Table of Contents

Introduction

Are you tired of being overburdened all the time and finding it difficult to do things on time? Or are you looking for ways to be more productive? Based on our experience, time management is one of the strategies to be more effective.

Why do you need to practice time management?

It helps in:

Creating accountability: You create a form of accountability for yourself as you’re more likely to stick to your plan.
Optimizing performance: Doing the same thing at the same time each day can help your body get into a rhythm, potentially enhancing performance.
Building healthy habits: Repetition is key to forming habits.
Efficient planning: Knowing when you’ll be doing what allows for better planning of your day which makes you work smarter, not harder.
Mental preparation: It allows you to mentally prepare and stay focused on the planned activities.
Eliminating decision fatigue: It removes the need to constantly decide when to do what. So having a predetermined schedule can be a powerful tool.
Avoid procrastination: It helps you use your time effectively to avoid procrastination and last-minute cramming.

What are some time management techniques?

Set your goals – Refer 5 Practical Tips to Set Goals for Success for the goal-setting process
Create a to-do list for each day – Refer 9 Practical Tips to Achieve Your Goals for tips to Achieve your goals
Use Eisenhower’s time management matrix to manage your time and reach your goals more quickly.

Focus on one thing at a time. In Mozart’s words – “The shorter way to do many things is to only do one thing at a time.”
Organize and maintain your space so that you don’t waste time searching for items.
When you start a task, complete it before moving on. Restarting consumes more time than completing the task in one go.
Use Pareto’s principle to get maximum value if perfection is not needed.

How we use these techniques in our lives

Are you interested in some examples of how we use these techniques in our lives?

Career

To help me stay focused on high-priority tasks, I make a list of SMART annual goals and objectives at the beginning of each year. It helps me align with my management expectations and performance conversations.
I identify my organization’s goals that apply to me and divide them into smaller objectives that can be achieved in a shorter time frame. This helps me focus better and accomplish my goals.
I plan my training and/or professional certifications quarterly. Setting up quarterly goals helps me achieve better success instead of completing them randomly.
Focusing on one item at a time helps me to be more productive. When I pay full attention in meetings, I can contribute much more effectively than when I am distracted by emails and instant messages.
When I’m invited to a meeting, I seek the agenda and the reason for my presence (contributor or decision maker or for awareness) and then use Eisenhower Matrix to prioritize – Attend or Delegate or Skip.
When my manager asks me for a presentation, I first generate an outline and align with their expectations before delving into details. I learned this lesson when I spent an enormous amount of time on a presentation only to know that the expectations were different. I had to start all over again and wasted a lot of time.
I block my productive time of the day on my calendar and focus on critical tasks. I find that the same task takes more time outside of this window.
Using the Stickies app, I keep my To-Do list on 4 stickies on my Mac home screen, one for each category in Eisenhower Matrix- Do It, Schedule, Delegate and Eliminate. I shuffle my tasks around to focus on the right priorities.
I keep a tab of accomplishments. It is less time consuming to summarize and submit them to my manager for annual performance review.
After the annual performance review, I promptly update my resume with relevant key accomplishments. It saves time recalling them later in addition to having my resume up to date.
I use Microsoft OneNote to organize my digital documentation. If I need to share a tab, I can just email it easily.

Personal Growth

At the start of a new year, I make a list of new interests or talents and set aside two hours each week to pursue them. I’m able to achieve my professional certification objectives and advance in my long-term goals of sewing and singing. Thanks to this strategy.
I dedicate 20 mins daily after dinner to non-fiction reading for self improvement. This little chunk of time is easier to manage and gives me a better chance of achieving my goal of reading 12 books per year.
I realized that I learn faster through reading than videos and podcasts. Now I try to avoid my less effective modes for learning and depend on reading.
As a working woman with family responsibilities, I need to find ways to make time for personal growth. I make time by getting up early before the household wakes up.
I make goals for my professional as well as spiritual growth at the beginning of the year and try to plan them on different days. I set aside 2 hours a week on Fridays to achieve my professional growth goal. Similarly, I attend study class every Thursday to help with my spiritual growth.

