We all struggle with the daily rush, and that often makes us overwhelmed in managing time. But it turns out there are ways to manage time effectively despite having dense activities. These time management tips are straight from the experts.
1. Don’t Multitask
“Multitasking requires you to spread your attention across many tasks, so, by definition, this means that you don’t give any single job your full attention. If you really need to get something done, focus on it 100 per cent. You will get things done much more quickly, and get much better results,” says Claire Mitchell, founder of The Girls Mean Business..
2. Make a Won’t-do List
Not all time management tips focus on a to-do list. “Start a list of your won’t-do’s to go alongside your to-do list,” says Bach Original Flower Remedies time management expert Rosie Gray, founder of Mosaic Learning. Include anything that distracts you, stealing away precious time that you could use to accomplish important tasks.
3. Make Yourself Un-interruptible
‘We often get distracted from tasks by phone calls, colleagues, emails and social media. But, the thing is, you allow this to happen by not putting yourself into a protective ‘work bubble’,” says Claire Mitchell.
If you really need to get stuff done, switch off your phone and shut down your email for 30 minutes. Set a timer so that you’re working against the clock and give yourself a deadline to complete one important thing. To stop colleagues from interrupting you, stick some earphones in. Once you’ve finished the important task, make yourself available again. This will ‘train’ those around you to know when you shouldn’t be interrupted.
4. Try the One-day Rule
Time management tips will motivate you to get the most important things done within a realistic timeframe. “Think of how productive you are the day before you go on holiday,” says Claire Mitchell. ‘You only have one day to sort out a mountain of work and it looks impossible but somehow you manage it. This is because you become ruthless with your to-do list.
Try to recreate this attitude whenever you need to make some serious headway with your workload. Pretend that you have one day to get it all sorted and if it’s not worth doing, ditch it. Hand over anything that can be delegated, and get things done instead of worrying about them being perfect.
5. Keep it Real
"Be realistic about what you can and can’t do,” says Rosie Gray. You have a finite amount of time and must choose what you do with it wisely. You can’t do 12 hours of work in an 8-hour day. Noticing how long tasks tend to take will improve your future scheduling, allowing you to give accurate forecasts and meet deadlines more easily.
6. Learn to Say No
Time management tips will make you more efficient, but it’s also important to know when you’re committing to too much. “Don’t overwhelm yourself by overcommitting or you will raise the likelihood of failing on several fronts,” says Simon Alexander Ong, life designer and success strategist.
Think about what you will need to forfeit from your schedule to make time for the extra requests and consider whether it is worth doing this. If you have no choice but to take on extra demand, learn how to delegate anything that will distract you from your most important tasks.
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