There are a few hours in the day. But you’re not alone — and some strategies can help you manage your time more effectively.
The key is to set priorities and stay organized at work and when you’re away. Here are our top tips for getting the most out of your day.
Make a list of the things you need to do
- Make a list of all the things you want to do. This should be a relatively short list; it’s not meant to include every little thing you’re thinking about doing, but rather only those essential things that can’t be put off until later.
- Note down all the things you want to do. These are your goals for the upcoming week or month and can be anything from “start working on my novel” to “get ten new clients this month.” These are good ideas, but they aren’t urgent—they’re essential goals, and you should give them plenty of attention, but not right away.
- Write down all the things that have been pushed aside in favor of other urgent tasks (they may not be urgent anymore). This is where your long-term project planning comes in handy: if something has been on hold for some time now because it didn’t seem important enough at first glance, then now is when we’ll finally get around to finishing it off.
- Read time flies quotes to realize the value of time.
Prioritize the tasks on your list.
When you’re ready to start working, it’s time to prioritize the tasks on your list. There are three ways to do this: importance, urgency, and time.
- Prioritize by importance. Start with the task that requires the highest level of attention or risk if it’s not completed—the one that would be most harmful if you didn’t do it (and therefore is essential) or will bring about more significant rewards for completion (and therefore is valuable). Don’t spend too much time here; this should take just a few seconds per task.
- Prioritize by urgency. Next, look at tasks based on their priority as they relate to time—how soon they need to be finished in order for other parts of your project/project plan/workday to go well—and group them accordingly so that those deadlines are visible when looking at your list later on in today’s session (or tomorrow’s).
- Prioritize by time allotments set aside for each task during each work day: Define how much time each day should be dedicated toward accomplishing goals for each project listed in To-Do List software such as Trello or Asana; then divide up those minutes into segments according to what needs doing first before moving onto another part of whatever larger goal these smaller ones are helping achieve (i.e., writing an article).
Organize the tasks according to priority
You should also prioritize your tasks according to their importance. Essential tasks are usually time-sensitive, so it’s good practice to block off time in your calendar and ensure they get done on time.
Another way to prioritize is when a task needs to be done (such as right now or later this week). If it has an immediate deadline, you’ll want to prioritize that task so it doesn’t fall through the cracks.
And lastly, some people prefer to prioritize their tasks based on when they feel most productive or relaxed; if that’s how you work best, then go ahead and use this method!
Create your schedule
It’s essential to know how much time you have for the tasks you want to complete and when you need them done. Use a calendar or app to write down all the activities that are important for you throughout the day, including work projects, personal commitments, and other responsibilities. Then, create a schedule for each day of the week:
- Monday through Friday look something like this: 8am-9am (wake up), 9am-12pm (work), 12pm-2pm (lunch break), 2pm-5pm (work), 5pm-6:30pm (dinner break). These times may vary based on what time zone or country you live in!
- Saturday and Sunday are usually reserved for sleeping in late if needed; however, some people like having their weekends structured too.
- Don’t waste too much time on social media.
Organize and maintain your workspace.
If you want to manage your time effectively, it’s important to have a clean and organized workspace. How do you know if your workspace is clean and organized? There are a few simple things to check:
- Make sure everything has its place.
- Have a designated spot for each item that belongs on your desk.
- If an item doesn’t belong there, move it to its proper place (or throw it away).
How to manage your time
Managing your time is a tricky thing. We have so many things to do and so little time in which to accomplish them. Luckily, there are some simple ways you can manage your time and get more done each day.
Here are three tips for managing your time:
- Do one thing at a time. Don’t try to multi-task; instead, stay focused on the task at hand until it is complete before moving on to another activity such as answering emails or making phone calls. This will help avoid wasting precious minutes in the day trying to remember where you left off with an unfinished project before getting distracted by something else that demands attention right away!
- Make plans ahead of time, so there’s no guesswork involved when deciding what needs doing next (and when). Also, keep track of how long certain tasks take so that if they’re taking longer than expected, it isn’t difficult to find out why exactly this happened—maybe there’s something preventing completion? The ability to anticipate upcoming deadlines makes life much easier down the line when dealing with deadlines because then everything seems more manageable since there aren’t unexpected surprises coming up like, “Oh crap I forgot about this deadline! Now what?”
Conclusion
To summarize, here is a list of tips for effective time management:
- Figure out what’s most important to you, and put those tasks first on your list
- Find an organizational system that works for you, whether that’s a digital calendar or a paper planner.
- Create time blocks in your schedule so that you can focus on one task at a time
- Allow yourself some wiggle room each day to deal with the unexpected.
- Don’t be afraid to say no to things that don’t fit into your priorities!
