14 Tested Techniques For Better Time Management time is money
1. create a Time audit
I don’t know about you but there are many days where I feel like time just flies by I wake up and before I know it it’s bedtime and I’ve yet to complete half of my to-do list if you feel this way too allow me to introduce you to time auditing instead of panicking or completely forsaking an activity out of fear or lack of time use apps like my hours toggle track or harvest to keep track of your time take note of how long it takes you to do a specific task and honestly assess if you’re taking longer than you should be do this for everything even mundane things like using the toilet or taking a well-deserved break this way you’ll have a clear picture of what’s eating up most of your time so that you can productively reallocate it
2. Set a time limit to each task
this sort of piggybacks off of time auditing once you know where you’re wasting time identify the new and improved time limit for a specified task set a timer and get to work the goal is to complete the task in the time limit if you can’t you just have to move on to the next thing on your to-do list while this might seem daunting at first give yourself Grace and recognize any urges to procrastinate when you feel overwhelmed and anxious pause the timer take some deep breaths and get back to work it’s all about building the self-discipline and practice
3. Use the to-do list
this one although obvious can make your life so much easier aside from writing down the main goal for example finish writing an article by 3 pm take time to also break down that goal into smaller ones I.E 9 am to 10 AM research 10 a.m to 11 30 am start writing it’s scientifically proven that ticking things off your to-do list makes you feel more productive and fulfilled the more things you tick off the more you’ll want to work a to-do list alongside time auditing and timers is a fantastic way to produce high quality work without wasting time on distractions the less time you spend distracted the more coins you have in your pocket
4. Plan Ahead
I hate the feeling when I wake up in the morning without knowing what to do it’s not like there’s nothing to do but I just can’t decide what to start with it’s very frustrating if like me you’ve ever had this problem I think I may have found the solution to it want to take a guess it’s planning ahead before I go to bed I jot down all the things I’m supposed to do the next day if it’s in the office I spend the first 10 minutes organizing all that is required of me into a short list before I start to work whether it’s before bed or first thing in the morning have a list before you work so you know the plan for the day in case you don’t have time to plan at night make sure that every morning when you get up you quickly sketch up at least five very urgent tasks to be done that morning you should try this method and tell me what you think in the comments section below
5. Spend your mornings on the most important tasks
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 for the sake of being candid I did not understand the saying at first however I do now and I’d like to share it with you essentially you want to start with your most important tasks first mornings are the time where most energetic and also have less resistance this is why you want to use this to your advantage and just get [ __ ] done plus once it’s all over you have the rest of the day to enjoy your easier tasks
6. Learn to delegate tasks
the most relieving thing I’ve ever heard is that I don’t need to do it all I’m allowed to ask for help this applies to you too hire professionals who are well versed in something you don’t feel confident in in fact it can even be for things you know how to do but just don’t have time for not only will you be saving time you’ll also be honing a very crucial skill delegation is a useful skill to have and when combined with a Charming personality can get you a lot of help and anyway when you’re a multi-millionaire CEO of companies delegation is really all you’ll be doing
7. Eliminate half work
getting distracted when doing something isn’t a surprising thing in our current ERA it’s not like I want to sometimes we’re so focused but are suddenly expected to do what Society wants occasionally we find ourselves trying to balance our unreplied emails messages and to-do lists while we still have to finish up something we were originally doing in most cases we end up not completing them the truth is that we’ll keep failing at what we’re doing if we don’t fully commit to what we’re doing the only way to prevent this is by allocating a reasonable amount of time to do a task and focusing completely on it until the time lapses this full removal of distractions is the only method I’ve found to enter into deep concentrated work while avoiding fragmented periods when you’re just doing half work
8. Change your schedule
if you’re watching this it’s clear that you want to learn some practical time management skills and I’d be pleased to assist you out in fact if you’re having trouble managing your time rearranging your calendar could be the answer if you’re used to sleeping late and struggling to get up in the morning you should consider waking up early I’m sure we’ve all heard the saying early to bed getting up early makes you wise healthy and strong I think if you’re considering changing your schedule you should add waking up early into your plan
it’s so beneficial when you wake up early in the morning you’ll have a lot of good and quiet time to plan your day exercise go through your emails or even finish up on some pending tasks you should also reduce the time you spend watching TV I know we all love late night Netflix binges but you can’t do them every night fix your sleeping schedule and Implement an energetic morning routine and a relaxing night routine get your eight hours and stop Doom scrolling on Tick Tock till the wee small hours of the morning
9. Leave a buffer time between tasks and meetings
burnout is real many people think working continuously is the route to success sure it’s a quick way but it’s not a sustainable one there’s only so much stress your mind and body can take before giving up this is why it’s important to allow yourself time to detach from stress between tasks and meetings go for a walk do some yoga listen to music and move your body or simply take a power nap give your mind and body some recovery time as a way of saying thank you you’ll be more productive and more successful in the long run
10. Be organized and do single tasks
every year the average American spends 2.5 days searching for lost belongings and research says that we spend more than 2.7 billion dollars per year on replacing these things it’s funny because most of the people who misplace their things are always multitasking before losing them instead of wasting a lot of money replacing the Lost items in your house you could stop multitasking in the first place so that you don’t forget where you put your things you should also make sure that you put back what you’ve used in the exact spot where you took it from if you’re working in an office you should clear up your workspace and create a document of the management system remember to stop multitasking
11. Follow the 80 20 rule
did you know that 80 of your achievement comes from twenty percent of your work this concept is often employed in sales and you can use it too review your to-do list and focus on what’s actually essential yes you need to reply to emails but they may not be as important as a big presentation you have to give next week focus on the latter in this case you want to successfully allocate your energy to the important twenty percent of your tasks
12. Stop being perfect
a wise woman once said nobody’s perfect you live and you learn it that wise woman was Hannah Montana and she’s absolutely right people spend more energy trying to perfect what they’ve done than on what’s forthcoming there’s no way to succeed like this
13. just say no
how many times have you said yes to something even though deep down you wanted to say no I’ve lost count as to how many times I have done this if you want to succeed you need to put yourself first fill your own cup learn to respectfully say no when you genuinely do not want to do something your friend will be fine they’ll figure it out you on the other hand won’t get back to the time you could have spent on your work don’t stretch yourself then by trying to be nice to everyone
14. Don’t waste time waiting
if you’re waiting at the train station or bus stop Don’t Waste Your Time twiddling your thumbs remember you won’t get time back spend those moments reading or listening to an audiobook use this time to expand your knowledge to further your career time is a precious commodity that shouldn’t be wasted there are so many ways to manage your time I’ve barely scratched the surface if you’re struggling with time then look out for my money and time management course coming out soon hopefully my tips help you.