How do you manage your time at work? You’re probably not doing it well if you hear yourself saying this often, “I have too much to do and not enough time to do it in!” A few years back, I was living my life in chaos. I was living a life where I was approaching roughly 12–15 minutes late for almost everything. Constantly living through procrastination. I always desired peace and order.
Before it ruined my life, learning through influencers, self-help books, and daily inspiration, somehow I managed to learn the powerful concept of conscious time Management. It has been a long tough journey. So, if you’re someone going through the tough journey, here is what you need — time management best practices. Majority of us go through a series of scenarios daily and situations that put a huge question mark on our time management skills.
If you’re not having enough time to get it all done, don’t worry, no one was born knowing how to manage time. It is common that we all want to make the most of our daily hours each day. In this article, I have put together time management best practices that worked for me. Given these tips, see what works for you best. In the first place, what do you mean by time management?
What is Time Management?
“Time management is not a peripheral activity or skill. It is the core skill upon which everything else in life depends. “ — Brian Tracy
Time management is not the process of doing more and more, but simplifying how you work. It is a way of doing things better. It’s a way of converting your every minute into achievement. Why is that some people have enough time to complete everything they want to while others never seem to finish anything? The answer is their good time management skills. It lets them work smarter not harder. How to explain time management skills? It is the art of practicing time management diligently, getting everything done, prioritizing workload to focus your time and energy where it is required.
Are you good at time management?
Start by asking these questions:
- Am I able to prioritize my tasks based on urgent and important tasks?
- How do I spend time on each of my tasks?
- Do you need time extension to complete what you want to?
Let’s not beat around the bushes and start with the time management skills and examples that can go straight to your bottom line.
Time Management Tips that Worked for me
“Time management is not a peripheral activity or skill. It is the core skill upon which everything else in life depends. “ — Brian Tracy
Good time management skills help you work smarter instead of just harder. So I recommend starting here with these tips to time management. Figure out what works for you and what doesn’t.
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- Wake-up Early
William Pitt Chatham put famously: “I would have it inscribed on the curtains of your bed and the walls of your chamber: “If you do not rise early you can make progress in nothing.”
Each morning we all struggle to conquer the greedy need to sleep “just” 5 minutes more. Those 5 minutes turn into 5 hours. Waking up early gives you impudent mental energy for the rest of the day.
Tim Cooks a tech mogul, gets up early at 3:45 am, does his e-mail for an hour, hits the gym, goes to Starbuck, and then works.
I always wanted to be one like the successful people who get going before the sunrise. So, I made a plan. And committed to the habit of waking up early for 20 days and now it has become a routine.
2. Start Your Day with Critical Work First
Find your most important task (MIT) for the day and begin first. The first few hours of the day will be more productive for us always. It sets the tone and your attitude for the day. Robbins suggests setting up an “Hour of Power,” “30 Minutes to Thrive,” or at least “Fifteen Minutes to Fulfillment.”
Here’s how you can commit to good morning habits:
- Don’t be late for your work
- Start each day with a clean slate
- Stop being moody
- Make sure you have an organized space
- Don’t check emails in the first hours
- Make use of your fresh mind
3. Decide On Your Priorities
In this fast-paced world, it is must to have an ability to manage time properly. People who are good at distinguishing between tasks that are of high priority will definitely manage their time better. Though it is not easy to prioritize the things, once you start deciding where your priorities lie, you will know what to focus on and which ones to avoid in the first place. Let’s stop being on autopilot and start prioritizing.
4. Create a Powerful To-do List
Writing down a to-do list at the start of every week is an effective thing to do to improve productivity. It’s not just about making it out, but ranking the items in your list in a way to actually keep the things getting done faster.
How to make a powerful to-do list:
- Consciously prioritize
- Access spontaneous tasks critically
- Keep it simple
- Use technology (task list management app)
- Segment projects into tasks
- Create a done list
Your to-do list should make you feel like you’ve got the superpower.
