Do you ever feel like a headless chicken running from one corner to another? Are you frustrated most of the time because you never seem to finish anything? If this is you, we have some good news! You are not alone, and there is so much you can do about it too! Time is precious. Decide what your priority is and accomplish it in your day and your life! All you need to do is to make a plan and establish excellent time management skills. We are sure you have heard this phrase before, but let us remind you again – it’s not easy.
Still, it’s not impossible to become a master of time management techniques, though! You can do this! You need to be consistent and start with small steps before you can run a marathon, and you need to be patient too. Time management works when you use the right tools and take the right steps at the right time. Or would you prefer to make your Sunday roast with some two slice toaster? It could be challenging to serve delicious lunch, do you agree? Luckily, we are about to share some crucial time management tips with you!
#1 Focus on Your Goals
First, set a day and a time for you to sit down and write a list of your goals and when you are hoping to achieve every single one of them. Make sure you have some time to do this, as you need to be as precise as possible with the deadlines. Why is it important? Time management techniques are about organizing, planning, and prioritizing. It’s like if you are trying to sort out your wardrobe without taking everything out. How do you know if you want to keep everything? We are not talking about time management games. Our wardrobe example will help you to understand how to set your own goals.
Additionally, you can ask yourself questions such as; Why do I want to achieve this goal? What is the purpose of my goal? How would my life change if I accomplished this goal? As soon as you are clear about your goals, you are ready to move onto the next step.
#2 Focus on Organisation
Let’s get back to the example with the wardrobe situation. Imagine that you have all the clothes on the floor, it may look like a pile of a cotton bundle for a moment. Now you can start picking each piece of your clothing and categorize it! For example, dresses one way, trousers the other, blouses to the top, skirts to the bottom, wool jumpers out of the window and so on. It looks much neater now, right? It’s less messy for sure, and it is pretty much similar to your goal-setting process. You are going to clarify your short-term and long-term goals, so if you know that in a year, you would like to have your own house, you can start planning what you need to do each month and each day to accomplish it. Categorizing and organizing your goals are essential steps for successful time management planning. Are you ready for the next level?
#3 Focus on Prioritising
Have you heard about the Eisenhower Matrix? Although, it sounds like you are going to perform a complicated scientific experiment, using the Matrix is just a straightforward method for prioritizing your goals. If we bring back the clothes categorizing again and the four different piles of clothes, this may explain better what the 4 Quadrant Eisenhower Matrix is. So with goal prioritizing, the next step is to start writing your goals by urgency and importance in 4 different Eisenhower Matrix Quadrants. Have a look below to understand each Quadrant.
- Quadrant 1 – Emergencies & Crises: Urgent and Important
- Quadrant 2 – Long-Term Goals: Not Urgent but Important
- Quadrant 3 – Interruptions: Urgent but Not Important
- Quadrant 4 – Distractions: Not Urgent and Not Important
It is beneficial to start with a self-analysis before filling the 4 Quadrants with your goals. Monitor your activity for a week, and identify where you spend your time the most. For example, you may be watching TV too much or spending time on research – which may be exciting but not necessarily crucial for now. These types of activities will go to Quadrant 4. Please don’t be too hard on yourself about the results; remember that you are in a process to master your time management techniques. The next step is writing down how long you spend making phone calls, dealing with day to day challenges, and so on – this goes to Quadrant 1. Ideally, you want to have most of your goals in Quadrant 2, so you can continuously focus on the progress. And you want to avoid Quadrant 4 as that could indicate you are not getting any closer to achieving your goals – which may lead to frustration in the end.
#4 No More Procrastinating
Every day, you will face challenges and temptations, such as – procrastination. Some days it may be harder to resist, and some days it will be easier to ignore it. It is a real recipe for disaster to start procrastinating, as you can imagine what will happen to your schedule. Everything will start moving around, you will very likely run behind with your plans, and eventually, you will end up frustrated. It’s not worth it. Always remind yourself how hard you have been working on identifying your goals and how hard it is to stay on track to accomplish them. One secret tip for establishing proper time management techniques is to stick to the projects.
#5 Conclusion
In the 21st century, time is what we don’t seem to have. We are running behind our schedules, or we are failing to achieve our goals. It may lead to frustration and depression. Remember to find the time to make a plan, define your goals, establish your time management techniques, and start achieving your goals right away.
How do you cope with procrastinating? Please share your answer with us in the comments below!
Authors bio:
Eva Putch is a School Liaison Manager by day and an aspiring Creative Content Writer in her free time. Her favorite metaphor on establishing excellent time management techniques is – don’t try to make your Sunday roast with some best two slice toaster. Follow the recipe step by step so you can enjoy your delicious meal!
