In our daily lives—from our careers to our personal endeavours—time is and will always be the greatest challenge.
If we don’t manage our time properly, then we run the risk of not being able to finish anything successfully. Worse, we may end up not having enough time for family and friends. That doesn’t even mention the health effects of feeling never caught up.
Yes—we have to work and we also have to find time to relax. But how can you actually bring these two together, most especially if your business is just starting out?
The answer: Time Management.
Now, I presume that you’ve heard this term over and over again. But are we really utilizing this strategy to the max? Do you really consider the importance of time during work and “play”?
With that in mind, let’s take a look at four time management techniques that you might want to utilize—for greater productivity (and sanity):
1. Multi-Tasking is Good, But Being Focused Is Better
You’ve probably read a lot of job postings that seek employees who can “multi-task” and do a lot of things all at once. However, will that really result to greater efficiency?
Research tells us (and personal testing) that instead of focusing on too many tasks—the best thing to do would be to focus on one important task.
Remember: focus is a key and indispensable aspect of productivity. Accordingly, it can also help you produce needed results more efficiently—and at a higher quality. Of course, after you’ve done all that’s needed to be done, you can then move on to the succeeding tasks and focus on them as well.
2. Assess Yourself
If you just think about it, time management is not really about managing time. It’s actually about managing ourselves—and how we go on with our daily tasks, objectives and goals. And of course, the better we manage things, the better the results will be.
As it is, you need to assess your schedule and tasks—and try to understand how you are presently dealing with them. This will give you an idea as to the things that need to be adjusted, which in turn, will allow you to manage your “time” efficiently.
Take note of your current time management strategies (we all have one, whether we like it or not) just so that you’ll have a baseline as to how efficient you really are. Afterwards, you then plan on how to make things even better.
3. Learn to Prioritize Tasks
What particular tasks are more important to your business? Is it business planning? Sales? How about customer service? SEO?
Different tasks have different results and consequences. Being so, you should learn to prioritize the tasks that actually offer more value and benefits to your business. Accordingly, these are the things you should be focusing on (see #1).
Of course, this doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be doing other tasks. However, you should learn to measure which would be more beneficial to you. In fact, you can even try to accomplish both high-value and lesser-value activities by delegating the latter to others (aka: the art of outsourcing).
4. Understand That You’re Human
Yes—you’re not a robot, nor are you an ATM machine that dispenses money whenever and wherever you want (although having that ability would certainly be cool).
As humans, we get tired. Of course, when we get tired—then we will need to rest and rejuvenate. Otherwise, our minds and bodies will deteriorate. And when that happens, you can’t expect to see good results—regardless of how hard you may try.
As it is, you should always consider rest as part of your daily schedule. Make sure to get approximately 8 hours of sleep and incorporate exercise into your daily routine. This will make you more effective at work—and will likewise reduce the likelihood of stress (and its ill effects).
Remember: time management is about managing your life. And the better you are at this, the better your life will become—both for your professional and personal life.
What do you think? Do you follow these time management techniques at work and at home? What time management strategies work best for you?
