Time Managment

The Differences Between Time Management Strategies, Techniques, and Skills: What Are Time Management Skills? Time management skills refer to one’s ability to plan and organize how to use their time to accomplish specific tasks, goals, and more. Some examples of time management skills include: Setting clear and specific goals Prioritizing tasks based on importance or urgency Creating a schedule or to-do list Breaking down large tasks into smaller, manageable chunks Learning to say "no" to non-essential tasks or requests Eliminating distractions and procrastination Delegating Evaluating and adjusting The Differences Between Time Management Strategies, Techniques, and Skills Time management strategies, techniques, and skills all relate to the ability to effectively plan and use your time, but the terms themselves have slightly different meanings: Time management strategies refer to the overall approach or plan you can use to manage your time. Time management techniques are specific methods or tools you can use to implement a particular time management strategy. ‍Time management skills refer to the abilities or competencies you need to use time management strategies and techniques effectively. 6 Most Important Time Management Strategies: Time management strategies are an overall plan for improving your time management. You can make up your own strategy, try out different time management techniques and incorporate them into your strategy, work on individual skills, or do something completely different. At the end of the day, it’s completely up to you. Here are some of the most popular time management strategies that have been proven to be successful time and time again. 1. Make a To-Do List Many of us spend our days doing stuff and periodically wondering whether we forget something. Well, not anymore. A simple to-do list can alleviate that burden. Usually, a to-do list should include your work tasks as well as any personal activities or responsibilities you wish to complete. Maintaining a proper balance between work and life obligations is important. This is where a to-do list gets very useful, as it allows you to see more clearly how much time you spend on each. When you make your own to-do list, be sure to rank your tasks based on their importance. It’s easy to make a list of stuff that you can finish quickly. But, if you do that, you risk allocating insufficient time for the day's most important tasks. To successfully use a to-do list time-management strategy, you should not only jot down your daily tasks but also regularly update and check your list. This will help you prioritize and make adjustments if anything unexpected pops up (e.g., a client wants a project report earlier than usual). 2. Tackle the Most Difficult Task First This time-management strategy is centered around the idea that if you do the most difficult task of the day first, everything else will feel easy in comparison. It’s like diving into the deep end of the pool instead of slowly building up your way to it. The downside is that this strategy might not work for everybody, as some people like to start their day with easier tasks and warm up, in a sense. Tackling high-value tasks at the start of your work day might not be for everyone, but it has been proven as an effective time management strategy. To find out if starting your day with the most demanding tasks will improve the way you manage your time, all you have to do is try it. 3. Remove Any Distractions Being distracted while you work can negatively impact your productivity and ability to accomplish your daily tasks successfully. So, it goes without saying that one of the most important time management strategies is to try and minimize any and all distractions. To do that efficiently, you should: Identify the things that distract you from your work. Remove those distractions and/or try to minimize their impact on your productivity. For example, if your phone is constantly chirping because someone created a new post on any of the social media you use, simply turn off your phone. If checking emails or slack messages distracts you from completing your tasks, try to either turn off the notifications or avoid checking them until you finish your work. You can give website blockers or app blockers a try. Those are apps that block specific websites or other apps (you choose which ones you want to block) that distracts you during work. 4. Lead a Healthier Lifestyle A huge part of a successful time management strategy is ensuring you lead a healthy lifestyle. Now, don’t get us wrong, this is not a way to tell you how to live your life, far from it. It’s about showing you the importance of managing and increasing your energy levels to increase your productivity and concentration. Studies have shown that people who exercise and eat healthy foods regularly have higher energy levels when compared to those who don’t. And having more energy means you will be able to spend more of it on completing your tasks, projects, and activities in a more productive and stress-free manner. 5. Figure Out and Set Your Priorities Finding out what your priorities are and setting them according to their importance is another great strategy that can be used to manage your time. Making a clear distinction between what's important and what’s not can help you improve your daily productivity significantly. By organizing your tasks according to their priority, you’ll have a clear vision of what needs to be done and in what order. You might even surprise yourself by discovering that some tasks don’t need to be completed at all. That’s the power of setting priorities. If you want to try out the Pomodoro method for yourself, you should do the following: Choose a task you wish to complete. Start a 25-minute timer. You could use an online stopwatch or the one on your phone. Do some work until the clock runs out. After the 25-minute interval ends, take a 5-minute break. Following the 4th pomodoro period, take a longer 25-30 minutes break. Rinse and repeat until your task is done or until you feel you’ve done enough for the day.