10 ways to improve your time management

10 ways to improve your Time Management | Jaxstar Solutions

Time flies—especially when you are trying to get things done.  In order to be successful in business and in life, you have to actively manage your time, so it doesn’t simply slip away.  However, practising this is easier said than done.

Try these 10 ways to help you manage your time better so you can push through distractions and get things done:

Make a to-do list:

Lists keep us organised, keep us on track, and keep us on top of where we are and what still needs doing.

Prioritise

At first, you’ll find yourself assigning top priorities that really aren’t the most critical.  Like with everything else, learning to prioritise is a trial-and-error process.

Set SMART goals

By setting goals for what you need to get done before lunch, before quitting time, or by the end of the month, you know how fast you have to work and how much time should be spent on each project.

Track your time

Keep track of your time on each task for a couple days, you’ll get a feel for when you’re spending your time appropriately on goal-oriented activities and when you’re simply wasting it on non-productive things.  This will also allow you to think about, do you need to be doing this task or can it be someone else in the business.

Do not attempt to multitask

Stay focused on one thing and one thing only, and only move on to the next task when the first one is complete.

Minimise distractions

Shut the door, close the widow, put your headphones in and stay away from social media and other Internet distractions.

Delegate responsibilities

Having another responsible person take over some of your tasks is like getting twice as much done in the same amount of time.

Give yourself rest periods

You are simply not going to be able to perform at 100% all the time.  To prevent the inevitable burnout, you have to give yourself the freedom to rest and recoup.  Not only will you be able to perform more efficiently when you approach a problem fresh-faced, you may actually come up with solutions and better ways to approach a problem while you’re not actively working on it.

Plan for tomorrow today

Use the last 10 or 20 minutes of the day to plan at least the first part of tomorrow, this will let you start the new day with momentum.

Use the Pomodoro technique

The pomodoro technique is when you set yourself a task and set the timer for 25 minutes turning off phones, emails, anything that could distract you. After 25 minutes you take a 5 minute break and then do another task for 25 minutes. It’s a really productive way of working and its small chunks of time which work really well. If there’s a larger task which you know will take more than 25 mins then you set timer for 50 mins but you should never go longer than 50 mins without a break.

 

If you would like to find out more about this technique, you can find all of the amazing advice and tricks here https://francescocirillo.com/pages/pomodoro-technique.

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