7 tried and tested time management techniques

Managing your time can be one of the hardest parts of any job. To help you, we have put together a handy list of tricks and techniques to supercharge your productivity!

1.

Set SMART Goals

The first step to effectively managing your time is to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve, and by when. When setting yourself goals, one way to make sure you are being realistic is to use the SMART model. Make sure your goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Timed. Ensuring your goals meet each of these criteria will help you plan your time, break down your jobs list, and measure your success. IF you want to work even SMARTER, you can add Evaluated and Rewarded to the process to ensure you are measuring and celebrating your successes.

2.

Prioritise Using the Eisenhower Method

The Eisenhower Method, or Eisenhower Principle, is a way of reviewing which tasks really need your attention now.

Firstly, decide whether each task on your list is 1) important and 2) urgent. This leaves you with four task combinations:

• Important and urgent

• Important but not urgent

• Unimportant but urgent

• Neither important nor urgent

The first group are tasks you should do immediately. Those that are important but not urgent can be scheduled for later.

The two types of unimportant tasks can be either delegated - for those that are urgent - or deleted – for those that are neither urgent nor important.

3.

Group Similar Tasks

This helps you keep your task list short and on point, whilst helping block out chunks of time in your day. If you have several small, similar tasks (for example, multiple phone calls to make, emails awaiting reply, or projects to plan), grouping them together in blocks makes them easier to track, increasing your efficiency.

Using the Pomodoro technique below, you can also blast through these groups of small jobs quickly by working in sprints, with short breaks to regain focus.

4.

Eating The Frog

Mark Twain allegedly once said:

“If it’s your job to eat a frog, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning. And if it’s your job to eat two frogs, it’s best to eat the biggest one first.”

For those of us who are not herpetological taste-testers, this means “do that job you really don’t want to do first” and everything else will seem like a breeze afterwards. Getting your biggest or least favoured tasks out of the way first give you a much-needed boost at the start of your day, which will, in turn, provide a bit of momentum as you move down your task list.

5.

Build-in Breaks with the Pomodoro Technique

The Pomodoro technique is fantastic for when you have a large task to complete in a limited time. It encourages making the most of the time you have by working in 25-minute sprints, followed by 5-minute breaks. After four of these sprints, take a longer break, 15 – 30 minutes or so, to give yourself a bit of time to recharge. Although a break every half hour may seem like a lot, this method means you will be working undistracted and fully focussed for 100 minutes out of every two hours, and those short breaks will ensure you remain productive during that time.

6.

Eliminate Distractions

Many of the techniques above require you to focus completely on a task – and finding time and space to work without distraction can sometimes be easier said than done. This one is not so much a technique as a few things you can do to minimise your chances of distraction as you are working.

First, and most importantly: put your phone in a drawer – or at least just out of your reach. It is all too easy to respond to “just one” message, or find yourself reflexively scrolling social media, so unless you have the self-control of a Shaolin monk, it is best to remove any temptation.

The same goes for email – shut down Outlook for a couple of hours, set your Teams status to ‘busy,’ and arrange to read and respond to messages at a specific time.

Finally, make sure your workspace is clean and free from any distracting presence like books or notepads not immediately related to what you are doing. A clear and tidy space to work in will help you remain focused and productive.

7.

Stay Motivated with a To-Done List

When you have a mammoth to-do list, even looking over it can be a daunting task.

One way to track what you have completed and keep yourself motivated is to create a ‘To-Do List,’ where you log all the tasks you have completed. This not only helps you keep track of where you are up to with any given project, but also provides a straightforward way of listing your achievements and reminding you what you can achieve.

When you have a large workload, taking the time to appreciate and celebrate your success is just as important as the achievements themselves. Remember to spend some time each day taking stock of what you have accomplished, as it is often easy to overlook successes and get lost in the ‘noise’ of your daily task list.

These are just a few of our favourite time-management techniques to help you tabulate your to-do list and augment your achievements. There are many more and as everyone is different, and it can take a little time to find the combination of tools and techniques that are best for you.

Now you are ready to be super productive, why not check out more career-boosting tips in our Careers Advice blog