When you have a lot of different objectives and tasks to complete, it can be difficult to allocate time so that each task is completed properly with your focused attention. Life can be tremendously busy, which can result in disorganization and wasted time. Do you ever feel as though, even after a hard day’s work, that you’ve accomplished nothing? Stress, distractions and disorganization can create an environment where you lack the focus to complete your assignments on time. Here are some helpful tips for optimal time management:
Realize That You Have the Power to Change Your Habits
So many individuals that struggle with time management feel as though time is against them. The fact is, everyone gets the same amount of time each day. It can be difficult to tell how you can identify and improve the problems that are causing you to be distracted; we recommend taking an in-depth look at yourself and your habits and identifying problematic routines that are taking up your time. The sooner you understand only you can control how you spend your time, the better for your business ventures.
Once You Identify Your Time-Consuming Habits, Address Them
The emergence of ubiquitous computing and social media has made us reliant on our phones, especially during stressful moments when we should be focusing on our work. Everyone is different, however, and there could be other distractions that fill up your time including conversations with coworkers or daydreaming. When you catch yourself slacking off and getting distracted, write it down. Write down how much time you’ve wasted and then at the end of the week, tally how much time you’ve wasted in total. It is ideal for writing down the time of day you tend to get most distracted and be conscientious of your decision-making moving forward. Don’t expect to correct your tendencies immediately, but work towards minimizing your distractions by 5, 10 or 15 minutes a day.
Practice Self Control
Time management all comes down to addressing your problematic behaviours. Denying that your social media use is causing you to lose focus will not help your future productivity. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and you won't be able to correct all your habits in a day, even when you are identifying them. Be realistic and practice patience with yourself, for example, if you do have issues being distracted by Facebook or Instagram, perhaps remove those apps from your phone while at work and then re-download them and enjoy them when you get home.
Prioritize What Is Most Important
A big reason that distractions occur is that people haven’t laid out exactly what they need to get done. Dipping your feet into several different projects at once may hamper your productivity. Before you approach each working day, it is helpful to prioritize what is most important. Ensure you are realistic in how many goals you can achieve each day. Without distractions, you should be able to gain decent traction on the projects at-hand and employ a foundation for your tasks.
Although you may have 10-30 tasks to complete, ask yourself how many honestly need to be completed by the end of the day. The more time you spend focusing on one sole task will allow you the opportunity to fine tune the end-product and ensure your happiness with the result.
Get Others Involved
To maximize the effectiveness of a project, enlisting others to help you complete tasks is essential. You may feel the need to do all the work yourself, but this can result in stressful days and sleepless nights. Learning how to delegate work is not only beneficial for you but the good of the project. You will have more time to fine-tune your portion of a project, and it will also allow a fresh set of eyes to provide you with new ideas. Delegation is important if you have coworkers or team members that are stronger in different areas than you are; allow them the opportunity to maximize their skill set and complete a more well-rounded product
Set Time Limits
The traditional workday lasts about 8 hours per day, from Monday- Friday, with a weekend off, because working all day, every day would be too stressful. The same mindset should be adopted when approaching tasks that comprise your working day. Labouring over the same role and task can hamper your creativity and productivity, so be sure not to overspend time on a single task, and do not underspend time on any given assignment.
Never Waste Your Own Time
One of the biggest reasons that people are unable to complete all the tasks on their to-do list is because they are wasting time in moments where they could be pursuing different activities. There will be moments in your day when you won’t be able to work because you’re waiting on someone to finish their part or you’re waiting to meet a client but being able to access the Internet on your phone and computer presents you with the opportunity to research and fine-tune your knowledge on any given topic. Never stop trying to learn or expand your horizons. Not everything needs to be related to your working life; it is important to do things you enjoy even if it means completing a crossword puzzle or reading a novel. When you’re bored, try new things or meet new people; do anything to keep your brain active.
Learn to master your time management with Tempo Timesheets today!
