How to create a time management strategy that works

How much work is done in any given time is measured by looking at a person’s productivity levels. The more work is done, the more productive a person is deemed to have been. Project manager courses will teach you that if you want to get more done and therefore be more productive, it is important to have good time management skills. It is natural for people to have less productive days but overall, it is important to keep productivity high.

If you want to create a time management, that works then, you need to understand yourself. This means understanding how you prioritise tasks, and how good you are with self-discipline. Therefore, making sure that you understand which organisation method works best for you is vital.

Look at how you spend your time

Understanding how you actually use your time is key to finding ways to increase your productivity. Keep a log of what you do and how long it takes. This will help you to really assess how you work and, if kept properly, will also show you those times of the day when you were least productive and also when you were most distracted.

Consider your priorities

Having looked at how you spend your time, you should decide which of your tasks are the most important and give them a priority:

• Urgent
• Important
• Not important

The best way to manage your time effectively is to reduce the time spent on non-important tasks and use that for those that are important – hopefully ensuring they don’t become urgent.

Think about your prep time

How you use your time currently can be used to help you make your plans for moving forward. Planning each day ahead of schedule can help you make the most of your time. Whether you do this at the end of the previous day or in the morning before you start this is a great time management strategy.

Schedule

Don’t just plan what you want to achieve each day in your head. Write it down, as this will not only help you to remember it but also help you be more accountable. Think about the time of day when you are most productive and pack as much as possible into that time, paying special attention to the most important tasks. There are plenty of planning software tools out there that can really help you.

Be organised

A clutter-free work environment can really help to keep your time management strategies in place. This is a simple task that, once you have done it,  you should be able to keep on top of in the future.

Remove distractions

If you want your strategy to work, then you need to make sure that you get rid of any distractions that could be preventing you from giving your full attention to your work. These might be electronic distractions like your mobile phone, checking social media or too many email notifications.

Put your project management skills to good use, and hopefully, over time, you will see your productivity increase.