Here’s a staggering statistic: up to 80% of the average working day is spent on activities with little or no value.
To put another kind of number to that, if your time was worth $100 per hour, this stat means you’d be losing out on $640 worth of potential revenue in any 8-hour workday.
And yet, 83% of professionals don’t bother tracking their time which means they have no idea where those potential dollars are even going.
But you don’t have to be among that majority. You can start maximizing your workdays by taking control of your time with these tools and techniques.
3 Time Management Techniques
These time management tools can help you get organized, prioritize your tasks by importance, and focus only on the tasks that matter most.
1. The Pomodoro Technique
This technique is based on doing increments of work followed by increments of taking a break. Specifically, these increments–known as pomodoros–include 25 minutes of work followed by a five-minute break. Then, after every four pomodoros, you’d take a longer break.
Here’s how to do it:
- Step 1: Pick a task
- Step 2: Set a 25-minute timer
- Step 3: Work until the time is up
- Step 4: Take a five-minute break
- Step 5: After every four pomodoros, take a longer break of 15 to 30 minutes
In order for the Pomodoro Method to work, you need to break down complex projects into smaller steps; identify any smaller tasks that won’t occupy a full pomodoro and group them together; and make sure you never interrupt your pomodoro for things like emails, team chats, social media, or text messages.
2. The Pareto Principle
The Pareto Principle states that 80% of your outcomes result from 20% of your input. In business, this means that 20% of your tasks are so important that they impact 80% of your success.
The Pareto Principle highlights the need to identify and prioritize the 20% of your tasks that are the most valuable.
So, how do you go about identifying and prioritizing your tasks? By first understanding the difference between urgency and importance.
Sometimes things feel urgent but are not truly important. Other times, things are important but don’t feel urgent. So, to get a clear idea of what’s what, rank your goals with the following formula:
- Importance: A=high, B=medium, C=low
- Urgency: 1=high, 2=medium, 3=low
This will show you how important your tasks are–for instance, your priority tasks would have a grade of A1 while lower priority tasks would have a grade of C3.
Always work on the most urgent and important goals and tasks first, and then move on down your list.
3. The 4D system
This system is rooted in the theory that your tasks can be categorized into “four D’s”:
- Do
- Defer
- Delegate
- Delete
To get started with The 4D System, look at your to-do list at the beginning of the workday and assess:
- Which tasks can be done by you quickly right now (Do)
- Which tasks can be done quickly right now by someone else (Delegate)
- Which tasks don’t need to be handled right away and can be temporarily paused (Defer)
- Which tasks to drop altogether (Drop)
Looking at the tasks on your plate from this perspective will help you get a better understanding of what to tackle right away and what can wait.
4 Time Management Tools
While time management techniques are a great way to help maximize your workday, using the right tools can be the difference-maker that helps your time management efforts stick.
Here are five of our favorites.
1. Toggl
If you want to get a sense of where the hours in your day are going, try out Toggl. This simple time tracking platform lets you easily track your daily activities across different platforms. It also provides you with detailed insights into how you allocate your time. Best of all? Its free version is powerful enough to give you everything you need.
2. ProofHub
ProofHub is a versatile project management system used by organizations like NASA, Disney, Taco Bell, and many more. This all-in-one tool comes packed with powerful features to eliminate the need of having too many different tools to run your business. It starts at $45 per month.
3. Rescue Time
Worried you won’t accurately track your time? Don’t worry. This app can do automatic time tracking just in case you forget to start your timer yourself. With Rescue Time, you’ll get weekly reports to indicate which tasks and distractions are stealing your time. Aside from its automatic time-tracking feature, this app also has distraction blocking and efficient report tools to help you avoid being overwhelmed by too many tasks.
4. Focus Keeper
Unlike the other apps we’ve listed, this one puts a focus on boosting your motivation. Focus Keeper is based on the principles of the Pomodoro Technique and is aimed at individuals who procrastinate and feel overwhelmed by tasks. It has a simple, efficient user interface that is easily customizable based on your needs.
Effective time management can help you grow your business, boost your revenue, and minimize your stress. It’s just a matter of identifying and implementing the right tools and techniques to help you do it.
If you’re curious about how being part of a flexible workspace like The Post can also help you maximize your workdays and boost your motivation, book a tour or get in touch with us today!
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