Following a few effective time management strategies ensures a very productive workflow.
Are you looking to get more tasks done during your day at the office? Do you want to have a better work-life balance? Do you always feel like you could get more work done in less time? Improving your ability to manage time improves the quality of your work and increases your productivity.
Benefits of Time Management
As you manage your time as a professional by following the best time management strategies, you add more value to your employer and also create new opportunities for your career development. Learning about a variety of different and effective ways of time management for managing your time in a better way and their implementation helps you gain many more benefits.
● Avoid stress
● Higher productivity
● Better control of your workflow
● Meet desired quality standards
● Ability to consistently meet deadlines
10 brilliant time management techniques to transform you into a more productive professional
Here are the 10 brilliant time management tips you need to keep in mind to manage your time well and get your tasks done efficiently.
1. Put the focus on one task at a time
Multitasking has become a trend among professionals today. It may seem like you are achieving more in less time but multitasking slows down your productivity. It's more effective to finish one task before starting to act on the other one. If you want maximum productivity, always focus on one task at a time.
2. Put a practical time limit on tasks
Parkinson's law states that work will expand to fill the time that's available for accomplishing it. By putting time limits for certain tasks, you tend to focus better and act more efficiently throughout the completion of the respective task. It's one of the most prominent time management strategies that smoothens your workflow since you begin to avoid stuff that could be wasting time or distracting your attention.
3. Block out distractions
There are numerous things around us ready to draw our attention and subsequently, eat our time. As mentioned above, you need to block out distractions to accomplish a task within a given time frame. No time management strategy will be effective without removing distractions.
Put your phone away while you are working to avoid the leading causes of distraction such as social media, the internet and emails. Avoid meetings, phone calls and small talk with co-workers while working on a task and you will get it done according to the set timeline. It will prove one of the best time management tips for accomplishing your time-based goals.
4. Avoid procrastinating
Procrastination is the opposite of productivity. If you want to achieve more in less time, you can not leave your tasks for tomorrow or further in time. You just have to keep the things organised as listed tasks. Ensure doing everything on time and you will find yourself to be more productive and save time.
5. Plan ahead to avoid the hassle
One of the prominent ways of being organised and saving time is planning. Plan your tasks to avoid the last-minute hassle. When you create and follow a predefined schedule, you save your brain from burning out while doing mundane tasks. Plan ahead to boost your productivity.
6. Make a list of tasks
One of the most effective time management strategies is to create a to-do list. Always make a list(s) of tasks you need to accomplish throughout the day. It takes the load off your mind as it will be easy to remember the sequence of tasks you need to do later. You could keep a small notepad to note the things or ideas that come to mind. Smartphones and laptops have built-in time-management tools to make this easy. Also, you can revisit the list anytime to keep track of the progress.
7. Prioritise tasks to avoid confusion
Now you have planned your tasks and noted them in a list, you need to define the priority of tasks since you can not do them all at once. When you make a list in a prioritised order, you’ll know exactly what you need to do next right at the moment when you finish one task. This is quite an effective time management tip to save your time as well as mental energy to determine the next task to take in hand every time you accomplish the prior one.
8. Take breaks at appropriate times
When you give a time frame to your tasks, you also need to take small breaks and schedule them appropriately between tasks. Our brain and so our body functions best at a given time, only if it is well-rested for a while. Taking a break saves you from mental and physical stress. Always prioritise your health and take some time to rejuvenate so that you’ll have a fresh mind when you get back to the task and be able to finish it according to a predefined time frame.
9. Reward and encourage yourself
Always reward yourself for your accomplishment, be it a small or huge one. You have to become your own fan and encourage yourself to keep achieving new goals with consistent and unbeatable enthusiasm. Motivate yourself to accomplish small tasks and you will hardly find accomplishing them boring.
10. Learn to say no at times
When taking responsibility to accomplish tasks, you also need to know when you can and when you can not commit to a certain task and to learn to say no accordingly. It is one of the most ignored yet effective time management strategies. Always check on your schedule and your mental and physical capabilities before saying yes to a task.
Need help to work smart? Take the free 'My Time Management Style' Assessment to enhance your productivity and have a personal life.
Smita D Jain is a Certified Life Coach, Executive Coach and NLP Practitioner. Smita’s ‘Empower Yourself’ Personal Clarity Coaching Programs enable busy professionals unhappy in their jobs to tap into their passions and transform them into professions so that they work because they want to, not because they have to.
Prior to her journey as a coach, Smita had extensive experience of 14 years as a corporate and business strategy professional with Fortune 500 companies. She is also a speaker at various public forums, a published writer, and an Amazon bestselling author.
You can learn more about Personal Empowerment Life Coach and Executive Coach Smita D Jain’s ‘Empower Yourself’ Coaching Programs by visiting www.lifecoachsmitadjain.com and book a complimentary strategy session at https://www.lifecoachsmitadjain.com/booking.
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