Proven Time Management Techniques and Tools - Part 1

“Time management—how we choose to use and organize our time—is something many of us struggle with. Effective time management allows us to make the most of our day, accomplishing tasks more quickly and prioritizing those that will make the most impact. Figuring out a process that works for you, whatever that may be, is key to creating your most efficient life. To help you improve time management you can try the following techniques.

Pareto Analysis (a.k.a., the 80/20 rule) - The goal is to help you prioritize tasks that are most effective at solving problems. Types of people who will benefit from this technique are problem solvers and analytical thinkers

How to do it: List some of the problems you are facing. For example, maybe your grades are slipping. Identify the root cause of each problem. Maybe your grades are slipping because you spend too much time on social media or any other sort of distraction. Assign a score to each problem: Assign higher numbers to more important problems. Group problems together by cause: Group together all the problems caused by spending too much time on social media. Add up the score of each group: The group with the highest score is the issue you should work on first. Take action.

Pomodoro Technique -This technique uses a timer to break down your work into intervals. Each interval is known as a Pomodoro, named after the tomato-shaped timer that Cirillo created. The Pomodoro technique doesn’t just teach your time management; it also teaches you in setting goals and how to achieve them. You’ll be able to better stick to your daily schedule and weekly schedule. Creative thinkers and those who feel burnt out from work/school can benefit the most from this technique.

How to do it: Choose a task you need to get done. Set a timer (e.g., for 25 mins) and focus on the task at hand. When the timer rings, put a checkmark on a piece of paper. Take a short break: Take a break for about three to five minutes. Go for a walk, grab a cup of coffee, or do something non-work-related to give your brain a break. Repeat steps two to five: Once you have completed this process four times, you can begin to take longer breaks (20–30 mins).

Eisenhower Matrix - Types of people who will benefit from the Eisenhower Matrix are mainly people in leadership positions and critical thinkers.

How to do it: Organize your task list into 4 separate quadrants, sorting them by important vs. unimportant and urgent vs. not urgent. Urgent tasks are those we feel need to get done immediately. Important tasks are those that contribute to your long-term goals or values. Ideally, you should only work on tasks in the top two quadrants—the other tasks, you should delegate or delete.”

Read the whole article at the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences

#Time #Management #Productivity

💬 Do you use any of these techniques? Do you think they might work for you?