We all have ambitions and personal goals, but only a few succeed in achieving them. I'm not here to discourage you, but reality doesn't lie or flatter.
So, what role does time management play in success or failure? The most important trait shared by successful people is their high sensitivity to time; every minute counts.
That's why their schedules are often busy, and they don't share the same lifestyle as those who fail.
It's rare to find a successful doctor or lawyer spending most of their time in a café, even though they might be better off financially.
On the contrary, they spend long hours in the office, valuing their precious time.
On the other hand, the poor, at the bottom of the social pyramid, often complain about having too much time and too few tasks, which seems crazy in this fast-paced world. This disparity highlights the importance of learning time management skills, as their impact on your personal and professional future will be positive. This is the topic we will discuss today.
Effective Steps for Organizing and Managing Time (Achieving Goals Quickly)
I have prepared a list of the most effective steps for organizing and managing time to help you increase productivity and achieve your goals quickly while eliminating bad habits.
1. Review Daily Habits
The first step to rebelling against and changing reality is to understand it correctly. Therefore, it's essential to review your habits from time to time.
Take a piece of paper and a pen and write down all the routine tasks you do daily.
Also, review your phone usage as the average person spends about 3 hours a day on their phone, which is valuable time that can't be ignored. This review of how you spend your time is the first step to mastering effective time management, as it helps you identify the gaps in your schedule that cause wasted time.
2. Set Clear Goals
Setting a future vision always brings motivation, so it's essential to set clear goals.
Whether financial or health-related, it doesn't matter because they will give you the necessary enthusiasm to make significant changes in your schedule and daily commitments.
Clear goal-setting ensures time management as it enhances the sense of responsibility, creating positive pressure to work at full capacity to achieve them within a set timeline.
For example, if you live each day without prior planning or specific goals, you will waste time in cafés or hanging out with friends.
3. Create a Schedule
Sticking to a schedule helps you manage time efficiently and increase productivity, saving you the time that would otherwise be wasted on unplanned tasks.
Don't be too strict when preparing the schedule because it's hard to follow it exactly, and the time needed to complete a task varies depending on the effort and complexity of each one.
We all set short- and medium-term goals, but circumstances don't always allow us to achieve them on time, so it's better to have a flexible schedule that accommodates changing conditions and updates.
4. Prioritize
Priorities are determined based on each individual's goals and personal commitments, so it's hard to share a specific list of tasks to prioritize.
I recommend arranging tasks by urgency and importance, such as prioritizing work or school duties over chatting with friends.
Focus on tasks related to your needs and responsibilities first, then allocate time for rest, and finally try to help others or meet with them if time permits.
Successful people commit to working hard and not wasting any minute on others, as time is limited and should be used to serve personal goals first.
5. Eliminate Distractions
We are fortunate to live in an era of advanced science and luxury, but we are also the most lost generation due to routine lifestyles and numerous distractions.
Addressing distractions is crucial due to their impact on our schedules. Most distractions are trivial but have an emotional effect that we can't resist, such as:
- Phones: As soon as you open your phone to a message, you find yourself watching TikTok or Snapchat videos. The average person spends at least 3 hours a day on social media.
- Empty conversations: Avoid long chats with colleagues during coffee breaks or spending hours in cafés.
- Video games: Many students and new employees spend long hours on gaming devices with no real benefit.
6. Avoid Procrastination
Always remember that procrastination is the biggest enemy of commitment. It destroys all pre-planned schedules and hinders the timely execution of tasks.
Just ask yourself how many tasks you've planned but ended up not completing due to repeated delays.
We humans are governed by our mood, making procrastination dangerous as it leads to laziness and kills passion and determination in the long run. Also, being mentally prepared to perform a task today doesn't necessarily mean you'll be ready for it later.
Procrastination leads to task accumulation, contradicting your desire to improve yourself. Each postponed task is a barrier to organizing a tight schedule.
7. Allocate Time for Rest
You might be surprised by this step, but it's well-known that taking regular breaks is beneficial for effective time management. It helps relieve fatigue and prevent burnout.
To understand this deeply, consider this example: you work for several months without interruption, and everything is fine, but suddenly you reach a bad psychological state that makes you hate work (this is called burnout).
Also, when working daily, it's better to take a short break every 3 or 4 hours, which we recommend using for a short nap or a cup of coffee to renew energy and activity.
8. Learn to Say No
I understand that you have social commitments to friends or colleagues, so it's natural to make sacrifices to maintain these relationships. But realistically, you are making a big mistake.
Success requires a kind of positive selfishness to have enough time to work on your projects and goals.
We can't focus entirely except during certain hours, and the last thing you want is to get a call from a friend for coffee during your peak concentration! Simply don't answer the phone or quickly apologize for not being able to join. Don't ignore this valuable advice throughout your life.
Learning to say "no" is one of the most crucial time management steps that everyone neglects.
Logically, no one will call you except during their free time, so always prioritize your daily schedule and only attend pre-planned appointments.
Don't worry about the other person's reaction. Those who truly care about you will appreciate your focus on building your future.
Only hypocrites or selfish people who don't care about your interests will blame you.
9. Use the 80/20 Rule
The 80/20 rule, also known as the Pareto principle in academic circles, suggests that 80% of results come from only 20% of the effort. This principle is commonly used in business management, where 80% of sales are typically generated by 20% of clients.
You can use this same principle for effective time management. The 80/20 rule requires you to evaluate each task based on the effort required and its impact on your performance or future plans.
Simply, check your daily task schedule to isolate and choose the main tasks to execute first. It's also permissible to ignore secondary tasks if you're tired or facing an emergency.
10. Use Apps
Practically, it's impossible to balance life demands and work commitments precisely, and imbalance can lead to failure.
Here, technology steps in to help. Many task management apps are available today, allowing you to coordinate and organize commitments easily. They also send notifications and alerts as task deadlines approach, ensuring you stick to your daily schedule and complete tasks without ready-made excuses.
11. Buy Time
You don't have to do all the tasks alone, so seek help from colleagues or family members to take over secondary tasks.
The more burdens you shed, the more productive you'll be in the main tasks. Also, buying time doesn't necessarily mean delegating tasks but often involves avoiding secondary tasks like unplanned friend requests that will just waste time without benefit.
For instance, how would you handle an unexpected BBQ invitation after work? As a tip, there's no need to accept the invitation because you'll likely stay up late and be late for work the next day.
Conclusion:
Learning time management skills will help you focus on achieving your goals and increasing your productivity at work, which will naturally transform you into a successful and well-liked person.
Effective time management will help you complete tasks on time and reduce stress levels, ensuring you have enough time to pursue hobbies or enjoy fun moments with family.
Remember, organizing time doesn't come true by just wishing; you need to make sacrifices, especially getting rid of bad daily habits and numerous useless social relationships. In this article, I tried to bring you the most effective steps for time management based on expert opinions and my personal experience. Like you, I went through stages where I wasted my precious time on unproductive activities while constantly complaining about not having enough time.
