7 tips for Effective Time Management

We all want to make the most of each day. And one way to achieve this is through effective time management. By coordinating tasks and activities effectively, you’re able to get more work done in less time. Taking the time to learn how to manage your time effectively can have an overall positive effect on both your personal and professional life. Better task management leads to increase productivity, lower stress levels, and a better balance between work and home. And you avoid things like burnout, missed deadlines, and a poor quality of work. Now that we’ve gone over some of the perks of time management. Let’s look at some time management techniques that’ll help you effectively manage your time.

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Do a Time Audit

To start managing your time effectively, you’ll need to figure out how your spending time. You can do this is through an app or use a calendar to track everything. Then you can look at what tasks are taking up the most of your time and make adjustments.

Prioritize your task

As the day progresses, your focus and energy levels start to decrease. And you’re less likely to have the will power to make decisions and to get things done. So, if there are important tasks on your to-do list that’ll require your full attention, make sure those tasks at the top of your to-do list. In doing this, you’ll be able to give those tasks your full attention and ensure they’re completed correctly and in a timely matter.

Set a Time Limit

When you work on a task for too long, it becomes far too easy to procrastinate or become distracted. So it’s best to set a time limit for tasks. For example, if the task is creating a meal plan for the week, set a time limit of an hour. Then try and get as much done as possible in that hour. After an hour passes, take a break and determine if you’d like to continue with the task or come back to it later after you’ve worked on something else.

Take Breaks

After working on task after task for hours, we find it hard to focus and our productivity decreases. Instead of giving a task our full attention, our mind easily wonders off and it’s hard to get anything done. So it’s important to take breaks to avoid this. Determine what your work limit is, and schedule your breaks accordingly. For example, if you find yourself struggling to focus after two hours of work, then schedule a 10-15-minute every two hours. Take the time to go for a brief walk, have a drink of water, and get back into the work mindset.

Eliminate half-work

It’s easy to get distracted and not give a task your full attention. Often I’ll find myself in the middle of writing an email and will stop randomly to check my phone. In doing this, the task takes longer because I’m not giving the task my full attention. So to eliminate half-work, set aside time to focus on a task and remove the things that aren’t related to the task. For example, I’ll set aside 30 minutes to return emails, and while I return emails, I place my phone in my desk drawer.

Block out Distractions

Tasks that usually take us around 30 minutes can take 60 minutes, or more all thanks to distractions. So save yourself some time by removing distractions. Put your phone on silent, go to a quiet place to work, and focus on one task at a time.

Don’t Focus on Being Perfect

When you focus on perfection, then nothing is ever good enough. You’ll keep going over the same task over and over again trying to make it perfect. And your productivity will suffer because of it. So don’t try to be perfect and focus on doing the best that you can and moving on.

How we chose to manage our time plays an important role in our overall well being. And by following just a couple of these time management techniques, you’ll be able to increase not only your productivity but your quality of work as well. Time is valuable, so don’t waste doing something that isn’t adding value to your life. What are some of your best time management tips?

Related post: How to Combat Burnout

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Angela Louise
Written by Angela Louise
Angela is the owner and chief content creator for Weird Louise and is working towards becoming a full-time blogger. In addition to blogging here on Weird Louise, she is an artist and owner of the Social Awkward Club. She also has a passion for helping others discover ways to live their best lives.