Changing your time management style is an easy way to fix improper time management. There are several different styles that people use for managing their time, so it can be tricky to tell which one works best for you.
Some time management styles emphasize precision and accuracy. This makes time tracking very important since you must know what you should be doing at any given moment before you do it.
Other timing styles focus more on keeping time frames short and fast. These individuals may not track every minute of each hour, but they keep themselves organized enough that they don’t need to.
The best time management styles find the perfect balance between these two types of time controls. Having control over both how much time you spend on tasks as well as how long tasks take helps you feel in command of your time.
Create a plan for each task
A common cause of time management issues is trying to do everything in one go. You may try organizing your schedule by days, or you may group tasks into an hour, but either option can be tricky to stick with.
Instead, create a plan for each task and at the first sign of trouble, start doing what that task requires until it’s finished. This way, you don’t have to worry about leaving any loose ends behind- you can simply move onto the next assignment!
It sounds simple enough, but this can be hard to do when a task takes longer than expected. That’s why there’s another good idea to prevent things from piling up – make sure every item has a clear exit strategy.
Take baby steps
Changing your time management habits will not happen quickly, if at all. It takes repeated effort to develop new skills, which can be frustrating at times.
That is why it is important to start with something small. Try setting aside one hour every week to do an activity that you have been putting off for too long.
Start by giving yourself this much time each week and then work up from there. Over time, you’ll find your self-management strategies improving.
It may take weeks or months before you feel comfortable calling yourself a master of time management, but don’t give up!
Give yourself grace and keep trying! In fact, you could even try organizing everything around your schedule so no one else has influence over when you need to focus.
Multitask as a way of doing things
A lot of people get hung up on how to manage their time, especially in this multitasking era we live in. They believe that if they can do several tasks at once, it will help them be more efficient and achieve less goal-oriented activities.
However, this isn’t always the best approach. In fact, according to a Harvard Business School study, “doing many things at once is one of the main causes of excessive work overload.”
By trying to do too much, you may end up being distracted by all the other tasks waiting for your attention. This could make it harder for you to focus on what needs to be done next.
Hold off on making big changes
Changing your time management strategies is always a good thing, but only if you are willing to put in the effort to do it right. Make sure that you have given yourself enough time to properly adjust before adding more tasks into your day or changing how you organize things.
By waiting until you feel ready, you will help prevent unnecessary stress and confusion. If needed, make small changes at first to see how you respond before investing more time into something new.
It may take weeks for your time management skills to really improve, so be patient! Don’t get discouraged unless you notice that one area has become too cluttered and you can’t seem to keep up with everything. That is totally normal!
There is no wrong way to manage your time, except when people don’t like what you are doing to fix the problem. Hopefully this article inspired you to evaluate your own time management habits and gave you some tips on how to make them better.
Make a firm schedule
A good way to prevent time theft is by making a clear schedule. This can be done through creating a diary, using an app, or with some paper and pen.
Make sure your schedule includes things such as work, family, and personal commitments. It should also include what you will do for lunch every day and how much sleep you need each night.
If possible, try to stick to a routine that’s the same each week. This helps reduce unnecessary distractions because people usually don’t change their habits too often.
However, if necessary, you can make changes to the other parts of your life when it seems like there’s a constant battle against time stolen activities.
Don’t feel bad about asking others to help out — we all have obligations that take up time.
Take breaks
A lot of people get stuck in a rut because they don’t give themselves enough breaks. They keep going without a break or a short pause to refresh and re-focus.
Give yourself time off work every few hours! This can be for just a minute, an hour, or even half day depending on what area of your life you need a break from.
You may want to take a quick walk outside, have a brief chat with a friend, read the news, do some exercises – anything that takes only a couple minutes but gives you a little bit of energy back.
This will help reset your mind as well – setting it up for future tasks. When you feel tired at the end of the day, take advantage of the fact that you’ve given yourself a rest by leaving the house!
There are many ways to manage your time efficiently, but one of our favorite strategies is giving yourself time off work. We call this Productivity Theory: Do What You Are Paid To Do.
By taking breaks, you’re helping your productivity and efficiency level go up.
Work on your work-life balance
A lot of people feel that they do not have enough time because they keep investing more into their careers. They believe that if they were able to reduce their workload, then they would have more free time. This is an unhealthy perception that can easily be countered by looking at your schedule as it exists now and trying to make changes to create space in there.
By having less busy hours, you will begin to realize that you are spending too much time working. More freedom means doing other things instead. For example, maybe you could take up yoga or swimming classes, both of which require regular attendance. Or perhaps you could read a book that takes up half of one night every week.
There’s no need to completely give up career goals, but you should consider whether you want to continue investing heavily in your present lifestyle. If you don’t, then you must make a decision about how much time you want to devote to achieving your dreams.
Practice effective prioritizing
A lot of people think that being more organized means giving up some level of control, but nothing could be further from the truth!
By establishing routines and practices for important tasks, you give yourself a sense of security because you have done your job well before, so you know what to do when it comes time to focus on something.
This also gives you the opportunity to start doing other things that are needed either now or in the future, since you have already made time to spend on these.
There is an old saying that goes “you can’t take care of others unless you take care of yourself first,” which seems very self-evident until we make the effort to apply it.
At that point, though, it becomes clear how crucial this step is to our overall health and wellbeing.
Improving my organization skills helped me to feel happier at work, gave me more energy to accomplish things beyond just going into my daily routine, and allowed me to devote more time to those I care about most.
It has even enabled me to achieve goals that would not have been possible otherwise, since I no longer worry about missing out by waiting until later.