How do you learn to manage time? [19 Time Management Tips No One Teaches You]

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Time management is not really something we learn at school.

Maybe if you went to college you might have been introduced to it. But more likely you were left to just get on with lectures and coursework with the result of red bull and takeout fueled all-nighters as you struggled desperately to get your paper finished.

Oh yeah, we've all been there.

What about at work? Surely they will answer the question of how can I better use my time at your 9 to 5. I mean it would benefit them if you were better at managing your time...

Okay, it's time to take a closer look at some of the overarching time strategies that everyone should be aware of and doing in their lives, whether they're a CEO of a billion-dollar company or a stay-at-home Mom with three littles under her feet.

1 – SET GOALS WITH ACTION PLANS
If you don't know what you're trying to achieve (your goal) how the heck are you meant to plan your time strategically to help you reach your goal?

AND if you don't know what actions are going to help you reach your goal, then again, how are you meant to plan your time to help you reach your goal....

It's just not going to work.

Luckily I wrote a post that explains exactly how to set goals and create action plans that mean hitting those goals is a walk in the park.

2 – PRIORITIZE
You've got to learn to prioritize.

While, as demonstrated earlier, you actually have a lot more time than you initially thought, it's still not enough time to do everything.

A favorite personal finance blogger of mine Paula Pant has an amazing quote about money:

"You can afford anything, but not everything."

Well, I think the same thing applies to time...

You have the time to do anything, but not everything.

And so prioritizing becomes key.

Of course prioritizing isn't easy, often having to choose between something you want to do that's super fun and something that will get you closer to your goals. But it's a skill worth learning.

This is a great post about using the Eisenhower Decision Matrix to help you prioritize exactly what you should be doing and it's well worth a read if you need a super simple system to help you prioritize.

3 – HAVE A TO-DO LIST
Or even better a Master To-Do List System!

You need a way to keep track of everything that has to be done in your life and honestly, I've always found a to-do list to be the easiest and most effective way.

No need to reinvent the wheel, aye!

4 – SCHEDULE TASKS
With my personal favorite method: time blocking!

Remember when you were at school and you knew exactly what you were meant to be doing and when, and, low and behold, the things that you needed to do (aka learn) actually got done.

That's because you had a schedule that you had to stick to — your timetable.

Of course, when you become an adult no one bothers to make you a schedule anymore. I mean maybe someone will expect you at work between 9 am and 6 pm but apart from that your time is your own.

And that's where things might start to go a little wrong. Because unlike when you were a kid you now have responsibilities that need taking care of in your unscheduled time...

All that to say, if you want to actually get stuff done you're going to need to create a schedule to make that happen.

Rather than Math between 10 am and 11 am, it might be clean the house from 6.30 pm to 7 pm...

5 – DELEGATE TASKS
The last, main time management strategy on our list is delegation, because at some point you will have too much on your plate than you can physically get done.

And then you will need to delegate.

Of course, I don't recommend you want until you literally cannot get everything done, it's better to start delegating *before* you begin drowning in your to-do lists.

Now I know a lot of people have a major problem with delegation, and if that's you then I bet you've had a thought like this before:

When I delegate tasks out I spend so much time fixing whatever that person did that it doesn't save me time so there's no point!
I'm going to be honest with you, if that's the problem you're having then you're not training up whoever needs to take on the task well enough.

I don't care if that's your employee at work or when you're trying to get your son to do his own laundry, if the task hasn't been done well enough you haven't trained them well enough.

That or your standards are just too high.

So first really think about your standards. I know we all have certain ways of doing things and we like things being done our way but does it really matter if your son leaves his laundry in the washer overnight before he moves it to the tumble dryer?

I mean he's the one that will have to deal with slightly damp smelling clothes, not you, and maybe that just isn't something that concerns him...

If you think your standards are acceptable, then you are probably delegating too late which means you don't have enough time to really teach that person how to do the task.

Start delegating earlier *before* you have too much to do so you can spend time making sure your son understands why he needs to wash his football kit separate from his school clothes...

Delegation is a vital time management skill that often gets overlooked, but if you really do need to get more done in less time, delegation is your best option.

6 – THE POMODORO TECHNIQUE
This is a great little procrastination destroyer, perfect for implementing when you have a mammoth task ahead (like a chunky paper that's due) but can't seem to get started (probably because you're overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of the task...)

All you have to do is commit to working for 25 minutes (set a timer), then you get a 5-minute break and then you work for another 25 minutes.

It sounds stupidly simple, but convincing yourself to work for just 25 minutes is actually quite easy, especially with the lure of a break!

You can read more about the techniques here.

7 – NEVER MULTITASK
I know, I know, we're brought up to believe that multitasking is a good thing, but research shows that there is no such thing as multitasking, it's a myth.

Instead, what we're actually doing is switching between the tasks, and every time we switch we have to refocus again.

This charges us a switching cost, which basically means that whenever you switch tasks you lose some time in refocusing back into the task.

You will have definitely noticed this in your day to day life, like have you ever tried to write a paper or a report while also watching TV. It takes at least double the time it would if you were to just write the paper.

So stop multitasking. Focus in on one task at a time and just get it done.

8 – MINIMIZE DISTRACTIONS
Sounds freaking obvious, I know.

