Today we dive into the last part of our Time Management Series
Let’s take a quick look at how we all view our use of time. Time is valuable, and we should treat it as such. Therefore, time management is one of the most important skills you can learn. Let’s take a look at a few tips for managing your time.
First, you should highlight what’s worth your time.
With all the tasks you start on any given day, it’s easy to find yourself wasting time. However, many of those tasks can be counterproductive. Keeping in mind activities that increase your energy and productivity will keep you more focused on the essential tasks. Additionally, thinking about what you consider time well spent can be a huge positive for your time management.
As important as it is to know what’s worth your time, you’ll also want to think about what’s not worth the effort. Are there certain people that you find drain your time or energy? Beyond that, what activities tend to take up too much time and effort? Most importantly, how much time do you spend with these people or activities? The more aware you are of counterproductive activities, the better you will be at managing your time.
Beyond managing your productive activities, you’ll want to keep your shutdown time in mind. Nobody can work forever and we all need to relax every once in awhile. Keep an ideal shutdown time in mind and try to work towards that. Getting the adequate amount of rest will recharge you and make you more productive, making better use of your time.
Deadlines can be your worst enemy when you’re working on time management. However, there are also ways to use them in a strategic fashion. If you overestimate how much time a task will take, it will help you reimagine the way you approach deadlines. Giving yourself that extra amount of wiggle room will give you more time to complete the task. You may even surprise yourself and complete the work early.
Being aware of how you work with deadlines is integral to time management. Are you the type of person that prefers to work right against a tight deadline? Or would you prefer committing a lot of time to a task with a looser deadline? Nobody knows you better than you, use that knowledge well. Being aware of your ideal working conditions will help you work to your strengths and manage time more thoroughly.
That’s the end of our 4 part Time Management Series. If you missed any part you can check out part 1 here, part 2 here, and part 3 here. We recommend them in that order!
Look forward to hearing how these tips and tactics helped you (and your team or clients) crush it!