We teach these 19 super-powerful time management tips in our Study Skills Class.
Peers provide accountability and positive peer pressure to make these powerful
management solid habits.
1. Create a time audit.
When it comes to time management, the first step you need to take is finding out
where your time actually goes. You may believe that you only send 30 minutes on
TicToc, but in reality that is eating-up an hour and a half of your day.
Consider tracking everything you do for a week.
With this information, you can then make the appropriate adjustments.
2. Set a time limit/goal for each task.
Setting a time limit to each task prevents distractions and
procrastination.
This time limit habit can become a game which is usually much more motivating than
a "nose to the grindstone" approach.
Be sure to place buffers between tasks and activities. If a task is not completed on time,
it can still be accomplished without eating into the time reserved for something else.
3. Use a to-do-list, but don’t abandon tasks.
“All goals and projects are made up of smaller parts that need to be accomplished in
order to achieve the goal, or complete the project. Create to-do lists for each goal
and project, listing all the measurable steps that need to be accomplished,” suggests
William Lipovsky.
“Aside from keeping you focused, this also motivates you as you are able to see what
you have already achieved, and what remains.”
At the same time, there will interruptions that may prevent you from completing a
task. William recommends that you “make a point of always returning to and
completing these tasks once you are able to. This may require you to set a limit on
the number of tasks you are working on at any given time.”
4. Plan ahead.
One of the worst things that you can do is wake-up without a plan for the day. Instead
of focusing on what needs to be done, you wander aimlessly and take care of more
trivial matters.
That’s why you should always plan ahead using one of these options;
The night before. Before you go to bed, spend the last 15-minutes organizing for the next day.
Compose a list of your most important items for tomorrow.
First thing in the morning. During your morning routine write down the 3 or 4
most urgent and important matters that need to be addressed that day and work on
those when you’re most productive.
5. Spend your mornings on MITs.
Mark Twain once said, "If it's your job to eat a frog, it's best to do it first thing in the
morning. And If it's your job to eat two frogs, it's best to eat the biggest one first."
Gross? Sure. But, the point that Twain was making that you should take care of your
biggest and most-challenging tasks in the morning, aka your most important tasks
(MITs) of the day.
There are a couple reasons why this such an effective time management trick.
For starters, you usually have the most amount of energy in the AM.
So it’s better to tackle these tasks when you’re not drained. Also, you can use that
feeling of accomplishment to get through the rest of the day.
6. Learn to ask for help.
Asking for help is very important - understanding assignments and formulas and
homework means you will be more efficient in completing tasks and have more time
to spend on more important things.
7. Eliminate half-work.
“In our age of constant distraction, it's stupidly easy to split our attention between
what we should be doing and what society bombards us with,” writes James Clear.
“Usually we're balancing the needs of messages, emails, and to–do lists at the same
time that we are trying to get something accomplished. It's rare that we are fully
engaged in the task at hand.”
• James Clear has dubbed this “half–work” and here are a couple of examples;
• You’re writing a report, but stop randomly to check your phone for no reason.
• You try out a new workout routine, but switch to a new program a couple of days
later because you read about it online.
• While doing assigned reading, your mind wanders to the video game you love.
Regardless of where and how you fall into the trap of half–work, the result is always
the same: you're never fully engaged in the task at hand, you rarely commit to a task
for extended periods of time, and it takes you twice as long to accomplish half as much.
Block out significant time to focus on one project and eliminate everything else.
8. Change your schedule.
If you’re struggling with time management, the solution may be as simple as changing
your schedule around.
For example, instead of sleeping-in until 6:30am, wake-up an hour earlier.
You may find that waking at 5:15am could give you time to exercise, plan-out your day,
eat a nutritious breakfast, and even work on side projects without being disturbed.
Also, consider waking-up earlier on the weekends and maybe cut-down on your amount
of YouTube time.
9. Leave a buffer-time between tasks and meetings.
Jumping immediately from one task or meeting to the next may seem like a good use of
your time, but it actually has the opposite effect. We need time to clear our minds and
recharge by going for a walk, meditating, or just daydreaming. After all, the human
brain can only focus for about 90-minutes at a time.
Without that break it’s more difficult to stay focused and motivated. Scheduling
buffer-time also can prevent running late to your next class or appointment.
10. Get organized and single-task.
The average American spends 2.5 days each year looking for misplaced items.
As a result, we spend over $2.7 billion annually in replacing these items. Instead of
wasting both your time and money, get organized.
Start by having a home for everything and making sure that items are put back where
they belong. At the end of the day clean your work area and create a document
management system.
And, start single-tasking. Most people cite multitasking as the main culprit for
misplacing items.
11. Follow the 80-20 rule.
“The Pareto Principle also known as the 80-20 rule suggests that 80% of results come
from 20% of the effort put in. This is commonly used in sales as 80% of sales typically
come from 20% of the customers,” writes Renzo Costarella.
“When it comes to how you should manage your time this principle can also be applied.
80% of your results comes from 20% of your actions.”
Renzo suggests that you start by looking “at your schedule or to-do-list every day.
For the sake of simplicity try to get down five tasks you need to accomplish. Using the
principle you can probably eliminate the majority of the items on your list. It may feel
unnatural at first but overtime this will condition you to scale up effort on the most
important tasks.”
12. Use a calendar.
Calendars have long been a fundamental tool for time management. If you do not
already use a calendar - start today!
13. Stop being perfect.
When you’re a perfectionist, nothing will ever be good enough. That means you’ll keep
going back to same task over and over again. How productive do you think your day
will be as a result?
So, stop being perfect. It doesn’t exist. Do the best you can and move on.
14. Just say “No.”
You can only handle so much.
If you already have a full plate then decline that party invitation or helping your
classmate on a project until you have the spare time.
15. Instill keystone habits.
Charles Duhigg, author of "The Power of Habit," coined the term "keystone habits."
But, what are they? Simply put, they’re habits that can transform your life, such as
exercising, tracking what you eat, developing daily routines, and praying.
These habits replace bad habits and solicit other good habits. As a result, you’ll be
healthier, more focused, and better suited to manage your time.
16. Don’t waste time waiting.
Waiting is time that could be better spent elsewhere.
However, instead of wasting this “waiting” time, make the best of it.
For example, while sitting in a waiting room consider reading an inspirational book,
listening to a podcast, or planning an upcoming project.
17. Find inspiration.
When I’m dragging, I use inspirational sources like extra prayer, a TED Talk, or
biography. It’s a simple way to reignite that fire to get me motivated and back-on-track.
18. Batch similar tasks together.
When you have related work, batch them together. For example, don’t answer your
emails and phone calls throughout the day. Schedule a specific time to handle these
tasks.
The reason? Different tasks demand different types of thinking. By batching related
tasks together, your brain isn’t switching gears - which means you cut out that time
reorienting.
19. Do less.
This is a tactic from Leo Babauta. He started the blog Zen Habits and it’s definitely a
must read. So, what does Leo have to say about doing less.
Doing less doesn’t mean “less is more.” It means “less is better.” This is achieved by
slowing down, being aware of what needs to be done, and concentrating only on those
things. Once you do, make every action count. As a result, you’ll be creating more value
instead of just fodder.
Source: Edited Forbes Article
