10 EFFECTIVE TIME MANAGEMENT HACKS

The technique of planning and controlling how much time to spend on various activities is known as time management. A person with good time management may accomplish more in a shorter amount of time. Good time management also leads to increased efficiency and productivity, reduces stress, and leads to success in one’s career and life overall. Time management skills include:

• Managing your energy levels throughout the day
• Keeping things in order
• Prioritizing what you need to get done
• Setting clear goals 
• Having excellent communication skills
• Properly planning out the day 
• Dealing with stress in a positive manner

The ability to manage your time properly is crucial. As such, here are 10 hacks to manage your time effectively.

1. Become Aware of Your Distractions and Time Wasters

A survey by Salary.com found that 89% of employees admitted to wasting time during business hours. Of these people, 61% claim to waste time up to a couple of hours a day. While this may not seem like much, it can add up to 14 hours a week or 730 hours a year – per office worker.

To avoid falling into this trap, take some time to determine what distracts you from focusing and completing your work on time. The first step in managing your time correctly is to determine your weak spots. Once you are aware of your weak spots, you can actively work to avoid succumbing to these time wasters. Avoid spending too much time reading emails, texting, on social media, online shopping, and so on.

2. Set Your Goals a Day in Advance

Evaluate and set your goals a day in advance. When you arrive at work in the morning, you will have a set plan in place, so you will be starting your day with a clear plan in mind. Leave some room for unexpected tasks or occurrences. Set goals that are achievable and measurable. Use the SMARTH method when targeting your goals, described as follows:

• Specific, 
• Measurable, 
• Attainable, 
• Relevant, and 
• Timely.
• Heart centered (with a purpose).

3. Determine Your Tasks and Accomplish Them Based on Priority

Prioritize responsibilities based on significance and urgency. For example, look at your everyday tasks and decipher which ones are:

• Significant and urgent: Do these tasks immediately.
• Significant but not urgent: Decide when you can accomplish these tasks in your own time.
• Urgent but not significant: Delegate tasks if possible.
• Neither urgent nor significant: Set these aside to do later, when you have time.

4. Create a To-Do List and Don’t Waver From It

Creating a to-do list of your tasks will help you stay focused on achieving the tasks that matter the most. Before leaving work for the day, we recommend preparing a list of the most urgent tasks for the next day. Starting every day by throwing an eye over your task list will set you off in the right direction and help you focus on the most important tasks for the day. Moreover, when you get distracted, a glimpse at your to-do list will prompt you to get back on track.

5. Limit Yourself to 3-5 Tasks Per Day

If you concentrate on writing down the three to five most critical tasks you need to complete at present, you may discover that you have a lot on your plate already. It may not seem like much, but you're more likely to complete your tasks if you have a limited number of them. As a result, the more tasks you complete, the better you'll feel about your to-do lists and level of productivity in general. 

The three to five tasks you have scheduled per day should be important things that must get done. Avoid having more than two routine tasks on this list.

6. Learn How to Deal With Stress

Stress often arises when we take on more work than we can handle. As a result, our body begins to feel tired, which can affect our productivity. Stress takes different forms from person to person, but some productive ways to deal with stress may include:

• Getting outside
• Breathing exercises
• Talking to someone
• Practicing meditation
• Intentional physical activity
• Listening to music or a podcast
• Participating in your favorite hobby

Dealing with stress in a way that works for you will allow you to attack your daily goals and tasks with a fresh and rested mind.

7. Learn To Say No

Saying “No” is empowering and necessary for time management, productivity, and physical and mental well-being. Saying yes to more obligations than you can handle will limit your effectiveness.

Individuals with poor time management skills are more likely to overextend themselves and accept projects they don't have enough time to do adequately, leaving them exhausted. This is frequently due to a lack of understanding of how much time they have available or how much time they need to devote to the things they already have to do. 

8. Schedule Breaks Throughout the Day

One of the most enjoyable time management hacks is breaks in your schedule. When you complete one assignment, give yourself a short break, time to breathe. Take short breaks to recharge your mind with a short walk, meditation, or anything that seems to relax and refresh your mind.

9. Quit Multitasking

As studies suggest, multitasking actually wastes time and lessens overall productivity. Rather than dividing your attention among several different tasks, concentrate solely on one and marvel at it. To be more effective, allocate a time limit to each activity. This increases the possibility of its completion.

10. Let Go of Being a Perfectionist

As the saying goes, do not let idealism be the enemy of good. Avoid over-analyzing everything you do. However, that does not mean you should be careless. Always do your best. Just do not allow perfectionism to make you spend more time on a specific task than you should. Once you have completed the task and you have done your best, move on. Pursuing perfection is allowing your ego taking over; therefore, it won’t let you advance until you say ¡this is enough!

No matter how you spend time, try to give yourself some time to rest and relax to keep yourself happy and motivated throughout your career.