Everyone in the world has the same amount of time in a day to manage their daily chores whether it is household or office work. Some manage their time in a well organized manner and some rush out for every minute. The better you manage your time, the better your productivity will be. If you lead to poor time management which means you are a victim of malfunction in your task or often feel stressed out with too much work or too much responsibility. So what is the day which can help you tackle your time in a better way, but before that let’s see what time management is.
What is Time Management?
Time management is a skill which you have to learn, practice and refine. It is a strategy to plan your available time effectively and also to control the time you spend on specific time effectively. When you have poor time management, you will end up with
- Producing poor quality work
- Missing deadlines
- Increasing your stress level
- Ruining your work-life balance
- Harming your professional reputation
- Feeling stress and anxiety
- Poor organizational skills
- Procrastination
Learning time management skills requires continuous practice with mindfulness, and it will look different for each person. But when you learn to handle your own time then you have mastered your task and skills that will further improve and increase your productivity in your personal as well as professional life.
What are the benefits of Time Management?
Time management is significant to control your day and available time efficiently so that you can enjoy your work-life balance. Here are some benefits which proper time management will give you.
- Improve Your Performance
- Produce Better Work
- Deliver Work on Time
- Reduce Your Stress
- Improved Career Opportunity
- Boost Your Confidence
- Become More Efficient
- Prevents Procrastination
- Helps You Achieve Your Goals
- Helps You Prioritize Work
- Streamlined Decision-Making
- Improved Self-Discipline
- Better Workplace Relationships
- Manage Interruptions
- Limit Your Problems
- Prevent the Need to Rush
- Live a Quality Life
- Find Time for a Leisure
You are feeling happy with these benefits, but thinking how to learn time management. To get started, here are some tips to improve time management skills and increase productivity.
1 Make a Schedule
Make a schedule for your day and task by assigning a fixed amount of time. Some people use a work calendar to schedule their meetings and important events. So, scheduling and assigning time to your task will promote you to finish the task in a given time frame, this means others will know that your time is blocked for some specific time, and you don’t want to be disturbed, which means you can cut down time on distractions. It is also important that you stick to the schedule you have made. To get maximum benefit from this habit, schedule your tasks around the times that you tend to be most productive.
2 Prioritize Tasks
Before starting your day, make sure you have a quick glance on your to-do list and schedule to make a list of tasks that need your immediate attention. Whether you keep a diary or sticky note or use an app, lists are an excellent reminder of what you need to get done. To simplify prioritizing, you can use four quadrants of time management. The quadrants are as follows:
Quadrants 1 Urgent and Important
Quadrants 2 Not Urgent yet Important
Quadrants 3 Urgent but not Important
Quadrants 4 Not Urgent and not Important
So far by organizing your day in these quadrants, you will have better clarity on your tasks, and you can easily prioritize and also be able to manage your most productive time in completing important tasks.
3 Break Down Large Tasks into Small Steps
When your to-do list is piled up with large and multi-step tasks or an entire project, it can feel overburdened even for the most experienced professional to complete it. But when you take a few minutes to break down large tasks into smaller chunks that you can tackle easily, it will be helpful for you to manage tasks in a specific time, and also you will not feel stress. Be clear that you don’t allow yourself to stretch out small tasks to take up more time. If something takes just 15 minute to complete, do it within that allotted time and move on.
4 Take Break
Break is most important to get relaxed and avoid stress during your work because too much stress can be harmful to your body and mind which ultimately results in lower productivity. When you feel stressed and tired, take 10 to 15 minute of break. You can schedule your break times. Remember taking frequent short breaks can actually boost productivity. However, it can be difficult for employees to feel comfortable taking a break, especially in a work culture that values busyness but being busy is not the same as being productive. So, break the boredom of work by taking frequent short breaks such as taking a walk, listening to some music, or doing some stretches.
When you are clear what is in your and how much you are able to handle, you will be more focused and get more done in less time. Everyone has different ways of managing their time, and there is nothing wrong with that as long as they are effective, but good time management requires daily practice to save time and achieve more.
