11 Top Tips for Time Management

Wake Up Early
Look After Your Health
Clean Working Space
Set Goals
Write a List
Keep a Schedule
Prioritize
Use a Blocking App
Minimize All Distractions
Be Accountable
Give Yourself a Break

1. Wake Up Early

Are you a morning or a night person? When you’re busy all the time, waking up early essentially adds an extra hour or two to your day. Although it can be difficult at first, waking up early can boost your time management skills, simply because you have more time to get things done. It is also reported that waking up early can leave you feeling more refreshed and energised for the day (providing you get enough sleep).

It is also reported that waking up early can leave you feeling more refreshed and energised for the day (providing you get enough sleep).

2. Look After Your Health

Those who wake up early have more time to exercise and to prepare and enjoy a healthy breakfast. Exercising in the morning will help you to “wake up” and prepare for the day ahead. You will also have more energy thanks to the adrenaline pumping through your veins after a big workout. Similarly, a nutritious and delicious breakfast will fuel your body for the day ahead, sharpening your brain and ensuring you can focus on your tasks.

You will also have more energy thanks to the adrenaline pumping through your veins after a big workout. Similarly, a nutritious and delicious breakfast will fuel your body for the day ahead, sharpening your brain and ensuring you can focus on your tasks.

3. Clean Working Space

You may or may not have noticed that when your working space is messy, your brain feels messy too. Cleaning up your workspace will minimize the amount of distractions and make it easier to focus. If anything specific is distracting you, like a TV in the same room, turn it off. You should aim to create an area that fosters productivity, not the opposite. Of course, there are some exceptions to this rule – people who thrive in cluttered environments.

If anything specific is distracting you, like a TV in the same room, turn it off. You should aim to create an area that fosters productivity, not the opposite. Of course, there are some exceptions to this rule – people who thrive in cluttered environments.

4. Set Goals

Goal setting will help you see the bigger picture. In other words, goals remind you of WHY you are bothering to be productive and manage your time effectively. Ideally, you should have long and short-term goals. A long-term goal is something like buying a house, and a short-term goal is something like getting a promotion or raise. Your short-term goals should help you achieve a long-term goal. For example, a promotion or raise will heighten your income, making it easier to save for a home deposit. Keeping these in mind when you are working should enable you to effectively concentrate on the tasks that will help you reach your goals. Simultaneously, you will be motivated to finish smaller jobs faster so you can spend more time on goal-oriented tasks.

5. Write a List

There’s a reason why you get so frustrated when you leave the shopping list at home. Without it, you lose track of what you need to do and end up spending more time at the supermarket trying to figure out. To-do lists are a great way to stay focused on the things you need to get done for the day. You can tick off tasks as you go, creating a sense of accomplishment each time you finish a job.

To-do lists are a great way to stay focused on the things you need to get done for the day. You can tick off tasks as you go, creating a sense of accomplishment each time you finish a job.

6. Keep a Schedule

If you thrive under a rigid schedule, create one. Simply allocate time slots for each task you need to do throughout the day and stick to it. Judge the amount of time you need based on the importance and complexity of the job.

7. Prioritize

Prioritising is arguably one of the most important time management skills. It is essential when you have multiple things to do throughout the day, and don’t know where to begin. When you feel overwhelmed, take an objective view of your jobs. When is each one due? How long will each one take? Which ones do you enjoy doing? Which ones do you hate doing? Those that are due earlier are important because you don’t want to miss your deadline. However, it is also a good idea to begin with the long, difficult tasks that you don’t enjoy, so you can get them out of the way. If you leave these jobs till last, you will likely spend a lot of time procrastinating and avoiding what you have to do. When you do them first, you have the incentive that it brings you closer to the tasks you do enjoy.

Those that are due earlier are important because you don’t want to miss your deadline. However, it is also a good idea to begin with the long, difficult tasks that you don’t enjoy, so you can get them out of the way. If you leave these jobs till last, you will likely spend a lot of time procrastinating and avoiding what you have to do. When you do them first, you have the incentive that it brings you closer to the tasks you do enjoy.

If you leave these jobs till last, you will likely spend a lot of time procrastinating and avoiding what you have to do. When you do them first, you have the incentive that it brings you closer to the tasks you do enjoy.

8. Use a Blocking App

If you’re a serial procrastinator due to sites like Facebook, Youtube, Twitter and Netflix, fear no more. Recognising the need for these sites to be restricted, developers have created programs like SelfControl, which can be installed on your computer and used to control your usage. Simply add websites to your “Blacklist” (sites you want blocked), set a time, enter your password and it’s done. Once you have entered your password, there is no way to unblock the sites until the time runs out.

Simply add websites to your “Blacklist” (sites you want blocked), set a time, enter your password and it’s done. Once you have entered your password, there is no way to unblock the sites until the time runs out.

9. Minimize All Distractions

So you can handle the social media on your computer, but what about your phone and tablet? These devices are just as distracting as the Internet browser on your computer. When you need to get work done, put them away. Leave them in a different room or in a drawer, turn them off or hand them over to someone else to look after until your work is done. The more focused you are on the task at hand, the faster you will get it done.

10. Be Accountable

Ever thought posting on social media could help your time management skills? It might! By sharing your goals with someone (either through the internet or in person) you are holding yourself accountable because there is a “witness” who will see you have failed. Explaining your tasks to a friend, partner or family member can also help you by creating a support network of people who encourage you to get stuff done.

11. Give Yourself a Break

Everyone needs to rest! Don’t tire yourself by working non-stop. If you want to be an effective manager of time, don’t forget to schedule in some breaks for yourself. By taking a break, you can recharge your batteries and in no time you will be ready to continue working effectively.