The high pace of life and the constant lack of time cause stress and even depression. To reach hundreds of thousands of people to follow a daily routine and keep up with what was conceived, in the 1970s. time management was invented.
What is time management?
Time management is a set of rules that help you manage and plan your time. Its main goal is to increase productivity. When you know how to correctly manage your time, you can do a lot, do your work more efficiently, and do household chores faster.
At first, time management was needed only at work. But then it became clear that any personal goal is also a project that develops according to the same principles. Therefore, now there is family, female and even children's time management.
Time management techniques and methods
1. "Eisenhower Matrix"
Dwight D. Eisenhower is the 34th President of the United States who said: “I have two problems: urgent and important. Urgent is not important, and important is urgent. "
Its matrix sorts cases into minor and major. The method is suitable for those who can divide tasks into these four groups:
Urgent and important - they need to be done immediately.
Important but not urgent - decide when you will do it and set an exact date.
Urgent but not important - delegate.
Not urgent and not important - leave it for later.
2. The "Pomodoro" method
The method is named after the kitchen timer, which is shaped like a tomato. He has several principles that help to effectively carry out his plans:
Set the task to be done.
Set a timer for 25 minutes.
Work hard and don't get distracted.
Take a break of 5 minutes after every 25 minutes.
After every 4th "tomato", rest for 15-30 minutes.
Work in this mode until the task is completed. If you have thoughts of other things that distract you, write them down so you can come back to this later.
3. Franklin pyramid
A system for planning goals of different scales (from global to daily). At the base of the pyramid are the main values in life. Next comes the global goal. If your main value is wealth, then your global goal will be to make a business empire.
To achieve this, you need a master plan - the third stage of the pyramid. Then comes a long-term plan for 3-5 years. It is followed by a short-term one for 1-12 months. At the end of the pyramid plan for the day and week.
4. "ABVGD"
Method of setting tasks by priority:
A - important and urgent matters that must be done.
B - things that can be postponed, but also need to be done.
B - minor tasks that can be omitted.
G - what needs to be delegated to another.
D - tasks that are removed from the list.
5. Technique of time management "Timing"
A type of time management where you need to record all actions and record the time spent on them. The timing will show how long you are on social networks, talking on the phone, working, chatting with friends or reading.
The technique helps to identify "time gaps" that you did not even know about. Perform this experiment for 2-3 days. This will be enough to get the big picture.
6. Method "Eat a frog"
"Eating a frog" means doing a small but unpleasant task that you keep putting off. For example, calling a distant relative, talking with the management, cleaning the apartment. Such small things gradually accumulate, make us procrastinate, distracting from big tasks.
The essence of the method is to deal with them in the first place, "eat the frog" quickly. Set aside two hours a week for this, or decide one each morning.
7. " Found time"
The technique for performing small tasks at the earliest opportunity. Allocate in advance 5-10 small tasks for which you do not have enough time, and be ready to do them when a free "window" appears.
8. The Swiss cheese method
Solving cases in no particular order. When you are faced with a difficult task, it is easier to start with small steps that seem easier. For example, if you’re writing a presentation, start with pictures or headings, and then move on to the text. You kind of eat out a lot of little holes in one big piece of cheese.
9. Pareto's law
Pareto is an Italian economist who noticed that 20% of the most viable pea pods produced 80% of the crop in his garden. Based on this, he formed a law - "20% of efforts give 80% of the result, and the remaining 80% of efforts - only 20% of the result."
Later this began to be confirmed in other areas of life. Businessmen say that 80% of their profits come from only 20% of customers.
The Pareto principle calls for finding a "central knot", what you need to focus on. Understanding your "knots" is easier to devote time to the main thing, and less work on the secondary.
10. "Formula 10-3-2-1-0"
Productivity depends on your mood and well-being. The 10-3-2-1-0 method helps you prepare for bed and stay alert for the next day. This is where you gradually eliminate distractions.
Avoid coffee 10 hours before bed.
3 hours away from food and alcohol.
2 hours from work.
Turn off all gadgets within 1 hour.
0 - the number of clicks on the "snooze" button at the alarm clock.
