Author: Annie Zygmunt
Time Management
Introduction:
As humans, it is important that we plan our daily tasks in order to do what we need to do in time for when it needs to be done. From planning, to taking breaks – below you’ll find six points on how to help you with time management, and make your life just a little bit easier.
Create A Plan For The Day:
It is very important to keep track of what you need to do in a day, even more so when you know you have a busy day ahead of yourself. The plan doesn’t have to be too filled. It can be as specific or as minimal as you want. Simple bullet points work at this stage – read on to find out why.
Remove Non-Essential Tasks:
When you have the basics written down, whether it be on a piece of paper or an electrical device, it’s time to organize. The first step to doing so is to remove any tasks you deem non-essential for the day. More specifically, this means that you may be able to remove tasks that don’t need doing just yet – for example, if the deadline is further away, or if you know you won’t be able to manage. This leads to point three below.
Prioritise:
The best way to sort out a list (especially if it’s a long one) is to prioritise. This usually means rewriting the list in a way that the most important tasks are at the top. If your list contains tasks that are due on the same day – or the day after – these should be at the top of your priority. However, another way you can prioritise is also via time limits.
Set A Time Limit On Each Task:
While going through the list, try to make an estimated guess as to how long each assignment will take. As mentioned in the last post, you can prioritise them on the importance of the due date, but also the amount of time the task will take to complete. For example, if you have two tasks due tomorrow, and one task will take an estimated 5 minutes, while the other will take 30 minutes, you may want to start with the 5 minute task first. That way, you can get that out of the way and focus on the more time-consuming task later.
Avoid Multitasking:
Try to focus on one thing at a time. While multitasking may seem as if it will help you get things done quicker, it may actually do the opposite. Focusing on one task at a time will help you keep track of how long it’s taking, which will in turn mean that you can keep track of whether you need to speed up, so that you can have enough time to complete each task.
Take Breaks In-between Tasks:
As important as it is to try and complete all the tasks you need in a given timeframe, it’s also important to give yourself a break ever so often. Otherwise, you’re more likely to burn out, and not have the energy to finish the planned tasks at all. The breaks don’t have to be long, and should be kept within a managed time limit themselves. Some short things you can do in between tasks are drink some water, go to the bathroom, or check your emails.
Conclusion:
Time management is very important on a day-to-day basis. Sometimes we don’t even realise we’re doing it. Planning on going out with your friends after work, but needing to do grocery shopping before going out? That counts as managing your time! So just make sure you’re giving yourself enough time for (as well as between) each chore you plan on doing that day!