Time Management has always been a dilemma for people. Sometimes it feels like we live in a world where people have perfectly organized days and manage all their tasks. Meanwhile you wait for your turn in the bank. At that time, you can only imagine how people can be so organized and focused. How do they deal with time management issues?
I’ve had problems with time management; most of the time, I feel that I do not have time for my tasks, and even when I finish a task, I feel that I did something wrong. I realize that 24 hours is not enough for a day. I always overthink and the main thoughts during my working day are: I want to manage all my tasks, I want to rest less, I want to do enough, and I want to be productive. Yes, in the end, that’s what matters: productivity. First, let’s talk about what time management is, and what benefits it brings, and then I’ll list 10 ways to create more time in your life.
What Is Time Management?
Time Management is the process of organizing and planning your tasks. If planned accurately, you will succeed in your job by having a perfectly organized day. Having good time management will help you even in intense times when you feel that you are about to have burnout. But you won’t, if your time is wisely managed. Good time management allows you to accomplish more in a shorter period of time. Moreover, it leads to more free time and lets you take advantage of learning opportunities. In addition, it lowers your stress, and helps you focus. All of these factors will lead to career success. Each benefit of time management improves another aspect of your life. All you have to do is get the new regime started.
Benefits of Time Management
- Greater Productivity
- Professional Growth
- Less Stress
Top 10 Proven Ways to Improve Time Management in Your Life
Be One Step Ahead
Life doesn’t have to be hard if you plan ahead. It’s a learning process. Beating yourselves up for making bad decisions doesn’t do you any good. It hinders the learning process; it discourages you, and it sometimes even causes you to overcompensate.
How do you avoid making poor life decisions? The easiest way is to avoid poor choices in the first place. If you know that you have a lot of work to do tomorrow and need to be up early, you shouldn’t rest. Learn to say no to situations that will lead you to make bad decisions and you will be pleasantly surprised at your increase in productivity. The important factor for time management is to always get yourself back on track and take it from where you left off. To succeed, you need to be persistent and relentless, not flawless.
Write Down To-Do List
Time Management can include writing a weekly to-do list at the beginning of the week (on Monday morning or on Sunday evening) which is a great way of starting the week. This allows you to see all the things that you have to do. You will better understand the tasks that you need to manage. Also, you will know when and where to do each task. When writing the list, try to have some kind of structure to the list. There are people who like to group their tasks according to the type of task (studies/ work/ entertainment), people who group according to where they are going to do (home/ workplace/ library), and people who group them according to difficulty. It’s up to you how you choose to group, but grouping helps you later when you start to decide when to do each task.
Avoid Multitasking
Multitasking will not do good, as the human brain does not like distractions. Even looking at a phone impacts performance, distracts and it takes a long time to recover from that. You need to focus on essential tasks, rather than spend time more on the ones that matter the least.
Take Care of Big Risks
Big projects may seem scary, but never let the size scare you. In fact, you should find bigger tasks more exciting, as they tend to be a greater challenge for you, and a challenge means you’re going to learn even more. You can divide the big project into several parts, for instance, understand the main tasks, picture the way you will do them, and start the work. Seeing the assignment through smaller pieces can help you to picture the assignment as something smaller than it actually is, persuading yourself to approach it with greater confidence.
Lead a Healthy Lifestyle
Time Management is very much dependent on what kind of lifestyle you lead. Some people state that after doing some sports their body somehow restarts and they become more energized. This is true and here is why. Through physical activities the blood flow to the brain increases, which of course sharpens your awareness. Also by doing some triathlon competition, you reduce your body weight and moderate the feelings of anxiety and depression. All of this will have a significant effect on your productivity level.
Focus on Yourself
When managing your time, it is important to have full control of your work because sometimes we tend to take others’ responsibilities, and do their work and we are afraid or ashamed to say no to them. You can always help your colleagues but never do their work. The borders between employees should be delicate and you need to learn to focus on your work.
Be Organized
Being organized is a mindset that you should develop by constantly working on yourself. The truth is that people mean different things and different levels of organization when they talk about it. For instance, you can have an idea of what you’re going to do during the day in your mind. You choose for yourself what the right level of organization is, and you preferably stick to that level.
Take Breaks
You need the motivation to continue your work. You cannot work for hours without having a rest, so you can divide your schedule by completing an important task, then take a little break from which you will gain energy to continue other parts of your work.
Use Time Tracking Software
Nowadays, there are time-tracking software that automatically control your performance. For instance, WebWork Time Tracker is a time and task management system, and employee monitoring software for companies and remote teams which has various features that can be useful for you.
Work Slowly but Consistently
Working slowly does not mean that you do not manage to complete all of your tasks, it simply makes you work better and you have a chance to focus on the things that hold the first place. Your mind is clear, creative, and focused when you do not do short-termism or multitasking.
Conclusion
With the help of this guide, you will achieve productivity and coherency in your work. You can decide and choose whichever method is suitable and useful for you. By understanding the ideology and seeing the value and the wide range of opportunities that can ensure effective time management, you will start to enjoy your life and appreciate your free time. You can be flexible in creating and implementing your own tactics and strategies for time management but this specific guide can be a good start for you.