Many
of us spend our days racing against the clock, trying our best to squeeze
everything—job, family, friends, and chores— into one single day. No matter how
hard we try, there never seems to be enough time. There are n number of chances
that at some point in your life, you might have taken a time management class,
read about it in a book or tried to use an electronic or paper-based day
planner to organize, prioritize and schedule your day, but with this knowledge
and these gadgets you still might not have done that was to be done on time.
A
lot of folks in our society try to be hyper-productive; they scurry from task
to task, always checking e-mail, organizing something, making a call, running
an errand, etc. The people with more on their plates give the best time
management advice.
The
idea of “Working Smarter, Not Harder” has become a staple in the way of work of
any kind. Instead of being robotic, try to be thoughtful and find some way in
which the task can be done more efficiently or eliminated altogether. Managing
my time isn’t about squeezing as many tasks into your day as possible. It’s
about simplifying how you work, doing things faster, and relieving stress.
There
really are enough hours in a day for everything you’d like to do, but
it may take a bit of rearranging and re-imagining to find them.
1. Complete most important tasks first
This
is the golden rule of time management. Each day, identify the two or three
tasks that are the most crucial to complete, and do those first. Once
you’re done, the day has already been a success. You can move on to other
things, or you can let them wait until tomorrow. You’ve finished the essential. Knocking
your biggest tasks off the list earlier will give you a leg up on your day and
allow you to be less rigid with your time as the hours wear on and more things
pop up on your to-do list.
2. Learn to say “NO"
Making
a lot of time commitments can teach us how to juggle various engagements and
manage our time. This can be a great thing. However,
you can easily take it too far. At some point, you need to learn to decline
opportunities. Your objective should be to take on only those commitments that
you know you have time for and that you truly care about.
3. Sleep at least 7-8 hours
Some
people think sacrificing sleep is a good way to hack productivity and wring a
couple extra hours out of the day. This is not the case. Most
people need 7-8 hours of sleep for their bodies and minds to function
optimally. You know if you’re getting enough. Listen to your body, and don’t
underestimate the value of sleep.
4. Devote your entire focus to the task at hand
Concentrate
on this one task. Nothing else should exist. Immerse yourself in it. Close out all other browser windows. Put your phone away, out of sight and on silent. Find a quiet place to work, or listen to some music if that helps you.
5. Be conscientious of amount of TV/Internet/gaming time
Time
spent browsing Twitter or gaming or watching TV and movies can be one of the
biggest drains on productivity. I
suggest becoming more aware of how much time you spend on these activities.
Simply by noticing how they’re sucking up your time you’ll begin to do them
less. Rather use technology to help you to be more productive during a task.
Note:
There are innumerable hacks and tricks to manage your time effectively. These
are some tips that I find helpful, but everyone is different.
