The most successful people share one thing: they get up early to plan and sit down.
You are calmer, more creative, and more clear-headed if you wake up earlier. Your energy levels decrease as the day progresses. This can affect your productivity, motivation, focus, and overall effectiveness.
You can try getting up 30 minutes earlier than normal if you aren’t a morning person. It will be amazing how much you can accomplish in such a short amount of time. You don’t have to use it for work. Instead, you can use it for exercise or to eat healthy breakfasts. This will increase your productivity throughout the day. You can cut down on the amount of time it takes to plan your goals.
It is important to have time management skills training because we rarely have the time or desire to do everything.
What about the time you work as hard as you can but still don’t accomplish everything? You might be more successful if you think of time management as a combination between prioritising your time and working productively.
Here’s a complete list of time management skills
Time management requires many other skills. This comprehensive list includes time management skills that you can use to self-assess your current skills and determine which ones you should continue to develop in order to be a good time manager.
Asking for help – Sometimes, when you are stuck, overwhelmed, or have no other options, the only thing that is left is to ask for it. Asking for help can be seen as an insult by some people who consider it a sign that they are not good enough. There’s nothing wrong with asking for help. It’s actually more of a sign to strength than weakness.
Automating tasks – Wit hall technology, there are many ways to automate tasks, especially in email and social media management. For more information about automating tasks, check out Zapier and IFTTT.
Batching – You can combine many items to increase your productivity. You can use call handling services to help you with different tasks, meeting places, and telephone calls. Batching is a great way of increasing productivity and can help you avoid multitasking.
Clarity – You can’t progress and use your time effectively if you are lost or confused. This is a sign that you are not moving forward and are stuck. Good time management is possible only when you have a clear vision of your goals and how you’ll get them.
Completion – Many people have difficulty actually completing a task. Sometimes they complete the task at 90 percent or more and then have an emotional block that prevents them from reaching the end. It is important to learn how to overcome such a burden.
Coping skills/Stress management – You need to be able to focus, stay sharp, and resist distractions in a stressful environment. You need to have good coping skills in order not to feel overwhelmed. This includes the ability to overcome stress and deal with difficult people.
Routines and patterns – Our brains love routines. Even when there are no patterns, we see them. It is almost effortless to stick to a routine once you are used to it. Routines are an important part of time management. A set of routines should be part of your time management system. You might write down three of the most important tasks each morning. This simple routine can help you increase your productivity. It can take up to two months to adjust to a new routine.
Discipline/Beating procrastination. Discipline is the ability to do things regardless of whether or not you like them. To start a task it takes discipline. It takes discipline and focus to complete it. You also need to be disciplined to overcome procrastination, and get things done.
Flexibility is key – Things don’t always go according to plan. Flexibility is key to maximising your output in any situation. Planning is important but you must also be flexible in how you will achieve your goals.
Focus / Avoid multitasking – Multitasking can be a major hindrance to good time management. There are instances when you need to manage multiple tasks at once. However, time management skills that allow you to concentrate on one task and accomplish your goals requires mental agility.
Setting goals – Knowing the direction you want to go will help you plan your strategy and the tasks you need to accomplish those goals. Your most important tasks should always be closely linked to your business and personal goals. Time management is almost useless if you don’t have clear goals for your life.
Being in flow – “Flow”, is the best state of being productive. It is a state where you forget everything and create and deliver. You must work calmly on a difficult task while feeling empowered by intrinsic motivation if you want to flow.
Organising things, notes and lists – Time management and organisation are key components of time management. This includes a tidy desk and a system for filing and note-taking.
Problem solving – There will always be problems when you are working on your tasks. It is not your job to dwell on these issues, but to solve them as efficiently as possible. Don’t waste your time.
Punctuality is a virtue. If you’re not punctual, you’re late. If you are always late, how can you manage your time? Lateness is often a sign you don’t control your time. For example, a messy desk could be a sign that you don’t have control over your time.
Rest (recovery) – It is impossible to be super productive if there is not enough time off. This includes enough sleep, taking at most one day off per week, going on vacations, and not overloading yourself with work. Your productivity will drop sharply if you do not. Time management is all about finding the right balance between work, play and rest.
Avoid perfectionism and setting deadlines. If you don’t set clear deadlines or estimate how much time it will take to accomplish a task, it can be difficult to finish it. Time management requires that you don’t overdo it. You might spend more time on tasks if you’re a perfectionist. This is why it is important to set clear deadlines and limits.
Time Management Skills are only one part of the productive work spectrum. Read more about Time Management Techniques to get the full picture and learn from it.