Time management rules
1. Make to-do lists
The foundation of time management is planning all the big and small tasks. Write down everything that you have in mind for the day/week/month, so as not to prioritize in your mind. You can do this on paper or Excel, but it is more convenient - in mobile applications.
To complete things faster, indicate in front of each time it takes to complete it. But remember that planning does not mean scheduling everything by the minute and stressing when reality does not coincide with what you intended.
2. Set clear goals
A competent goal setting will help determine the exact vector. In your work, it is better to focus on key performance indicators so as not to give vague plans for the week, quarter or year. The correct goal sounds like this - to increase website traffic by 20% in three months.
Personal goals should also be measurable and achievable, for example, saving 200 thousand for a vacation in six months. Therefore, give up tasks like “get better” or “beat the competition”.
3. Complete your goals in stages
Multitasking is the main enemy of time management. Don't try to do everything at once. It's more important to understand which of the tasks is more important and when you can complete it faster.
Do everything consistently, break big goals into small steps so you can focus and switch smoothly. Work regularly and consistently. If you set a goal to learn English, then the step will be to memorize 30 new words every day.
An exception is time management for parents when some things can be done by talking to children (for example, cleaning up and telling fairy tales).
4. Less distraction
One of the main skills of time management is concentration. Set aside time to be productive. Ask colleagues or family to “forget” about you for this period. Turn off notifications on your phone in those chats that are not important for work.
Allow limited time for calls and scrolling on the network. For example, 40 minutes in the morning to read the news, 30 minutes in the afternoon to communicate with loved ones, one and a half to two hours in the evening for interesting content, to unload thoughts.
For the experiment, make several "fasting" days when you will not go to social networks at all.
5. Organize your routine
Effectiveness depends on your surroundings. Therefore, make your space comfortable and optimize your routine. Write yourself text templates for the same type of questions from customers, and keep the contracts in a separate folder on your desktop to quickly check the information.
Create backups of your developments and keep them in the cloud storage. Duplicate the rest of the documents online to view them at any time.
6. Delegate
To quickly complete the task that you have been assigned at work, delegate its "links" to others. Feel free to share responsibilities with colleagues if you are working on a common project, and don't get killed around the clock by perfectionism.
The same item works well for mothers who do not want to ask their partners for help or are afraid to entrust their child to them.
7. Learn to say no
Work time management does not tolerate all kinds of "vampires" - affairs to which the soul does not lie. When something seems inappropriate, don't be afraid to turn down people with their projects, suggestions, and even requests. To stay polite, use the phrases:
"Your proposal sounds interesting, but I have a lot to do." With this phrase, you express interest, make it clear that the proposal is good, but you will not be able to participate in it. It is hardly suitable for relatives, but for unfamiliar people, it will work well.
“To tell the truth, I don't know much about this, try to ask Nazar. He's a pro here. " If you really have little experience with a particular issue, recommend another person. So you free yourself from unnecessary tasks and help with the request.
“I cannot do this, but I will help you with this…”. A phrase that allows you to get away from obsessions and choose yourself what you are ready to do.
8. Keep diaries
It is necessary to fix not only future affairs but also thoughts, as well as tasks that were not included in the plans.
This makes it easier to understand where to spend your free time and not forget what is important. In your diary, ask yourself: what do you need to do? what can get in the way? how to determine if the day was successful?
For entries, ordinary "notes" in a smartphone are suitable - it is much faster than writing by hand in a paper diary.
9. Follow the biorhythms
Live in harmony with your body. Do challenging tasks when your brain is at its most productive (even if your peak performance is at 1:00 AM).
Use special mobile apps that can wake you up, determine the best time to sleep, and analyze it.
10. Praise yourself
To keep motivation, reward yourself. Time management exercises are powerless if done through clenched teeth, depriving yourself of positive emotions.
Choose an item or service that will be enjoyable when plans are completed, from chocolates to weekend trips. Record successes in notes, write down achievements and sum up the results of the day/week/month.
This is especially important in the framework of time management for women who forget in everyday life that taking care of themselves is also part of the contribution to the family.