Fun

Every week, I set aside dedicated time for amusement activities such as watching shows/Movies and going for a walk. Prioritizing these activities in my weekly schedule helps me to maintain a healthy work-life balance and overall well-being.
I watch movies only on the weekends as a reward for completing a week. With this, I don’t feel tempted to watch during the week.
I start planning for a family vacation at the beginning of the year. Calendars are comparatively clear at that time and this helps my family block their calendars.
I use Apple Notes to gather all my travel information for a trip (flight reservations, hotel, activities etc.) and share the same with my family. This way, I don’t need to spend time searching in emails, or other places.
I created a travel packing checklist (check-in bag /carry-ons) and refer to it while packing for a trip. It saves me a lot of time and helps me not to forget crucial things.
While packing for a trip, I gather things in one place and complete packing in one go. I used to spread it over a few days. This was time-consuming as I was verifying the entire packing when I added things.
I use an app called Splitwise to track and share expenses for group activities. It saves so much time.
To avoid spending too much time on social media, I use each platform for different purposes (Twitter for news, Pinterest for DIY, etc) and stick to the purpose.
I restrict my time on social media to 15-30 minutes every day to keep in touch with my friends and family.
I have separate accounts to organize my emails- one for shopping and one for other personal stuff. It keeps my personal account uncluttered and saves time when searching for stuff.
I shop on Fridays or Sunday afternoons or less busy hours to avoid crowds and save time.

Family & Home

I set aside time each week to speak with friends and family that I don’t see often. It shows that I value and prioritize these relationships, which leads to deeper connections and a stronger support system.
When I’m pressed for time, I try to assess who needs my time vs. wants my time in the family. This method helps me focus on the right priorities.
I plan the deep cleaning of the house around festivals. Due to this ritual, the cleaning happens organically and I don’t need to plan for it specifically.
I divide my household chores like cleaning the bathrooms – I clean one or two bathrooms a day which makes me feel less tired and more efficient.
I clean as I go in the kitchen. I don’t spend an enormous amount of time at the end.
I organize non-perishable food items (for example: Pasta, Rice, grains, etc.) in clear containers or use labels. It saves time searching for items.
I keep three laundry baskets for White, color, and light clothes. This saves time in sorting out the load.
I keep a donation bin. When I realize something can be donated, I just toss it into the bin. This process saves time in two ways- 1. I don’t need to search for things on donation day. 2. Having less clutter in the house is a time saver while looking for things.
I have limited storage space in the kitchen. When I buy a new item, I get rid of an item to make space. With this technique, I keep my kitchen organized.

Health

I set specific times each day for eating meals and exercising which helps me adhere to a workout and nutrition plan consistently.
To reduce buying unhealthy foods, I create a grocery list and stick to it. This not only saves time and money at the store but is also good for health.
I find that Italian, Indian, and Mexican foods can be made in big quantities. When short on time, I stick to these cuisines. This is the best way to avoid unhealthy outside food.
When it comes to health, I learned that it is best to be proactive instead of reactive for things such as dental cleaning, flu shots, etc. By doing so, I can avoid doctor visits thereby saving money and time.
I made it a habit to take my multivitamins after dinner so that I don’t skip them.
I use an Apple watch to track my exercise goals. It not only reminds me to stand up but also with Activity rings, it is easy to track.
I weave my exercise into my work hours by walking during lunch hour so that I have time to spend with my family after work.
I cut vegetables while watching TV. With this technique, I can kill two birds with one stone.

Financial Management

I always submit my expense report as soon as I get back from a work trip. It shows responsibility and efficiency which reflects positively on my professional image.
I autopay the bills that are approximately the same month over month. For example: Electricity, mobile phone bills, cable service, car payments, etc. I am not only saving time but also I can spot any fraudulent activity right away.
I set up alerts for my banking and credit cards to monitor the activities. For example, I have a bank account with a minimum balance requirement of $1500. I set up an alert for a balance below $2000 so I can take proactive action. With this, I avoid a fee and I don’t need to spend time fixing it.
I do automatic savings before bringing my paycheck home. It helps me save consistently and with minimum effort.
I save money throughout the year for my vacation trip by automatically transferring a set amount of money from my checking to my savings account. This way, I don’t worry about my funds.
I start a folder (digital and physical) for my tax documents at the beginning of the year. As I receive documents such as donation receipts, property taxes, etc., I file them into this folder. It saves a lot of time at the filing time.
I set aside time in February of every year for tax preparation.
I maintain a Tax Document Checklist. While preparing documents for filing, I validate the current year’s list with the previous year’s list. It not only helps me quickly gather my documents but also avoids making mistakes.
I pay a bit more tax per paycheck so that I don’t need to come up with a huge amount of tax at the time of filing which helps me save time budgeting for tax payments.

Conclusion

We recommend making use of the techniques in this blog to help you take control of your time and get better organized for more productivity.

You can get in touch with us on SIAGLO Instagram, Twitter, and email to learn more. In addition, if you have a best practice, please consider sharing it in the comments section below.