There are only 24 hours in a day and somehow most of us seem to struggle with our time management. We can’t seem to get everything done in a day. That’s okay.
In this article I discuss the following:
- Why time management skills are important
- What time management skills do not include and
- Some examples and ways to improve your time management
Why Time Management Skills Are Important
Before we get into why time management skills are important, let’s first look at what they are. According to Tony Robbins, the #1 best-selling author of Unleashing the Giant Within, time management is having the ability to use your time effectively, being productive and thus accomplishing your daily tasks and goals.
It’s the difference between being busy and being productive. Being productive means planning ahead and executing what needs to be done by being laser-focused on your greater goals.
So, what does it mean to manage time? Well, according to Robbins:
“Time management skills include the ability to set goals, focus, organize, prioritize, communicate and delegate.”
Some benefits of time management include:
- Less stress due to proper planning which leads to increased productivity
- More free time to spend with those you love or on your hobbies etc.
- You get to focus more on your personal goals to achieve the life you deserve
- Greater satisfaction in all areas that were previously neglected
- Allows you to achieve a better work-life balance by setting priorities and managing time more effectively
What Time Management Does Not Include or Mean
We often think that having great time management skills means we can cram as many tasks into a day as we can think of. Unfortunately, that’s not it.
Nor does it mean to be too rigid and inflexible with your schedule that you end up sacrificing your health and wellbeing to get more done.
Remember, there will be days where you’ll be constantly interrupted or face unforeseen events that hinder your already-planned day. Be adaptable to these changes. If you have to let something go for that day, it’s not the end of the world. You can always pick up again tomorrow.
What does time management skills include?
Ways to Improve Time Management
Before we get into the skills part, let’s first look at 5 ways to improve your time management skills. It’s important to know that not all the skills mentioned will work for everyone. You find the ones that will work for you and build on those.
That’s how you improve on your time management. Building on the ones that work and letting go of the things that don’t work for you. This also includes some self-reflection on your part.
Below are 5 ways to improve on your time management skills as according to the experts.
Know when to say “NO”
You don’t have to always accept more responsibility just because you’re asked. This counts for your personal life as well as at work. Most of us accept more responsibility when asked at work to make a good impression. But if you’re not able to get to everything you were asked to do, will it really leave a good impression?
If you’re schedule does not allow to take on any more responsibility for that day or week you are allowed to say no. Don’t get yourself into an overwhelming situation too scared of the consequences. There may be consequences either way.
Take necessary breaks
Taking breaks at regular intervals will allow for decompression and get your focus back on what needs to be done.
Get to know your productivity patterns
I love working for about 40 minutes then taking a quick walk, make coffee or check feeds before getting back to work. Perhaps a 25min on 5min off will work better for you. Find a good balance that will work for you.
Check the time when you start working and see how long it takes for you to lose concentration. Next time stop working about 5 to 10min before you lose concentration. Take a small break to stretch of whatever to clear your mind. Then get back to work.
Focus on one task at a time
Focusing on a single task at a time will lead to a reduction in distraction compared to those that tend to multitask. Besides, multitasking isn’t really all it seems to be.
Multitasking is really just the mind switching between two or more tasks at a time. This can lead to brain fog and make you tired more quickly. Research has shown that those who focus on two tasks separately finished them in less time and with greater quality than those that chose to multitask.
Make use of positive reinforcement
I’m an advocate for positive reinforcement. Reward yourself every time you successfully completed a task with greater productivity after making use of some of the skills below.
This will reduce stress and increase motivation to continue developing your time management skills.
Top Time Management Skills You Should Nurture
Finding your Purpose
Finding your purpose is the foundation for time management. Your purpose is related to the outcomes that you value most. This will ultimately lead to success and sustain the feeling of fulfilment when accomplishing goals.
Create smaller chunks
Let’s take for example cleaning the house. Your goal is to clean the entire house. You would then break it up into smaller more manageable tasks. Clean the kitchen and wipe all surfaces in all rooms. Then do a walk through with a bag to throw away any trash or clutter that isn’t needed and so forth. Lastly you will get to the floors.
Breaking tasks down into smaller chunks will have you less overwhelmed and easier to manage. It also helps you to direct your focus to that which matters.
Prioritize
I love prioritizing. I also noticed that this is something a lot of life coaches use in their practice. Create a list of all your priorities. Place a number ranging from 1 – 10 next to each priority. 1 Being least amount of time and 10 the most amount of time that you spend on each priority.
Now write another number next your priorities of what you wish that number would be. For example:
Cleaning the house – I spend a 4/10 but I wish it was at least a 6/10.
Here you can see where you’re spending most of your time and how to better distribute your time amongst priorities. You can also change “time” to “satisfaction”. Cleaning the house might look different:
Cleaning the house – my satisfaction level is a 7. I’m good with that. So, you really don’t need to spend more time and energy on this task. You can use that extra time and energy on something else.
Again, play around and see what method works best for you. From the above example I can already see that I’m not happy with the amount of time I spend on cleaning the house. But it may just be because I feel guilty for not spending more time on doing it. It’s probably because I’ve already optimized the way I do it that spares me time to spend somewhere else.
Setting Goals
Setting goals are important. This isn’t just a to-do list, but things you’d like to accomplish that takes more time than just completing it in a day. This is where chunking comes in handy as well.
To read in depth about setting effective goals, please read my Guide on How To Set Goals and Achieve Them.
Learn to be assertive
This includes learning to say NO to avoid regret later. Saying no to extra tasks and responsibilities will save you time to focus on the things that matter.
It also means eliminating distractions. This is a great way to improve time management in the workplace. Be okay with informing people to not disturb you while working.
If assertiveness is something you struggle with, please read my full article on Learning Assertive Behavior.
Be Accountable
Time management means nothing if you don’t hold yourself accountable for not staying on course. Stay committed to your end-result otherwise you’ll end up shooting yourself in the foot.
Let’s say you put time aside to work on a side hustle after work. You get home and start working on your side hustle. 5 Minutes into working your phone starts to ping. What do you do?
Instead of checking your phone, stay committed. Put it on silent and in another room. It might be tempting to check your phone, but it’s just a distraction. Don’t let these distractions get the better of you.
At the end of the day you’ll feel fulfilled by staying on track and accomplishing your tasks.
Conclusion
If you ever wondered why time management skills are important, I hope this article helped you to find the answer. Let me know in the comments below if you tried any of these mentioned above and what worked for you.
Please let me know if you use any other time management skills that work well for you that I did not mention in this article.
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