One of the secrets of highly productive people is the ability to maximize and manage time. You may never get a lot done until you begin to deliberately plan, prioritize and manage time. This has the ability to boost all-around wellness and increase productivity. Most people struggle with appropriate time management, but when you take time to allocate time to your tasks and follow through you save more time and achieve more results in less time.
Here are a few tips for effective time management.
Prioritize - When you look at a long list of the things you need to do within a stipulated amount of time, it’s very possible to get nervous and lose focus and coordination. This could have a negative psychological effect on your overall productivity for that day. Make a list of your tasks in order of importance and allocate deadlines. Prepare a to-do list. Match similar tasks together, this will help save time and conserve energy. Start with more difficult tasks and then to the less demanding ones, start out in the morning with the more demanding tasks to maximize that early morning energy. And ensure you focus on one thing at a time. You should also take time out to Observe your productive hours and maximize those times.
Set timers - In order to follow through with your allotted time for each task, you should set reminders so you don’t dwell too much on a particular task and lose track of time. This may not be easy at the start especially for someone who is still juvenile at time management. It requires determination and continual practice. You can make use of time blocking, allocate a big chunk of time to more demanding tasks so you don’t subject yourself to unnecessary pressure. Time blocking will also direct your focus and give you enough time to conveniently finish up a task before moving to the next. Set reminders within tasks to know how much time you have left on that particular task so you can speed up.
Avoid distractions - Your mind is a very useful tool in time management and overall productivity. so you need to be able to concentrate. In this digital age, it's almost impossible not to get distracted, but it’s doable. You can plan your regular distractive habits into your schedule. Allocate a little time for your phone, social media, and chit-chatting. This will enable you to focus on your work because you know you still have time for frivolities. Do away with distractions as much as possible.
Outsourcing - No man is an island, sometimes you need to delegate so you don’t wear yourself out. Excellence also requires that you let the best man do the job. So get enough help possible. you can also acquire skills that will boost your speed at work. Learn speed reading, opt for audio learning when there is an option, attend seminars and educative programs on effective time management and keep improving.
Personal feedback - keep a track record of your progress in your time management journey, constantly evaluate the process and set new goals. Be circumspective enough to extract models or patterns that have led to productivity over time and replicate them while you eliminate what doesn’t work. Create a working model that reflects effective and excellent time management and keep improving on it. By this, you are practically personalizing your experiences.
Time is no doubt an essential commodity that should be leveraged for maximal functionality. These few points will help you manage and do more in less time. Time management will help improve your overall well-being, sanity, and productivity in every all aspect of life.