“So much to do in so little time, “is a phrase a majority use in their day to day lives.
In such scenarios, the users of the phrase often give the excuse of an excessive workload as their reason for being caught up with time. While this might be true in some circumstances, the real reason behind the buildup of pressure when deadlines draw nearer, though unknown to many, is often poor time management skills.
So, how does one manage time effectively? Effective time management skills are the products of careful planning which increases efficiency and production. Time management skills grant you the much-desired freedom from deadline pressure and stress in general. Below are tips that will help you improve your time management skills.
- Prepare a To-do list / Make a to-do list
Writing up a list of the things you need to get done on a particular day goes a long way. With a list, you can prioritize, plan things accordingly and tick off the attained goals for the day. You might consider adding reminders and calendar events to your phone and computer to help you set your daily targets too.
Quick tips for time management when you are trying to prioritize your work!
- Apply the Pareto Principle, also known as the 80/20 rule, which helps you remove the less important tasks. This principle means that mostly 20% of your tasks produce 80% of your results.
- Remove time wasters or stop doing those things that take a chunk of your time
- Delegate responsibilities
The sooner you admit that you cannot do everything-no matter how good and efficient you are, the better your time management skills will become. While it is a good thing to be the hands-on manager, it leaves you with little time to accomplish everything. When you delegate some work, you increase your productivity and hence greater levels of success.
- Set Deadlines
Planning will enable you to set practical and reasonable deadlines. When you set a deadline, give it a date and time to accomplish it. Ensure you stick to the set timings to avoid pushovers. When deadlines are in place, you can track your productivity levels, and you are therefore able to achieve much more than when you did not have set deadlines.
- Use your downtime
A lot of time ends up wasted in your daily downtime. This increases the stress and frustrations level as you feel as if you are not achieving your set targets. For instance, prioritize to start your day with the tasks that are more daunting and capable of draining you. This is because you have more energy and capability for more in the morning. As the day progresses and fatigue settles in, take the lesser demanding tasks. This ensures maximum time utilization and at the same time increased efficiency.
- Avoid multi-tasking
The human mind is designed such that it focuses best when it is set to do one thing at a time. While you could be thinking that you achieve more through multitasking, this might not be the case when you compare it to doing a single task at a time.
- Reward yourself
When you achieve something worth celebrating, take the time to celebrate. This gives you an extra boost in your time management skills and encourages you to do more. Time management skills are an important venture in production maximization to ensure success follows you wherever you go.
The floor is yours…
What are you priorities? How do you manage your time and prioritise tasks?’ Please leave us a comment below and share your thoughts.
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