Do you want to add more hours to your day? We all are frowning about time marching to the bear of its own drum. We are always in a rush but never tend to be on time. But don’t we all know that one person who always manages to wrap up every task on time? Well, we all know someone who is incredibly prompt and punctual. You may call these people robots or machines, cranking away at maximum efficiency. It is more like these people are managing their time efficiently. They are adept at punctuality and efficiency. So there we are, efficiency is the key.
But the prime question is, how to be more efficient with time? If you want to hit the maximum efficiency and productivity era of your life, here are eight easy time management tips that may come to your rescue. So without any further delay, let’s crack them down:
1. Set SMART goals:
Begin with the basics. Ever heard about SMART goal setting? Always begin with setting smart goals that you can easily measure and accomplish. This is when we use the SMART method. In sum, always ensure that your goals are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and timely. Once you begin following this method, it will help you execute actionable plans and enhance your productivity. Ask yourself what are your goals for the day and make them smaller and time-bound which are easy to achieve. It gives you a sense of accomplishment and boosts your motivation to achieve your next target.
2. Stop multitasking:
Are you one of those people who think it’s extremely cool to multitask? Well, many people fool themselves into thinking that they can handle multitasking. But the reality is, that many of us can barely deal with two tasks at one point, especially if the task requires individual attention and depth. Another drawback of multitasking is, that in reality, you accomplish much less than you are thinking and the quality of your work is always compromised. Your hustle doesn’t pay if your work is not up to par. So stop multitasking, put your focus and energy on one task and then shift your attention towards the next one.
3. Prioritize your tasks:
It is important to prioritize your tasks according to their urgency and significance in your routine. When you have numerous tasks waiting for you each day, it is essential to prioritize them. First, determine which tasks on your to-do list are urgent and extremely critical. Shift your focus on these tasks before you move to the other ones. If you have multiple critical tasks on your bucket list, then you may even delegate them. Ticking one urgent task off your bucket list gives you a sense of accomplishment and delivers maximum value. Besides this, it also encourages you to quickly move to the next task.
4. Delegating tasks:
You lose so much energy and productivity if you take tasks that become difficult to manage and accomplish alone. If you are inspired by people who burn the midnight oil and get done through tons of tasks, then you shouldn’t be. Everyone has diverse schedules and priorities. Usually, a secret hack many efficient people use is, that they delegate tasks to others who can do better and quicker than them. You can always keep the less important and less urgent tasks while delegating them to others. When you learn how to break down a task and also invite others to contribute, you can easily constrict your focus, time and energy towards the most important task on your to-do list.
In this way, you get things done without unnecessary hassle or stress on yourself.
5. Organization is the key:
Another extremely effective time management tip while efficiently managing your time has to be organized. You might have had those days when you waste so much time while chasing down your lost items. Hunting your pen, notebooks or important files can build substantial frustration. It even distracts you from your daily goals. Make sure that your workspace is clean and organized. Organize your clothes, files, electronics and other essentials properly. It might take a few minutes to organize all your essentials but in reality, it saves a ton of time and frustration which intensifies when you can’t find what you are urgently looking for.
6. Set an earlier deadline for yourself:
Setting deadlines for chores makes you more concentrated and productive. Making a bit of extra effort to identify how many hours you should devote to each work might also assist you in foreseeing potential issues. You can then prepare a strategy for how to handle them. Assume, for instance, that you need to prepare five reports for a conference. However, you immediately realize that the time you have before the conference will only allow you to complete four of them. You might be able to assign one of the reports to someone else with ease.
But if you hadn’t found the time to check your chores in advance, you might not have detected your problem until some hours before the conference. Finding someone to help you with one of the reports at that point would be significantly more challenging, and it might also be more complicated for them to fit the work into their schedule.
7. Take little breaks:
Do you feel overwhelmed or stressed while working straight for some hours? It gets extremely difficult to remain productive throughout the day and even more difficult to remain motivated and concentrated when performing numerous chores without a break. Being stuck in a vicious cycle of tough working hours can adversely impact your efficiency. Many people think that breaks often waste their time and disrupt their workflow. However, efficient people take little breaks to rejuvenate themselves and bounce back with greater energy.
Between tasks, give yourself some pause to collect your thoughts and recharge. Think about taking a quick nap, taking a quick walk, or doing some meditation.
8. Plan ahead of time:
Poor efficiency results from a lack of planning and goal-setting. A good strategy would be to finish related jobs concurrently or sequentially, for instance, if there are numerous crucial chores to perform. However, if you don’t plan your day or set your goals, you will find yourself in a chaotic state and often going back and forth. This ultimately reduces your productivity.
Make sure you have a clear picture of what has to be accomplished on a particular day before you begin each day. Try creating a routine to write out your “to-do” list for the following workday as soon as the current workday is over. In this manner, you can start strong the next morning.
Summing Up:
The quality of your task often suffers when you don’t manage your time well. You experience a loss of power over your life. You may even experience symptoms of higher stress and anxiety levels. If you want to curb your routine stress and be adept at efficiency, you should take out a moment to reflect on the quality of your day and focus on utilizing your time wisely. Once you fit our time management tips and get it right, you will see yourself working smarter, not harder and in much less time even with higher pressure and time constraints.
Published on: 15 September 2022
