Time Management Skills – Effective Tips

“Time and tide wait for none.” We all have heard this quote some time in our life. Everyone’s day has 24 hours. Why do you think some can get most of the things done while some can’t? Time management is one of the most rewarding skills in both your personal and professional life. 

The biggest enemy of time management is Procrastination. The moment you start procrastinating your tasks, you lose control of time.

Time management doesn’t mean squeezing all the tasks into your day. It’s about simplifying by prioritizing your tasks. You don’t have to be some legend to master this time management skill. You just need to follow an essential slogan. Work Smarter, not Harder. Find simple alternatives instead of a complicated solution.

Here are tips to become a master of time management and utilize your time to the fullest.

• Make a plan and stick to it.

You don’t have to be a super-organized person in the world. Plan your day the night before or plan your week on Sundays. Stick to the plan unless there’s a sudden urgent or essential task. Now you’ll know where all your time is getting wasted. Allot 30 minutes to 1 hour to catch up on emails and social media. Frankly, these places eat up all the time. Set time for each task and try to complete it within the set time.Set buffer between tasks so that if in case it takes longer, you don’t have to postpone that task. Slowly this becomes a challenging game than just a habit.

• Get enough sleep

A human brain and body require a minimum of 7 – 8 hours of sleep to feel fresh and energized. Hence make sure you get enough sleep before you start your day. Sleep deprivation not only causes stress but also tires your brain and body. Don’t underestimate the value of sleep as it disturbs your entire day.

• Give your day an early start.

Like I already said we all have 24 hours. We can’t increase that, but we surely can wake up early and make our day longer. Utilize this time to exercise or meditate or even pursue your hobby. This will help to calm your mind and feel fresh. This won’t just make your day longer but also creates mental balance.

• Learn to say NO

You can’t please everyone and still be able to complete your work. At some point, you should learn to say no to the things that don’t interest you. Your objective is to commit to something that you know you have time for. It’s not a must to commit to things when you have a plate full.

• Spend your mornings on MIT’s

Once you’re done with your routine, start your day with the most important task of the day. There are some reasons why this method is effective. For starters, you’re active during the starting of the day than that of later. As you do the prioritized tasks one by one, you get the feeling of achievement for the rest of your day. It’s better to do these tasks when you still are fresh and active than tired and drained.

• Turn essential tasks into Habits.

When you have a task to be done regularly, try to make it a habit. So after that, you’ll not feel it to be a task. Eventually, it’ll be manageable and more comfortable to follow. To make any task a habit, start doing the critical job at a specific time of the day for 21 days without any breaks. 

• Group similar tasks together

For a similar kind of task, you need the same type of effort. When you group these kinds of tasks together, the brain maintains the same flow. There won’t b any kind of reorientation necessary for your mind without switching to something else.

Always try to make all your tedious tasks enjoyable. The goal for time management is that you’ll be stress-free and enjoy your life in a much better way.