Manage your time better – try one of these options
Only you can decide what you spend your time on. Naturally, you’ll want to spend your time on things that add value to your life. But with life being so busy in these modern times, what with jobs, kids, and other activities, how can you have time for those things that matter the most to you?
Luckily, you can use time management techniques that are tailor-made for busy people. Discover techniques that help simplify how you work, ensuring that you get tasks done more efficiently and giving you more time for whatever you choose.
Remember that time management is a personal thing. I know that blocking a chunk of time to focus on important tasks is how a lot of successful CEOs get things done. BUT that is not practical in my life. It’s not like I can tell my 10-month-old daughter that I can’t attend to her needs now because I need to finish up what I’m doing first.
This is a list of techniques that you can try in your life to see if it helps you free up time:
- Organize your work around your energy levels. Your productivity levels are directly related to your energy levels, so schedule your hardest tasks for when your energy levels are at their highest.
- Any low-value tasks that require little energy, such as responding to emails, can be scheduled for the times when your energy levels are lower.
- Make a plan for the day. As the saying goes, those who fail to plan, plan to fail. Before you go to bed, write a to-do list for the next day. When you plan ahead, you’re mentally preparing yourself for any challenges you may face.
- This will also help to limit procrastination at the start of the day and ensure that you work faster and more efficiently.
- Trello is what I use to plan my life
- Start your day with the most important task. When you start the day off by completing your most important task, you’ll give yourself a boost of momentum and a real sense of accomplishment.
- Prioritize tasks. When every task is a priority, nothing is. Urgent tasks should be the highest priority, then look at any high-value tasks, while relegating low-priority tasks to the back of the queue.
- Learn to outsource. You don’t have to complete every task yourself. Especially those low-priority tasks. Sometimes it’s better to outsource these tasks, so you can focus your attention on the more pressing tasks.
- Automate repetitive tasks. Nowadays there is technology available that can help automate many of your tasks. There are tools to remember your passwords and automatically fill in online forms at the touch of a button.
- Automating these tasks could save you hours a week.
- I use RoboForm as my password manager
- Cut out distractions. When you are distracted, it can take a while to get your focus back. This can greatly limit your productivity.
- Consider turning off the notifications on your phone.
- Invest in a pair of headphones, as this makes others less likely to approach you when you have them on. If you have a door that you can close, make a sign that you are currently busy and must only be disturbed in an emergency. Don’t leave the sign on your door, only put the sign up when you need to focus for 30 to 45 minutes.
- Do you know where you get distracted on your computer? Paymo is an app that I use to track my hours spend on my computer. When you know where you spend your time, you can limit time-wasting behaviour.
- Realize that things don’t need to be perfect. It’s easy to get caught up in trying to make everything perfect. However, perfectionism will slow you down and could result in deadlines being missed.
- Having the attitude of “that’ll do” will save valuable time. Your work will be adequate, and you’ll finish in less time.
To start, try each of these techniques. Once you find those that work best for your situation, use them daily. Your productivity will increase, and you’ll save precious time in your busy life, giving you the time to do what matters most to you.
