9 Tips for Successful Time Management

If you struggle with time management then have no fear! You are not alone. Many people find it difficult to accomplish tasks, set goals and remember important deadlines. Would you like to boost your efficiency in the workplace? Check out Bookboon’s 9 tips to ace time management. 

These 9 tips will help you gain control of your time in order to boost your efficiency:

Manage your time by writing down your goals

Decide on some long and short-term goals and put them into writing. What are your values? What do you need to accomplish by the end of the week? Where would you like to see yourself in 5 years?  Then schedule time for yourself to work in towards those goals. What you do today and in the near future has a substantial impact on the success of your plans.

Organise your desk

An organised desk means and organised mind, decreases distractions and increases productivity. Keep your in-basket off your desk to minimise interruptions and possibly have your desk facing a wall rather than a window, colleague or doorway.

Plan your day

 Having no objectives for the day will likely lead to a matching set of results. So, plan what you mean to achieve, evaluate progress during the day and measure results at the end of the day.

Schedule your tasks

 By making appointments for important tasks in your planner, you commit yourself to get them done. Also, make appointments with yourself to work on priority tasks such as goal-related activities. (Make sure to keep those appointments!)

Handle one thing at a time

 If you do not have the time to properly deal with new emails, do not look at them. Make time to review and take action – delete, answer, forward an email or schedule a specific time to handle its contents.

Time management: take notes

Check things off as you go. This is not only a great way to stay organised, it’s also motivating and very satisfying!

Say no more often

For many of us, this can be a very hard one. It is important to make sure that requests are compatible with your goals before you agree. Remember that every time you say yes to something you are saying no to something else that could be more important.

Delegate more

Delegating is the greatest time-saver of all since it frees up time for more important tasks. Do not delegate anything that can be eliminated and have a follow-up system when you delegate to procrastinators.

Practice Pareto’s Principle

According to Pareto’s rule, 80 % of results are achieved by 20 % of activities. Focus on what is most important and if anything needs to be postponed or cannot be finished, let it be the less urgent tasks.