But my goodness how many of us don't do this.

In fact, literally as I write this I'm being distracted by how messy my desk is. Fail.

So take some time and get rid of your distractions, whether it's mess, the TV blaring or your dog barking at that squirrel outside for the hundredth time.

Deal with the issue and watch your productivity increase.

9 – JUST FOCUS ON STARTING
If you have difficulty with procrastination like myself...

As in you regularly spend three hours watching rubbish Youtube videos only to realize, shock, that you're three hours behind with work and getting it all done is now going to be impossible unless you don't bother sleeping tonight.

Then you have a major meltdown and cry, and finally, get on with the work through nothing but an intense fear of missing out on too much sleep.

Yeah, something like that...

Anyway, this little trick is bound to help as it's helped me avoid the above situation countless times.

Just focus on starting, then do the next inch, and the next inch. Don't look ahead and see the whole big project, just focus on the next tiny, weeny step you have to take.

It works.

10 – TAKE BREAKS
Y'all this isn't rocket science.

If you're tired, burning out or have been working for more than two hours you need to take a break.

Science says so. Although the data on how long your breaks should be and how often is a little bit hazy, they all agree that focused work is where your productivity it at and frequent breaks promote focused work.

11 – SAY NO
You want to get more done in less time.

But have you ever considered just having less to do...

It's time to flex your "No" muscle.

Our society conditions us not to say no, which means we often take on wayyyyy more than we should.

The result being that we end up drowning in to-dos and tasks that we really cannot do a good job on.

How do we deal with this? By being honest and realistic with our time — saying no when we already have a full plate.

(Yes I know it's hard, but like with all things, when you start saying no it gets easier and easier.)

Still not sure you believe in the whole saying no thing, then read this book, or even just the summary on Amazon might do the trick!

12 – EAT THE FROG
Obviously I'm not suggesting you actually eat a frog, although I know in some countries they're classed as a delicacy.

In the realm of time management "eat the frog" means get the worse or biggest job of the day done first.

So if there is a task your dreading or it's just big and chunky, do that first thing and get it off your plate.

You will feel so proud of yourself you won't be able to help powering through the rest of your to-dos.

13 – SLEEP
Not getting enough sleep will destroy your productivity.

No ifs or buts.

If you're not convinced and think your four hours of shut-eye per night is fine, then I dare you to read this post and tell me if you still believe that to be true.

Like actually read it, not just the title and then decide it's not relevant. Read every word, maybe even give it a try and then if your productivity doesn't go through the roof I will eat my hat.

Or maybe even give you a voucher to get one of my products for free, that's how much I believe it to be true.

14 – START EARLY
Now I know some people say they're night owls and that they do their best work late into the evening.

But I don't buy it.

Why?

Because I used to think I was a night owl.

Turns out I wasn't. I just wasn't getting enough decent sleep and then I would be super wired in the night because I wasn't looking after myself well enough. So I was working in some weird, sleep-deprived state that kind of felt like when you've drunk too many Red Bulls...

When I actually got decent sleep (and that required implementing a sleep routine) mornings instantly became my most productive time.

In fact, I even woke up at 5 am for a while and my goodness you can get a lot done then!

So get up early and get to work, you'll be surprised how much you can get done...

15 – DONE IS BETTER THAN PERFECT
It's time to throw your perfectionism out the window and start working at a B- level not A+ as Brooke Castillo says.

As a control freak and also recovering perfectionist this is hard. But wow does it cut down on procrastination and how long stuff takes.

16 – GIVE YOUR TASK A TIME LIMIT
Ever heard of Parkinson's law?

"That work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion."

Basically, what it means is that if you give yourself three weeks to finish that report, it will take three weeks.

But if you only give yourself a day, the report will only take a day.

Start giving your tasks time limits and see what happens...

17 – PLAN MARGINS INTO YOUR DAY
While I'm all about effective planning and using all your time wisely, I also think you need to plan white space into your day because life happens.

Your dog gets sick and has to be rushed to the vets. You get a headache and need to lie down for 10. A friend calls who you haven't spoken to in ages.

Those things could easily throw your entire day off, so plan for life to crop up and give yourself some breathing room in your day.

18 – BATCH LIKE FOR LIKE TASKS
Ever considered how some people can meal prep seven days worth of breakfast, lunch and dinner in three hours on a Sunday afternoon, yet it takes you an hour just to cook Monday nights dinner...

That is the power of batching tasks!

If you have any similar tasks or the same task that you do on the regular, consider if you can batch these tasks.

By this point, I'm hoping you have learned how to manage your time effectively.

Or you at least know where to start and what you need to further research and work on.

But, before I go, I'll leave you with one more very use time management tip.

19 – TRACK YOUR TIME.
If, after implementing countless time management strategies and productivity boosters you still can seem to get everything done then tracking your time is the next logical step.

For one week write down exactly what you are doing with every minute of your day.

Yes, it's tedious. But it's only for one week, so buck up buttercup and get it done.

I can almost guarantee that you're spending way more time than you realized either watching TV or scrolling through social media and that's why you're not getting anything done.

That was certainly the case for me... Oops.


Source: ]How do you learn to manage time? [19 Time Management Tips No One Teaches You]