't be afraid to take breaks throughout the day when you need them! The more work you put into learning time management, the easier it will be to take back control of your own life.
