Time Management is the preparation and monitoring of time spent on different tasks, in particular, to increase performance, efficiency, and productivity. A time management program can help you find and fix bottlenecks in your processes, eliminate unnecessary work from your day, and increase productivity.
Below, you’ll find a list of critical time management skills. Together, these skills will help you implement a time management program to increase your productivity and reduce your stress.
Time Management Skills to Boost Productivity
- Prioritizing – If you only implement one of the skills on this list, you should choose this one. Prioritizing your daily workload is a great way to score some fast productivity points. By prioritizing your workload for the day, you will be able to focus on your most important tasks first and put aside those that aren’t absolutely necessary. Before you start your day, make a list of all the tasks you need to get done. Then, put the most important ones at the top. When you have your list, read through it again starting at the bottom, and pick out the tasks that can be put off for another day and any meaningless tasks that can be tossed out altogether. Take those off of your to-do list. Now, you have a prioritized list of tasks and you can plan your day around that. You’ll spend less time doing meaningless tasks and more time focusing on those tasks that move your business forward.
- Delegation – Delegating tasks will help you get back more time while still being super productive. Delegating tasks simply means passing on the task to someone else. Usually, you’ll want to delegate low-level repetitive tasks to a trustworthy employee or coworker. This will free up your time while improving your company’s productivity.
- Task Scheduling – If you’d like to take prioritizing to the next level and supercharge your productivity, you have to try task scheduling. This involves taking your prioritized to-do list and add due dates to every item. By setting a deadline, you’re giving yourself a sense of urgency to get a task done. You can use a to-do app, like Todoist, to help create, prioritize, and schedule all of your daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly tasks.
- Overcome Procrastination – Do you procrastinate? Be honest. It can be tempting to put off certain things, especially when you’re not looking forward to whatever it is you’re avoiding. Procrastination is a real-time hog and it can severely impact your productivity. Overcoming procrastination isn’t easy, but it can be done. Your business coach will help you with strategies to overcome your habit of procrastination so you can get more done.
- Dealing with Stress – An overwhelming workload (fueled by a long list of tasks we’ve put off), is sure to raise our stress levels. It’s important to deal with stress in a healthy and mindful way. One of the best ways of doing that is by being proactive and eliminating stress before it ever begins. We can do this by implementing effective time management strategies (like those in this list), meditation, and taking some well-needed time away from work.
- Avoid Multitasking – Many of us assume that multitasking is an efficient way of doing things, but, in reality, when we concentrate on just one thing, we do a better job. Use your to-do list (with prioritized tasks and deadlines) to tackle one task at a time. You can also use a Pomodoro Clock to get hyperfocused on your tasks without the side effects of burnout.
- Starting Early – Many successful people have one thing in common: they begin their day early, allowing them time to sit down, relax, and prepare their day. If you get up early, you’re calmer, more creative, and more transparent. As the day progresses, your energy levels begin to fall, which affects productivity. Use your morning to create your to-do list, prioritize your tasks, and mentally prepare for the day.
- Taking Regular Breaks – If you are tired and anxious, take a 10 to 15-minute break. Excessive stress can affect your body and your productivity. You should plan small breaks throughout your day, even if you think you don’t have time for them.
- Learn to Say NO – Politely refuse extra assignments if you believe you are already overwhelmed. After all, you already have a big workload from your daily to-do list.