7 Time Management Tips You Need To Know

Are you short on time? You do not need extra hours in the day, you need more time management tips! Here are seven time management tips you need to know.

But before we start I want to clear up some myths regarding multitasking.

Dispelling the Myth of Multitasking

Maximize your effectiveness.

To be effective in your work, you need to dedicate uninterrupted time. I am not saying you cannot do simple tasks together. For example, you can write an email message while walking towards the bathroom. But I doubt you can write that same email message while talking with someone about a serious issue.

Why is that?

Humans cannot multi task complicated tasks well. This is a scientifically proven fact. A Stanford study has shown that multitasking can actually damage the brain. Your ability to remember is limited when you are constantly thrusted with new stimuli. It is best to focus on one serious task at a time.

Do you still think that you are capable of multi-tasking? Try this multitasking test from the Lab in the Wild. Caution: This test requires a laptop or desktop, so please do not try to complete it on a smartphone.

Now that we know that we cannot multitask, let us dive into some time management tips.

Making the Most from Finite Time

Tip 1: Understand the Urgent from the Important.

Urgent things may be important and vice versa. But there are times when things are neither important nor urgent. You must learn to discern and prioritize items of importance and urgency. I wrote an article specifically designed to help you on this issue.

Tip 2: Decline work that is neither important nor useful.

Once you have prioritized each task, make a deliberate effort to remove irrelevant and nonessential tasks from your workload. If a task still needs to be done, reassign the work to a junior level employee or a contractor.

Tip 3: Keep a Clean Workspace.

This is beyond sanitizing your workspace (although I highly recommend to do it weekly). This also includes periodically cleaning up your computer. Organize your electronic files by moving them into organized folders. Also, periodically conduct a backup for your files. In addition, delete unnecessary electronic files.

And one more thing: Keeping excessive email messages is absurd. Do not let your email inbox contain more than 100 messages. Schedule some time to cleanup your email and place them in electronic folders too. It does not matter if you tell me that you can find it via the search tool box. Think about all the wasted time you spent filtering messages by subject, name or date.

Tip 4: Make the Most Use Time of Your Social Media Time.

Marketing yourself is great, but also use your time to learn a new subject, or form a new business connection.

Linkedin, Pinterest, Reddit, Quora and Twitter are great places to form new business connections.

Of course, social media does not have to be 100% business. We use social media to connect with loved ones, update friends on important life events or watch a funny cat video. But after you are done with all your tasks, get off the application. If you have to, set a timer or load an application (on all of your devices) that will limit your exposure.

Tip 5: End or Limit Time with Toxic People.

Toxic people are those who feed you negative energy. These negative thoughts may be directed towards you or others. Do not bother trying to analyze their behavior. Leave that task of analyzation to qualified trained professionals.

Your job is to limit or avoid unproductive and negative conversations. For example, imagine you have a rather testy and negative client named Nancy. While Nancy is a great paying client, she also frequently complains to you about a variety of issues. Manage your conversations by telling Nancy (or whoever) that you feel uncomfortable about one or more issues. Tell them that it distracts you from providing excellent service.

Get Help From Others

Tip 6: Delegate Tasks to Others.

Few operations run successfully without the help of others. A captain needs the help of the crew. A squad leader needs a squad to complete a mission. There is no shame in asking others for help.

Tip 7: Get Accountability from Others When Needed.

There is nothing wrong with asking for help. In fact, it is a sign of strength to admit your limitations. When you ask for help, it allows you to grow and improve at a faster rate than working at the same task alone.

You may need the assistance of a business coach to help accelerate the process.

How do you maximize your time management? I would love to read it! Please write me a note in the comment section below.

Originally published at https://www.deniseglee.com on June 9, 2020.