5. Don’t Multitask
I talked to a client while I check emails, manage to have heated discussion with my teams, and keep a check on what my kids will be doing at home. I nearly felt like a superhuman. According to some research, high performance is actually impaired by near 40% during multitasking. According to research each one of time we switch between tasks, it can set us back up to 25 minutes of productive time just to regain focus.
Multitasking is highly effective but divides focus and attention. Of course, whenever you are moving back and forth between tasks, it’s definite you’re not fully engaged in the task at hand. It hampers productivity and is a complete time wastage. Remember, if you want to work smarter (or better), monotasking is the right approach. Get along with working one thing at a time and see how you achieve success.
6. Use Technology to Become the Master
Modern technology will always be your friend. Now when it comes to effective time management skills, you can achieve maximum productivity by using tools and apps, giving you enough time to enjoy with families and friends. Here’s how you can do it:
- Use the cloud to cut the clutter
- Dropbox
- Google Drive
2. Manage your schedule
- Google Calendar
- Remember the Milk
3. Time tracking software
- Pomodoro technique
- Toggl
4. Blocking unwanted websites
Bonus tip: Using professional time management tools
You’ll find various project management tools to control all your work-related activities to make your life easier. ProofHub has all the features to smartly look at all your project needs. You can try ProofHub for delegating tasks to teams, manage your task-list, time tracking, make timesheets to keep a record of every minute so you can manage your time efficiently at the workplace.
7. Utilize Peak Energy Hours
Time management is a complex topic that includes everything from increasing productivity to work-life balance. So, why not get into the habit by making use of our peak energy hours. Each person has a ‘body clock’ and true productivity is determined by better energy management.
According to our body clock we eat, sleep, or work at specific times. At specific hours of the day, the productivity levels also differ for each individual. According to Redbooth, typically a person would complete most tasks (9.7%) at around 11 AM. and the ones who try to push themselves during the period of low energy, it results in low performance and dropped productivity. A separate survey found that 63% of professionals who lacked time management skills suffered from sleep apnea and other health issues.
Benjamin Franklin knew how to manage his time effectively so he was able to account for every minute of his day . For effective time management, identify your peak energy hours, get the most out of each hour each day, and master the skill of time management.
Also Read:
Tips to manage time efficiently in your next project
8. Set and Hit all your Deadlines
In the real world, we all fear our project going out of control. Be realistic about the nature of the task at hand. Try setting a deadline for the tasks because everything that is important will have a deadline. There is no need for piling more and more projects on your plate. Challenge yourself and push towards meeting your deadlines using Google Calendar or a project management tool (ProofHub is a great option) to keep track of your deadlines. Use your time wisely to plan your tasks in a way that there is enough time to complete the projects.
9. Say No more often than Yes
Saying ‘Yes’ often can be counterproductive. I absolutely appreciate those people who have a habit of saying “no” which is important for better time management. Our time is a limited resource and nobody should be given the power to set your agenda for the day. A no will say yes to your time management. So, it’s fine to understand your priorities first so you can do what is more important to you. If something doesn’t contribute to your goals, say “No’’.
10. Take Care of Yourself
Time management skills is not just about work, it’s how you manage your work-life balance, how you take care of yourself. Getting into a habit of a little exercise or meditation can do a lot good to your body and mind. Manage your sleep-wake cycle, eat good nutrition so you have got the energy to have a balance between your work and life.
There are days when I still fail to make consistent progress towards goals. But of course, I know how to get myself back. I recheck all my habits and get back on track. Trust me, when you know your time is in the right graph, you’ll enjoy what you do. It is important for us to make sure our work is fun.
Best of luck implementing these tips. If you’re struggling with your time, get started to take action now. Share in the comments below your favorite time management practices. We’d love to know!
What time management tips do you find to be most helpful? Share your suggestions in the comments below! Good Luck!
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