Time management is something that we all struggle with at any given time.

Sometimes we have great time management, and we organise and plan our time so well that we accomplish everything that we need to.

However, sometimes our mood, procrastination, unexpected tasks needing attention, or any other reason means that our time management is poor, and we get very little done.

If you’d like some help with your time management, here are some time management tips that will have you back at your usual productivity levels, so you can finally start getting things done.

WORK FROM A TO DO LIST

One of my favourite time management tips is to work from a to do list.

To do lists are a great way to see what you need to get done for the day and what your priorities are. They allow you to spend your time working on things that are important, instead of spending time on things that don’t matter.

Working from a to do list also allows you to be more intentional with your time, by showing you what you could work on if you find yourself with small pockets of time during the day.

Related posts:
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BLOCK OUT YOUR TIME

Using time blocking to plan your day involves blocking out time periods, usually 2-4 hour blocks a day, in your calendar and putting similar tasks into those time blocks.

For example, you may block out the first two hours of the morning and dedicate this time to everything you need to do to get your kids ready for school.

You may block out 1-2pm everyday to work on emails, or even 3-5pm to work on projects.

Using time blocking means that you’re working on similar tasks at the same time, which saves you time from having to switch your thoughts onto different tasks. It’s a great way to do similar activities at the same time, which may also remove duplicated tasks that would take up your time at a later part of the day.

Related post:
How to use time blocking to be more productive

DO YOUR MOST CHALLENGING TASKS FIRST

Often we avoid getting something done if it’s a task that we’re dreading.

If this is the case, try getting it done, or at least start working on it before you do anything else, preferably first thing in the morning when you have the most energy.

Working on challenging tasks first will give you motivation to tackle other tasks, instead of being unable to focus on what you need to do because you’re thinking about a dreaded task you have to get done at some stage of the day.

DELEGATE WHAT YOU CAN

When you have a task that you need to do, take a look at the different parts of the task and ask yourself if any of it, or even all of it can be delegated to someone else.

Delegating even just a part of a task not only lightens your load, but it means you can spend time on more important aspects of the task, or can even get another task finished in the time it would have taken to do the entire task yourself.

DON’T MULTITASK

Doing multiple tasks at the same time, or multitasking, such as looking at emails whilst in a meeting, means that you’re not fully concentrating on any one particular task, therefore, each task is taking longer than it should.

Focusing purely on one task at a time means you don’t have to remember where you’re at with something, you’re not repeating things, and you can finish something in the time you’ve allocated for it.

REMOVE DISTRACTIONS

One of the most beneficial time management tips is to remove distractions.

Removing distractions means that you can better focus on a task that you need to complete, which means it lessens the amount of time it takes to complete it.

Removing distractions could mean turning the TV off, putting your phone on do not disturb or moving it to another room, making yourself unavailable for meetings, or working in another room of your home.

THINK ABOUT HOW YOU’LL FEEL WHEN SOMETHING IS DONE

This time management tip is a great one for tasks that you really don’t want to do, or are struggling to complete.

Thinking about how you’ll feel when something is done, what goals it will allow you to reach, or how it will improve your life once completed is a great way to stay motivated, and stick to the timelines you’ve set for them.

PUT A TIME LIMIT ON TASKS

Setting a time limit on how long you want to spend on a task is a great way to focus on getting something done, and can be turned into a game by seeing if you can actually beat your timer, and then spend that extra amount of time doing your next thing.

Examples of how you can do this is include setting a timer for 2 hours to finish a section of a project, setting a timer for 30 minutes to see how much of your kitchen you can clean, or setting a timer for 20 minutes to declutter an area of your home that really needs attention.

If you haven’t finished what you need to do before the timer goes off, then you can keep working on the task, or you can finish the rest of it when you can allocate more time to it.

Related post:
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LEAVE TIME BETWEEN TASKS

Leaving some time, even just 10 minutes between each task allows you to clear your head and get mentally ready to work on something else.

Another benefit of this time management tip is that if something takes longer than you thought it would, you can use the space of time without using time that the next task has been allocated.

PROGRESS OVER PERFECTION

One of the time management tips that can be a little challenging, especially for perfectionists, is to remember that progress is better than perfection.

Don’t put off working on a task because you’re not ready to do it perfectly, or don’t keep working on something that’s finished but you want to keep working on it until it’s perfect.

Knowing when something is good enough, or even 80% done, is a great way to stop working on something that isn’t at the perfection level that you’d like, because the time you spend tweaking something won’t add much to the overall accomplishment or readability of a task, and it’s all time that you could be spending working on other things.

PREPARE FOR THE DAY THE NIGHT BEFORE

A great way to start working on your tasks as soon as you can is to do what you can the night before.

Examples of tasks that you can do the night before to save you time the next day include:

• Laying out the clothes you and your children will wear the next day
• Cleaning your kitchen
• Sweeping the floor
• Cutting fruit, making overnight oats, filling up water bottles, or preparing any other breakfast item that you can
• Outlining a work or home project and listing what needs to be done first
• Making a plan of what you need to get done the next day, and stating what’s a priority

Related posts:
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PLAN YOUR WEEK ON A SUNDAY

Planning for the following week on a Sunday, then listing your weekly tasks by day is one of the time management tips that I do every week.

Doing this means that you’ll enter the week fully prepared, you’ll save time each day by not having to plan for the day ahead, you don’t waste time by working on things that don’t matter or aren’t needed during the week, and you can maximise your time by allocating more things on days that are quiet.

Related post:
Things to do on a Sunday to prepare for the week ahead

USE A CALENDAR OR PLANNER

Using a calendar or a planner to record appointments, meetings, and other activities outside of tasks allows you to see how much time you have to work on what you need to get done.

For example, you won’t be able to get as much done on a day where you have a meeting, compared to a day that’s meeting free.

Seeing what commitments you have outside of your to do list items helps you to understand how much time you actually have in a day to get things done, and planning things into the day according to the time you have.

Related posts:
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How to use a planner to stay organised

Do you have any time management tips that work for you?