According to a recent study, more than one in four Americans respect 2023 to be more stressful than its predecessor. The number is alarming if you consider all the damage that prolonged exposure to stress can cause to your health.
Recent years have been challenging for all of us, and considering all the factors beyond our control, developing personal productivity and time management skills is essential for everyday life.
If you decide to become a productivity and time management specialist, there are multiple resources you can use to achieve your goals. Still, if you are searching for tips and tricks you can implement starting today, you are at the right place because today we will provide the best tips and tricks to increase productivity and strengthen your time management strategies.
The Importance of Good Time Management Skills
Time management skills are fundamental despite your professional area or role.
Time management habits can be difficult to build, still, they can improve your life in a short time.
The motivation to acquire time management skills can come from different sources. You can be a student trying to pack all your activities into a tight schedule, a working mom trying to find your work-life balance, or the executive of a big company trying to run different projects at one time without letting an infinite to-do list ruin your performance. Time management skills play a huge role in achieving your goals.
Effective Time Management Tips
If you have decided to take control and beat your poor time management skills, you must know that developing new habits is not easy, but you are not alone. The following is a list of tips, tricks, and habits you can implement starting today to level up your time management techniques.
Keep Your Phone Out of Reach
Yes, you are right. It sounds like motherly advice, but your mother was right. Unless you need it for work or study, keep your phone out of sight, because it is the number one killer of productivity.
You have two options to drift your attention away from your phone. You can silence all notifications (but sometimes is not enough) or use physical distance to stay away from your phone.
Consider hiding your phone on your desk, moving it from its regular spot, or leaving it in another room.
It is a habit you can start to implement today with excellent results.
Stay Focused Using the Pomodoro Technique
Sometimes can be difficult to establish reasonable time limits for your working and break periods. The Pomodoro Technique it’s an excellent resource to track time and set a time limit to perform your intended tasks.
The principle is straightforward. The Pomodoro Technique blocks time focused on work followed by free time to stretch, breathe and recharge your battery.
The classical Pomodoro timer uses 25 minutes of work and a 5 minutes scheduled break. After four of these cycles, you get a 10-minute-long break.
Change and test these set periods according to your needs. The 50-10 timer (50 minutes of work for 10 minutes rest) is a favorite for longer projects.
Group Related Tasks
Sometimes it is not about management but about lowering your stress levels so you can complete tasks on time.
It is hard to estimate how long a particular task will take, especially if you are performing a new or unfamiliar task.
Batch similar tasks, and you will increase your chances have success.
Switching from task to task can drain your energy and mental productivity, leaving you exhausted, which means you will spend more time than you would if you focused on a single task.
At the beginning of your day, plan your agenda, identify similar tasks, and stay focused by working only on similar activities or projects.
Timeboxing
Time boxing is a popular skill to maximize productivity. It helps you fight procrastination and is a number one strategy to prevent multitasking.
To use the timeboxing strategy, follow these steps.
- Estimate the time to perform all the tasks within your pending list. Include breaks and pauses.
- Choose the length of your time boxes. The Pomodoro Technique may be helpful at this stage.
- Set your timer and get started.
- Assess and review as you go. If you haven’t completed a task in the given time, review your progress and determine why this happened. It will help you fine-tune and tailor the technique to your liking.
- Reward yourself. Motivation is a fundamental factor. Find a way to reward yourself every time you complete a task. For example, consider taking a walk, petting your dog, or taking time for a breathing exercise as a reward for your excellent job.
Do Not Fear Time Management Tools
See time management tools as an excellent resource to guide and support your path to time management skills.
Technology may be a distractor, but still, it has incredible potential you level up your project management, overcome procrastination, and teach you to manage your to-do lists.
Here is a list of popular time management and productivity tools with free and paid access.
- Forest
- RescueTime
- Trello
- Clockify
- Notion
- Pomodoro Timer
- Google Calendar
- ReminderGuru
Do the Most Important Tasks First
Focusing on non-urgent tasks first is a waste of time and energy. Think about investing your resources wisely. You want to invest your energy to give you the extra focus and strength to solve the difficult tasks first. Always prioritize the tasks requiring immediate attention.
One way to stay on top of things is to create a cleaning checklist to help you prioritize what needs to be done and when. By having a clear checklist, you can easily see which tasks require immediate attention and which ones can wait. This way, you can make the most of your time and energy, and ensure that you’re always tackling the most important tasks first.
Say No When You Must
It is an old piece of advice you can apply to multiple aspects of your life. If you’re reading this, you are probably an accomplished and committed professional who always wants to excel in performing your duties, and it is understandable.
When you are part of a team, you want to provide value and prove to your peers you deserve your spot in the team. This attitude increases your risk of burnout.
Practice saying no as a way to manage your time efficiently. Saving free time for yourself is fundamental, so create realistic timelines to perform your tasks, and don’t be afraid to say no if you need to.
Avoid Multitasking at All Costs
To manage your time efficiently, you must avoid multitasking. Focus on one task at a time as a way to invest your energy in time wisely.
Dividing your attention into multiple tasks increases your chances of performing a poor-quality job. Avoid mental juggling at all costs, and you’ll see your productivity spike shortly.
FAQs
How Do I Find the Best the Best Time Management Strategy?
To find the best time management strategies, give yourself the time to test different time-tracking tools, eliminate distractions gradually, spend time building a daily schedule, and train self-discipline to manage your time like a pro.
How to Find a Better Work-Life Balance?
Planning is essential to finding a better work-life Balance. Use the best time management tips to plan your day. Investing a few minutes in your daily tasks plan will contribute to your well-being and work-life balance.
What Is Wrong With the Classic to-Do Lists?
One of the main elements that the to-do list lack is time. They are nothing but lists of specific tasks without a clear objective, action, or deadline associated with the tasks.
If you feel this method works for you, take your list to the next level by associating and scheduling tasks to each item off your list, it leaves less space for guesswork and turns a classic list into a time management tool.
Final Thoughts
Time management tools have a poor reputation, still, they are an excellent resource to track time and manage it efficiently.
Effective time management does not happen overnight, give yourself the time to test different methods and tools until finding your recipe to manage time effectively.
Do not be afraid of combining methods and tools as needed. You are unique, and your approach to time management needs to adapt to your uniqueness.
Eliminate distractions, implement a daily schedule, delegate tasks, and our time management tips to reduce your stress levels, and boost your time management skills.