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Time management: 7 methods of effective time management
If you're constantly swamped with work and household chores, it may be worth rethinking your approach to scheduling. Time management is a whole science. We tell you how time management works and how to manage your time. To learn more about why you waste your time read here: https://www.swaggermagazine.com/features/the-real-reasons-youre-short-on-time-and-how-to-fix-it/
What is time management?
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Economist Peter Drucker wrote that management would increasingly move beyond commercial enterprises, where it appeared in an attempt to organize the production of things.
Time management is techniques and methods for time management. It is self-organization and self-management. Time management helps a person or company plan time and save resources.
For example, if you are swamped with work and you do not know what to do first, you should prioritize. The Eisenhower Matrix helps to understand which tasks are urgent and important, and which are just distractions.
The more things we get done, the better the quality of our work and life in general. And with digital transformation and the acceleration of change, clear time management helps us stay focused on our goals and stay on track.
Principles of Time Management
Almost all existing time management practices have three components: prioritization, planning, and structuring.
Prioritization. To accomplish a task, you must determine how urgent, complex, and important it is, and only then proceed to complete it.
Planning. To perform the task, you need to figure out when it should be done and how much time it will take.
Structuring. To complete a task, you need to understand how to keep track of its implementation and results.
Most time management techniques rely on structuring and prioritizing, and only a small part is a sophisticated combination of all three principles. We'll break down the 15 best time management techniques: from simple techniques to complex management systems.
The best time management techniques are:
1. Preparing from the evening
Preparing from the evening is suitable for those who have difficulty getting up early in the morning - advice from psychologist Nick Wignall. Write down work and personal tasks for tomorrow at the end of the day. This way you will understand your workload in advance and distribute tasks without the morning rush. You can prepare a task plan in the evening, work clothes or lunch to take with you if you work outside the home.
2. At least N minutes.
The method helps you cope with procrastination - putting off tasks "for later," even if they are important or urgent matters. If you don't want to do anything, try starting with at least a few minutes per task: five or ten. According to Julia Müller, a professor at the University of Leipzig, this way a person is left with the right to change his mind, and it increases his sense of control over the situation. He stops thinking that he is being forced to do something he absolutely does not want to do, so further work goes more easily.
3. Deadlines
Set clear deadlines for submitting the work - deadlines. Clear deadlines encourage you to work faster and help you cope with procrastination. Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology found that even self-set deadlines help move things along. That said, such deadlines work worse than external deadlines set by a supervisor or competition committee. In personal cases, an external supervisor can be a friend, colleague, or relative.
4. Eating the "frog".
Business coach Brian Tracy suggests eating the "frog" every morning - doing the most difficult and unpleasant task first. In the morning the brain is less loaded with information, so it will be easier for you to cope with a difficult task. After such a task, all the others will seem trivial and you will still have energy left.
5. Small tasks.
This is the exact opposite of the previous method. Do small tasks - for 1-2 minutes - first, at the same moment if possible. For example, check mail and equipment, send inquiries, or hand out tasks. This rule is taken from the Getting Things Done (GTD) method of business coach David Allen.
6. Autofocus
The "autofocus" method is good for people who often work with tasks without a deadline. The previous two principles oblige to choose a case, and this sense of obligation is discouraged. The author of the method, Mark Forster, believes that you should first write out all the cases in a single list, and then slowly read it until you want to stop at one task. The volume of the task does not matter, more important is the desire to do it right now. If you were able to complete it today, cross it out. If you can't - move it to the end of the list, and read it again.
7. Do It Tomorrow.
Mark Forster, author of the book "Do It Tomorrow" recommends not taking on urgent tasks right away, but putting them off until tomorrow. To do this, you should keep closed to-do lists. You can't add a new task to a closed list, but you can put it on your list for the next day. This approach helps you stay focused on your current tasks and do only your work.
Forster distinguishes between "his real job" and "employment. A real job helps you advance in your business or profession. Here you fully apply your skills and knowledge. Often go out of your comfort zone - do things you haven't done before. Working really hard, such work may cause a little resistance.
Busyness occurs when you put off real work for small tasks. Activity is not the same as action. If work feels overwhelming but doesn't seem difficult, it's probably busywork. Real work can be difficult, but it doesn't make you feel like a squirrel in a wheel.
