In the age of digital screens and the era of scrolling on cellphones, we have lost focus, our attention span has decreased drastically, and work quality & quantity have been compromised. And it is a problem of mass, not any particular individual or group of people. However, with the help of effective time management techniques, it can be fixed on the right track. The number of tasks or the quantity of work may feel overwhelming due to a poor focus on the working module. With the correct planning and strategy tailored to each task, both the speed and quality of work improve significantly. Indeed, it’s true that one-time strategies don’t work for everyone. For example, a business owner has a different time slot and workforce as compared to a college-going student, therefore, both can’t follow the same work productivity tips.
Regardless of the type of your work and personal life, having clarity about what task you want to do is the most practical approach. You can organize and prioritize the tasks according to their requirements. In this blog post, we have explored the five best time management tips with strategies to follow. You will get a detailed analysis of each time utilization skill. Moreover, it also explains how you can implement them in your working life to maximize their benefits. There is no doubt that not all techniques work for everyone, that is why you can choose the best-suited one according to your workforce and requirements.
5 Time Management Techniques to Apply
Effective time management is not only about utilizing your time in the best possible manner, but it also enhances personal productivity, confidence, and mental stability. You can achieve all in your life as well with the help of applying the following time management techniques:
1. Pomodoro Techniques
Francesco Cirillo, an author and entrepreneur, invented the Pomodoro time management technique. This time management technique involves using a timer to break down the work into smaller, more manageable chunks. Cirillo used a kitchen timer to split working intervals into 25 minutes. And each slot or period of work, he names as a pomodoro. With each break, he added a 5-minute break. Depending on the task complexity and your comfort, you can adjust the time interval anywhere between 20 and 40 minutes, and this also affects the break time.
Working with Pomodoro
- Choose a task or work you have to complete within the given time
- Begin the timer for 25 minutes.
- Intensely focus on doing the work.
- Once given 25 minutes to complete, take a 5-minute break
- You can choose to walk or listen to your favorite music
- You can keep repeating the same steps until your task is completed.
2. Parkinson’s Law
This time management method was created by the British historian Cyril Northcote Parkisnosn. And his quote, “ work expands to fill the time available for its completion” gets highly propagated. However, his take on time and work might sound like a book’s philosophy, but it works in real life when implemented correctly. Prkinson’s techniques are highly effective for time management for students across universities. His quote can be understood as the amount of time you assign to yourself to accomplish a particular task is the amount of time it will take you to complete that task.
The working of the Parkinson
- To be clear, it’s a traditional time management technique. In contrast, it works on the mind and delivers more efficient results in less time.
- Work in an isolated space, without any kind of digital or human intervention.
- Instead of relaxing the brain for later task completion, focus on doing it as soon as possible.
- Give yourself a deadline, and then cut it in half. It will expand your working speed and efficiency.
3. Eisenhower Matrix
The 34th US president, Dwight Eisenhower, developed a time management technique, known as the Eisenhower Matrix. It discusses prioritizing tanks based on their urgency and importance. The higher the urgency for a task, the higher it should be in the to-do list. It’s Eisenhower’s job as the U.S. Army’s general to deal with making tough decisions daily. From there, he developed a method to prioritize tasks based on their urgency.
Working of Eisenhower
- Organize your tasks into four separate quadrants, categorizing them as important vs. unimportant and urgent vs. not urgent.
- According to the work requirements, put down the tasks in the quadrants.
- Start working on the urgent tasks, followed by the important ones.
- You can postpone unimportant and non-urgent things for tomorrow or later.
- The implementation of these methods keeps you organized and smooth going.
4. Time Blocking Method
The globally recognized and visionary Elon Musk is known for popularizing time-blocking methods. It is a compact, time-management approach that involves creating awareness about how you invest your time throughout the day. You can design and then redesign your workday so that each span of your day is spent efficiently to accomplish the maximum amount of work. It can be a highly suitable time management for students preparing for any competitive exams, as they need extended hours and a significant amount of work to be done daily. In this working model, an average of 80 hours per week is involved.
Working of the time blocking method
- Divide 24 hours into small time slots with well-assigned tasks for each one.
- You can begin by calculating the estimated time needed to complete your daily tasks and adding them into time blocks accordingly.
- In this work model, there is no fixed recommended length for each time block.
- It’s the type of activity and tasks that you are working on that decides the time block duration.
- As a good rule of thumb, if you are new to time blocking, it’s better to have longer time blocks for a task. It keeps you going instead of feeling overburdened and quitting in the middle.
5. Rapid Planning Method
Rapid planning time management techniques were developed by the globally recognized motivational speaker Tony Robbins. It involves working on the brain with a deliberate, continuous attempt. Precisely, RPM focuses on achieving the aim or target on a mental level and then works towards making it a reality. According to Tony Robbins, RPM also stands for R as results-oriented, P as purpose-driven, and M as a massive action plan.
Working of RPM
- Begin by writing all the tasks you need to complete on paper by this week.
- Chunk all your tasks collectively by categories such as personal, academic, or career-oriented.
- Develop your own customized blocks with three columns on a sheet of paper.
- The columns are listed as the task name, the result you want from the task completion, and your purpose for accomplishing it.
- In the next column, mention the list of actions you have to take.
Final Thoughts
Whether you are a student, working professional, housewife, or business owner, efficient time management tips are highly essential to living a uniform life. From the list of time management methods, you can choose one or more according to your convenience. For example, if you find it hard to focus on working, you can try the Pomodoro technique with a short duration and high focus. On the other hand, if you are working on any research work or passion project, you can go with time blocking methods, facilitating your long hours of intense work with high-end productivity.
The smooth balance of time with your work sets you up for success without feeling burned out or overloaded. The best thing is that it applies to all walks of your life. Therefore, no matter what stage, age, or work you are into, organize and escalate your daily, weekly, and monthly tasks. With optimum belief in yourself, apply the right-suited time management techniques. You can easily witness the improvement of your work and results with the implementations.
