Introduction:
We all have 24 hours, the amount of productivity you derive out of it depends on how you utilize your time. It is said, time is your ultimate wealth. Managing time is a great skill one could possess, if you manage time effectively, you will get more work done, be creative, and will be able to grow more in your career.
Here is a mini-guide on how to organize your time:
- Divide tasks on priority- See, you can’t handle everything with the same level of attention, you have to be aware of what is the most important in your list of tasks, the second important, and so on. This will not only greatly help you in deciding the order of tasks to be done but also make sure that you don’t miss any deadlines on important jobs.
Prioritize in 4 parts:
1- Important and urgent
2- Important but not urgent
3- Urgent but not important
4- Not urgent and not important.
- Take regular breaks- Working continuously for 8 hours straight will maybe get your work done but definitely with low quality. You will also get exhausted at the end of the day. The key here is to organize your time into regular intervals, you can adopt techniques such as working an hour-take a 10 min break-make 2-3 reps like these, and taking a long half-hour break after the 2nd or 3rd rep.
- Time-wise organization- You can see this technique as goal setting, You should clearly define tasks to be done today, to be done in a week, in a month, and so on. Use tools such as notion and sheets to define your tasks, and visit them daily. A written to-do list feeds a sense of responsibility in your brain. Make sure that you reorganize your to-do list to change dates, priorities, orders, and the urgency of tasks.
- Use tools- One of the technical aspects of organizing your time would be inculcating various tools in your time management practice. You can use notion, sheets, calendars, google keep, etc to make sure that you stay updated with your tasks to be done and stay on the timeline.
- Use the SMART method- One of the best and probably lesser-known methods of time management is using the SMART method. SMART is- Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely.
- Specific- Be super precise and to the point, mention the task, date, time, status, importance, and urgency.
- Measurable- Try to measure your tasks in any format, whether it is the time needed, revenue generated or clients landed.
- Attainable- Be realistic, use clear settings which show how can you achieve your goal in a realistic timeline.
- Relevant- Relevant tasks, be relevant to the end goal you’re planning for yourself.
- Timely- Use the time quotient more often, divide your tasks into the time needed, time is taken, clear dates, and a clear schedule.
- Deadlines- Deadlines are important in every task you take. Mention clear doable deadlines in your every task.
Conclusion:
Perhaps the most important thing to remember is to stay calm. Feeling overwhelmed by too many tasks can be very stressful. Remember that the world will probably not end if you fail to achieve your last task of the day, or leave it until tomorrow, especially if you have prioritised sensibly.
Going home or getting an early night, so that you are fit for tomorrow, may be a much better option than meeting a self-imposed or external deadline that may not even matter that much.
Take a moment to pause and get your life and priorities into perspective, and you may find that the view changes quite substantially!
