Though we all have 24 hours in a day, how we choose to manage that time is up to us. Fortunately, there are myriad methods to choose from, which we can tailor to our unique jobs and lifestyles.
Different seasons of life can require different time management strategies. What works in an office setting may not work well when working from home. When you transition between jobs, you may discover that a tip that served you well at your last job may not transfer well to your new one. Or, there may be old strategies we’ve left behind unintentionally, and getting reacquainted with them would serve us well again now.
Whatever the case may be, reflecting on time management tips—whether familiar or new—can help boost our motivation and productivity. Here, we offer you a roundup of our favorite time management tools.
One-minute rule
If you have a lot of short tasks that tend to pile up, the one-minute trick may work for you. Although I usually apply it to household tasks, it can be adapted to work tasks, too. Basically, the rule helps you to execute short, “one-minute” tasks that you’d normally put off for later: you do them immediately, as they occur, instead. For example, if you find out you need to schedule a meeting, set a date for it right away, rather than adding “schedule meeting” to your to-do list.
The caveat here is that you don’t stop something you are already doing to take care of a one-minute task. For example, you wouldn’t stop working on your presentation to answer a quick email—that interruption would slow your progress, rather than helping boost your productivity.
Single-tasking
Speaking of interruptions, many of us appear pretty good at multitasking and think we can get more done while doing so. However, giving your dedicated time and attention to one task rather than trying to juggle a few at the same time actually allows you the focus and time needed to complete a task well and efficiently, then move onto the next one.
It also takes less mental capacity to single-task, which is what allows you to get it done more quickly and move on to the next.
Pomodoro method
For a recovering procrastinator like me, the Pomodoro method has worked wonders. Often, the looming fear of starting a large task or project can keep me from even beginning—which initiates my procrastination. But this time management tool allows me to know that I don’t have to do everything right now, and it forces me to get started. It’s all thanks to a timer: simply break your work into 25-minute intervals, with a 5-minute break after each one.
This method also keeps me from getting distracted and going down a YouTube rabbit hole while I’m working. When I’m tempted to open a new tab for a mental break, I check my timer and know how long I have till I can scroll freely for five minutes, which motivates me to keep working a little longer.
Just do something
Sometimes, getting started with a task can be the hardest part. Although there are some projects that are a struggle all the way through, other times, the act of getting started opens the floodgates of productivity.
To get that ball rolling, start with a super small, doable first step. It may be as simple as opening a document and putting down a title. Just something so your brain knows, I started it, it’s already going, and it’s not as big and scary as I thought.
Self-imposed deadlines
When you struggle to meet deadlines, try creating your own deadline before the one established by others. This allows you to have time for any mini “emergencies” that come up, and if you just flat-out don’t hit your own deadline, you have built-in extra time that won’t hold others up. You can also apply this to tasks that have vague or nonexistent deadlines, so you have a better sense of what to prioritize.
This may take practice to actually hit your self-imposed deadlines, but with time (and maybe some self-imposed incentives) they can become quite effective.
Ivy Lee method
If you tend to overload your to-do list, the Ivy Lee method can help. It’s actually pretty simple: pick six or seven things to do in one day, and do only those tasks—and not other to-do’s.
This method encourages us to consider realistically the time each task will take and which six things we can get done in a day. And it replaces the time-sucking habit of making a never-ending to-do list or picking things that we can’t actually accomplish within the confines of a work day. It’s also a good way to prioritize what is really urgent.
Define your primary task
Sometimes, we can get caught up with checking things off our to-do lists, but still not feel productive or accomplish what we really need to do. This can be a symptom of not defining our primary task: the most important task we have for the day.
Without defining our primary task, we can interrupt ourselves to do other tasks that come up or we remember in the moment, distracting us from what we really need to do. Doing a bunch of easier, quicker tasks can get more total items checked off your list, but the project due more imminently is still not done. Essentially, by focusing on these smaller tasks, we are procrastinating on the more important or imminently due task. Even if you’ve simplified your to-do list, as with the Ivy Lee method above, you may find it helpful to pick the one thing that absolutely must get done and start working on that.
Plan ahead
On that note, identifying your primary task at the beginning of the workday may not always be the best idea—you might waste time devising your perfect to-do list, or feel anxious choosing what to start with when you’re already on the clock with a full day ahead.
Instead, at the end of the day, determine your primary task and two secondary tasks for the next day. Determine what you will start with and, roughly, when you will accomplish each throughout the day. Maybe you have a conference call an hour into your day, so the first hour will be a good time to complete a shorter, secondary task rather than starting a big project. This can help you to use time most effectively and not waste it figuring out what needs to be done. Consider incorporating this into a closing routine at the end of the day, or even as you wrap up your week.
