So here we are at the end of the first week back to school – how was your time management? Maybe I shouldn’t ask…
For many of us, things will have gone back to our regular routines. By now you may already be feeling that the summer didn’t happen at all, and you have slotted straight back into the way term time works.
But for others, and I am among them, things have changed forever, and it’s time to devise a new routine. Maybe you have one or more new schools or nurseries in the mix this year. Perhaps you have taken on a new job or similar. In my case, I have no children left in school this year – I won’t be making packed lunches or school runs ever again. So I’m going get started on all sorts of new home and business projects.
However your days look this September, I’m prepared to bet that they are never long enough. If you have new commitments this year it can be hard to remember it all. A mum’s work is never done no matter how old your children get. If you are one of the supremely organised people and everything is working really well for you, then you probably don’t need to read the rest of this article. If that’s you please add your tips in the comments we all need to learn from you.
Here are a few time management and productivity tips that I have picked up over the years. I’m going to be going into more detail with some of these as the month progresses, and sharing the specific tips that I like to use. For now though, these are my basic time management rules.
1: Set Priorities
When you identify tasks and set your priorities carefully, you can really get a handle on your time. Time management begins with seeing how much time you have available, and allocating things to do to those slots.
I like to set priorities for each month, and also at the beginning of each week. You can’t possibly do everything that needs to be done, you will always have to put off some things. But if you can pick a couple of things each week and tick them off your endless list, then you can feel that you are on top of things. And if you get to the end of the week or month’s priorities before the time is finished, first celebrate, and then pick another bonus thing to tackle.
2: Schedule Everything
Firstly you need to make a complete list of everything that is on your mind, everything that you could conceivably need to do. Have one single list that contains the entire contents of your to do list, from the must do immediately, to the I’d like to do this one day. This can be physical or digital but have it on one place only. Every time you get a new email, phone call or notification of a new thing, get it onto your time management list as soon as possible and give it a priority.
Once you have that, and you have looked at it and picked your priorities for the week or the month, then add them to your calendar. Schedule a slot for everything, from the 15 minutes you need to use social media for marketing purposes, to the time you take your kids to the park. If you have a project due in a week, you should have five day slots of scheduled time to work on the project.
3: Check Your Schedule
At least twice a day, set out the time to check your schedule. Ensure that you have your priorities in order, add anything new to your schedule, and remind yourself of what is expected the next day. Checking your schedule helps you feel accomplished at the end of the day, and reminds you of what’s coming up.
4: Use your Body Clock
Are you a morning person or a night owl? What is the best time of day for you to concentrate on detailed work? What is the best time of day for you to exercise? If you can schedule the hardest mental work for the times when your brain is the most active, and your hardest physical work for when you are likely to be best able to do it, then you will be more productive overall. If you have tasks that don’t take so much effort, then you can schedule a couple of those in each day as well – for the times when your concentration is waning.
5: Learn the Power of No
Saying no to extra work and responsibilities is probably one of the most important things you’ll ever learn to say. If something is not right for you, and it doesn’t fit in with meeting your goals, say no. Saying no will free up untold amounts of time to focus on your priorities.
6: Disconnect from Technology
When you are in work mode, unplug the phone, turn off notifications, get off social media. If you’ve not completed the most important tasks on your daily list, you have no business messing around with technology. The idea of multitasking is overrated, so unplug and tune in to the tasks at hand. You’ll work faster, smarter, and gain the time you need for other things.
7: Ignore Interruptions
Unless the house is on fire or a child is bleeding, the telephone ringing and the knocks on your office door are not important. They are interruptions. Check your email only at scheduled times during the day. Explain to your children, spouse and family when you are working, and otherwise ignore the door bell ringing. If you didn’t schedule it, you don’t need it.
8: Take Breaks
It is good to take regular short breaks away from your desk when you are working on a big project. Set a timer every 30 minutes to one hour, and take a quick stretch or grab a drink. You will know how long is the best time for your work periods and how long for your breaks. Experiment with different timings until you find what works for you
9: Outsource
Whether it’s the housework, the accounts, social media management or customer service, it’s important to outsource what you can. There are huge payoffs to outsourcing the things that are simply time suckers from your day. If you can’t afford to outsource, your kitchen will not explode if a few dishes pile up. Now and again everyone can do with eating a salad for dinner.
Conclusion: Effective time management is possible but it takes some effort
It’s important to be very serious about following your schedule and calendar. Whether you prefer to use a paper system or a digital one, you will get out of it exactly what you put in. It may seem geeky to be so serious about a schedule, but this is what makes these surprising time management tips work.
Then at the end of the working day, sit back and relax – you will have earned it.
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