"The bad news is that time flies. But the good news is you are the pilot." - Micheal Altahuker
When you start feeling over loaded at work, when you don't really get any time for undertaking any of your hobbies or when you stop enjoying your work, it is time for you to realize the importance and benefits of time management skills. As you start taking care of the minutes, the hours take care of themselves. Therefore, here are some of the best time management tips along with the time management skills that you should know about and shall come handy when overburdened with work.
Advantages Of Good Time Management Skills
#1. Time management really doesn't consume your time, but it rather makes more time for you to do all the essential tasks.
#2. Your stress level gets dramatically reduced.
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#3. You are rushing less from deadlines to deadlines and tasks to tasks.
#4. Good time management skills make you productive at any work or at any task that you take up.
#5. You learn the art of prioritizing and organizing your assignments. You are left with less reworking as well as fewer mistakes.
#6. You bypass the tendency of committing errors and doing the work more than once.
#7. There are lower chances of you making individual mistakes like missed deadlines, forgotten appointments, etc.
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#8. You plan before hand for the rest of your day. Instead of wondering what needs to be done next, you are already prepared with your to-do list.
#9. You are more occupied in doing important activities and less occupied in wasting time or sitting idle.
#10. One can obviously not create another extra hour on the clock, but by managing the time well, you can definitely create space in between the existing hours.
#11. When you are all pepped up and have great time management skills, you are creating more and more opportunities for yourself.
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#12. When you know the advantages of good time management skills, you are directly carving out a better repute of yourself. Good time management skills help you progress in life, and no one really tries to questions you.
#13. Time management skills are essential in this fast-paced life. They do not require any extra effort but some smart work. You make your life easy, manageable and also find time for leisure activities.
What Are The Best Time Management Skills?
#1. Start Early
This is one of the best and most preferred examples of time management skills. No one can ever create the 13th hour on the watch. But one can absolutely plan to find the extra hour within the existing time. So, what all successful people have been doing or still continue to do is to start out early.
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There are several benefits of rising before the sun. It gives you ample amount of time to sit, relax, think, plan or do any work that can be completed fast. Early morning time is considered to be highly creative and productive for the brain to function. You are free of stress and undue pressure, and hence anything done during that hour would not be affected by any kind of trouble.
#2. Prioritize
Before you begin your day and start any of the tasks, just prioritize your work. Get the significant tasks on top of your priority list and let the time-consuming ones be carried forward. Things that need your immediate attention should be your preference and the tasks that are not so significant should be focused later on.
#3. Schedule
Your personal schedule in no way should be impacted by what and how others carry out their routine. Until and unless you work for an organization and they plan out your activities, do not overlap and undermine any of your tasks. Schedule everything in an organized manner. Carry a notebook and keep listing whatever comes to your mind as important.
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#4. Avoid Procrastination
"You may delay, but time will not, and lost time is never found again." These inspiring words are etched in the backroom of our mind, and as Benjamin Franklin greatly uttered them, it's time to follow them. Therefore, procrastination could be the worst ever thing you could do to yourself if you want to succeed in life. It not only affects your productivity but essentially makes you waste the precious time. Procrastination is the major problem that you might need to overcome if you want to adopt the best-ever time management skills. Avoid it at all costs in both your professional as well as personal life environments.
#5. Follow Deadlines
You might have been working without any deadlines. And you may also find it beneficial. Maybe that's your kind of functioning. But you actually need to understand and enjoy the aspect of working on deadlines. That's the best time management skill you can adopt. Push yourself a little, challenge your previous self, try and achieve the deadline and outshine with flying colors. How can you do so?
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While you are working on an assignment or any personal work, just put all your time, energy and efforts on that particular task. Give it all your attention and do not let anyone else distract you from completing the task. If necessary, take one or two breaks according to how long the task might go. Let your stopwatch keep ticking and wisely use the time to finish the task within the limit. Start by planning how you will go about and follow that strategy effectively.
#6. Take Necessary Breaks
It is important for you to take those necessary breaks without compromising on your work quality or routine. But make sure you are not taking too many frequent breaks or not resting at all. Both the ways you are welcoming negative effects that hinder your productivity. Breaks are mandatory for revival and rejuvenation. They help create a stress-free working environment. You are also increasing your concentration levels and reset the mind for achieving optimal motivation.
#7. To-Do List
Make a simple yet effective To-Do list for the day. Undertake the tasks that you want to do according to the list. It helps your stay updated on what has been done throughout the day and also eliminate the chances of forgetting something.
Make sure the list is retainable. And you can make separate lists for your workplace and home. It can be a daily list or the one that includes weekly/ monthly tasks. Cross out the assignments that you complete, let the list remain in front of your sight and not where it would not be visible.
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#8. Do Not Multitask
If you feel multi-taking is essential and keeps you on the go, then let us burst your bubble that multitasking isn't always effective. A person should better focus on tasks one by one, rather than handling several things at one time. It hampers your creativity as well as productivity, and you even tend to miss out the details.
So, instead of improving, multitasking hinders your progress. It is somewhat a distraction that needs to be blocked out, and one should narrow down the tasks that need to be focused.
#9. Say No!
Don't ever hesitate in saying no for tasks that are impossible for you to take up or complete. A majority of people find it difficult in refusing for a particular task. But what if you commit to undertake a task and are not able to? It will spoil your repute. Realise that your time is valuable and at times it is okay to say no. If it's not your priority, do not let it take up any space in your routine.
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#10. Manage Your Stress
Whatever work you take up at work or at home, one or the other day it would arise some sort of stress in your mind. The pressure at times is a good thing, but letting it overtake your life is a different thing. At some point in time, you might start feeling that you are no longer capable of coping with the stressful situations. But along with good time management skills, you should also practice the art of stress management. Both your mind and body suffer when you are performing under pressure; be it on a professional level or personally.
So, to avoid the long-term effects of stress and not let it show up at your work, find practical solutions to overcome such feelings. Once you can overcome your negative thinking, half of your work gets done. It saves you from several bodily ailments along with preventing the vicious spiral from continuing.
Time Management Tips To Improve Your Productivity
This is how you can improve and enhance your time management skills.
#1. You must learn to say no when you are not in a condition to do a certain task.
#2. Assign a specific time period to each task and try to achieve the same.
#3. Set realistic and doable goals.
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#4. Try and block everything that distracts your focus.
#5. Club all your similar tasks together.
#6. Prioritize the easy tasks for the starting and leave the difficult ones for the later half.
#7. Track your spendings! Ensure that you know how much and where you are spending your time.
#8. Take a short break whenever it is required but not that frequently.
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#9. Keep your clock clearly visible in front of you.
#10. Do not make yourself too accessible for the world.
#11. Every minute counts. So, make the most of what you have.
#12. Remove all of the pit stops that restrict your productivity.
#13. Don't fuss about the trivial assignments. If they really need to be done, think of how you can quickly finish them off.
Liked what you just read? Want to read more such inspirational stuff? Or want to share any of your personal experiences/ opinions? Let us know through the comment section below. We would love to hear from you!
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