Most people who decide to study time management methods are serious about helping themselves. Very often they get off to a good start, but after a short while, they go back to their old habits and it’s back to square one. To be truly efficient and productive, you’ll need to have discipline and form some habits that are difficult to inculcate initially, but once they’re a part of you, life will become much easier. Time management requires a shift in mindset for you to truly apply it effectively in your daily life. These 7 quick time management tips that work are highly effective.
Visualization is important. Spend about 5 to 10 minutes a day visualizing yourself as being more productive. Put some emotion into your visualization. Feel yourself completing all your tasks smoothly and without disruption. Imagine yourself breaking away from the shackles of social media and other distractions as you sail away on the sea of productivity. Or something to that effect. Seeing it in your mind’s eye is the first step to turning it into a reality. It’s similar to the law of attraction, and while it may seem all ‘hokey’ to some people, do give it a try anyway.
Another powerful technique is saying affirmations daily. Look in the mirror and affirm a few times that you’ll spend your time productively. This will sear the affirmations in your mind. Any time you feel like indulging in some activity rather than working, repeat the affirmations a couple of times and get back to work. Over time, your mind will grow to accept that you really are spending your time effectively and will be less likely to try and get you distracted just to avoid working.
Below you’ll find 7 tips that are highly effective. Apply them and you’ll see how powerful they are.
1. Plan tomorrow today
Planning tomorrow today means spending about 15 to 20 minutes at night before you go to bed – planning out what tasks need to be completed the next day and so on.
Either you’ll be planning your schedule on the laptop or on paper. This will serve as a handy reference to keep you on track with your daily tasks and goals.
2. Prioritize your tasks
There’s never enough time to get all the tasks done. More will always creep up to bog you down. The best way to get around this is to complete the most urgent and important tasks before the rest.
It’s common to feel like you have a ton of work and not enough time to get it all done. That’s just how it is. We live in a hectic world today and despite all the conveniences of daily life, we have more to do now than ever before. The best way to remedy this problem is to manage your tasks effectively so you get the most out of your time.
Do not try to get the menial or unimportant tasks out of the way first. This is a common mistake. By the time you’re done with those, you’ll either be exhausted and unable to do your best when it matters, or you won’t have enough time for the important tasks.
3. Use checklists
Checklists make things seem more manageable. When you have a lot of tasks at the back of your head, it may all seem more overwhelming.
Writing down what needs to get done and checking them off one by one, will not only make it seem easier, but you’ll have a sense of relief when you complete everything on the list.
4. Plan your meals
Thinking about food and trying to decide what to eat every single day can be a huge distraction and a time-waster. Plan and prepare your meals for the entire week.
This will save you a ton of time. You’ll know what to eat, where the food is and won’t waste time and energy pondering daily about your food choices.
5. Avoid multitasking
Multitasking is a bad habit. It results in shoddy work and makes people have short concentration spans. Pick one task, focus on it and get it done – then move on to the next one.
Trying to do several things at once does not make you productive. In fact, the opposite holds true. You take a longer time to do the same job and it’s of poorer quality too.
6. Block distractions
Turn off notifications on your phone, put it to silent and focus on the work at hand. The world is filled with distractions from beeping messages to advertisements to phone calls and a ton of other things designed to distract you.
To be more productive, you MUST shut out the noise, even if that means appearing “anti-social” to the rest. Water cooler talk, colleagues who drop by to chit chat, social phone calls during working hours, etc. should all be eliminated so that you can get the most from the time you have.
7. Reward yourself
Reward yourself with a short break when you complete a task. This will give you a mental respite from the stresses of work. It will help you to focus on the next task better.
You may choose to have a coffee or some light food to give you an added boost of energy. One good practice is consuming a tablespoon of coconut oil which not only gives you energy but is great for health. Don’t consume more than one spoon a day though.
Apply these 7 quick time management tips that work and your productivity will go up and you’ll get more work done in a shorter time. You may even find yourself with more time freed up since you’re working with focus and purpose. That’s the best way to gain control of your schedule.
