More often than not, we enter a state of pandemonium because our personal and professional life is in chaos. We realize that we haven’t accomplished enough, our to-do list has pending tasks, and we’re way behind when it comes to the goals we had set out initially. Time is a crucial aspect of life and managing time well is a skill that most of us need to build and acquire. If we master the art of time management, a lot can positively change us in life.

Time management essentially involves managing tasks and activities.

How to equip yourself to manage time better:

When things go as to plan, we feel a sense of accomplishment and experience less burnout. Hence, it is better to learn some time management skills in order to be able to implement time management tips and techniques in life. Some essential time management skills include:

·       Organisation – this involves creating to-do lists, having a daily schedule, etc.

·       Prioritising – this involves differentiating between what is urgent and important, what is not urgent but important, and what is not urgent and not important.

·       Goal-setting – it is preferable to set goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-bound.

·       Stress Management – it is important to know how to handle stress well and stressful situations. Learn how to manage stress

here: https://thecriticalscript.com/article-details/5-tips-to-stress-management

Tips & Techniques for Time Management:

Here are some effective and essential time management techniques you can easily implement:

Start Your Day Early: The ‘early to bed, early to rise’ adage is quite true and many have reaped its benefits too. We all have 24 hours in a day but what we don’t see is how we use these hours. Starting your day later leads to a gross waste of time and we don’t end up getting a lot done. If you start your day earlier, you will have more time as your entire day becomes longer. Start with setting up your alarm 15 minutes earlier than before and increase the time frame over the course of time. Use the extra minutes to meditate or pursue a hobby or catch up on reading.

Use the Pomodoro technique: This technique encourages people to work with the time that they have. You can break up your work day with ample breaks in between – the intervals are referred to as Pomodoro. After a few Pomodoros, you can take a longer break of about 15 to 20 minutes. The timer makes one feel energized and makes you feel a sense of urgency, in turn, leading to productivity.

Use A Time Tracking Tool: You may find it humbug but time tracking software or tools are actually good and help us understand where we are spending the most amount of time. If you realize that you are wasting time on certain activities you can then consciously ensure you don’t do that.

Keep Mornings For ‘Most Important Tasks’: While one may not always like doing this as the most important tasks are also often very difficult (and disliked) ones, doing so takes a lot of stress off the mind. If you accomplish the hardest task first, you can heave a sigh of relief and move on to the easier and more enjoyable tasks later on.

Block Out Distractions: Switch off notifications when you start work. You may not realize it but distractions end up taking most of the time at work. A task that may get completed in 60 minutes then takes 3 hours to be accomplished. When you are working, keep your phone on silent if necessary. You will end up saving a lot of time and your productivity will be higher.

Focus On One Thing At A Time: A lot of research has proven that multitasking is a myth. If you think you can juggle many things at once, you are mistaken as you actually end up wasting time and your overall productivity is low. Focus on one thing at a time and finish it as against trying to juggle too many things at once. You will realize that you can be more creative and your output is of higher quality.

Take Breaks Often: This may sound counterproductive but taking breaks helps you become more effective as you are refreshed. If you work for things at a stretch, you may get hassled or hit a blank as against taking a break, coming back to the task, and finishing it quickly.

Get Your Sleep: A healthy lifestyle can go a long way in ensuring that you are at your productive best and achieve the goals you have outlined. Getting 6-8 hours of sleep recharges a person and helps with better decision-making and effectiveness at work

Bite off Only How Much You Can Chew: As against what it may seem to be, most high performers and achievers do very little but are extremely impactful. Don’t take up more than what you can handle as that will eventually just lead to burnout, anxiety, and stress. Do little but be as impactful as you can.

Get Others To Respect Your Time: Getting out of meetings and chats that aren’t relevant to us as that time will never come back or add any value to you. Learn how to excuse yourself from such conversations.