Time is our greatest treasure. Unfortunately it is limited and therefore, we must learn to manage it properly.
As for our life, we are learning strategies that help us manage our time, but they are effective, if the answer is "no", we can learn to improve our system with some simple rules:
Goal setting:
This is the basis for good time management, without knowing what to do, it is very difficult to do something. Take the time to analyze them, and see what you have to do, when you have to do it and what steps are necessary to achieve the goal.
Set priorities:
Not all activities are urgent nor are all activities important, so prioritizing becomes a key aspect of time management. If we assume that all tasks are equally important and urgent, we will waste a lot of time on auxiliary tasks so we are in danger of leaving what is really important not done. You can sort the tasks according to the following classification:
- Important and urgent: they are central tasks on which others depend, and if they are not carried out at that time, no progress can be made, therefore, they are the issues that must be addressed as a priority.Important and not urgent: They are those tasks that They are the basis for others, but they are not subject to temporary pressure, so we can plan their development in a flexible way. Not important and urgent: They are the auxiliary activities and interruptions that are present in the tasks, they take a long time but are little relevant to the achievement of the objectives. If possible, we will delegate these tasks to others, if we do not have this possibility, we will include them in our planning in the "dead times", that is,in those moments when the priority tasks are solved or it is not possible to advance in them Not important and not urgent: They are the leisure and entertainment tasks, we can include them in our planning as transition tasks, that is, tasks that we can use to move from one activity to another, and they will help us relax. We can also use them as reward tasks, that is, include them after completing all the daily activities as a reward for having fulfilled the daily objective.Include them after doing all your daily activities as a reward for meeting your daily goal.Include them after doing all your daily activities as a reward for meeting your daily goal.
Eliminate interruptions and distractions
On many occasions we have to face different interruptions when we are performing a task, this is inherent in the activity itself, now we must avoid all those interruptions that we can. Those of us who cannot, must learn to manage them.
- Telephone calls: It is essential to filter them and answer those that are strictly necessary, the rest we can return when the time is right. In those that are essential to answer we must be brief and concise to avoid moving away from the subject of the conversation. Unplanned meetings and appointments: These appointments and meetings are not always essential, we must assess whether these activities are avoidable or can be postponed to another time. Distractions: Many times, our workplace is riddled with distractions and makes it easier to get away from goals. It is necessary to eliminate noises, unnecessary objects on the work table, work with natural light whenever possible and avoid working in places where people or anything can get our attention.
Put your goals in writing
Once you have the objectives specified and categorized by priorities, write them down on a piece of paper, so you will avoid forgetting any of them. Once you finish the objectives, cross them out or put them down, this task is very motivating, it will help you to see in a more graphic way how you are achieving them.
Learn to say no
Sometimes we are overwhelmed by the demands of others, so on more than one occasion we must say "no", this is not a question of selfishness but of knowing how to establish the importance of things. If you teach others that you are not available at any time, they will learn to respect your times.
Concentrate on a task only and put the time of dedication
How many times are we doing something but in reality we are thinking about other things at the same time? What we have left to do, what we have not yet done, if it will give us time to do everything, etc. Spend time only on the task you are doing, you will get more out of it and you will not worry about what remains to be done, focus only on what you have to do at that moment.
Don't leave homework until you have finished it
When we leave a task half done, and we take it up again, the time we invested in reaching the level we were before abandonment, it is very extensive, so we waste precious time in what we could call "heating engines". If you need to rest, do a short transition task, it will help you to relax and will prevent you from abandoning the task permanently.
Don't put off homework
We all postpone, we tend to postpone those tasks that seem heavier or more difficult, the dangerous thing about this trend is that it becomes a continuum when facing tasks. If you think this is your case, analyze the causes, the most common are the following:
- The task seems unpleasant The task seems very complicated Fear of failing the task Belief that you do not have enough skills to perform them once the cause of this has been analyzed, check if you have well-founded arguments that justify this thought if your answer is "no" your justification no It is nothing more than an excuse for not doing the task so it is essential that you get down to it.
If you think your justifications are realistic, the following tips will help you complete the activities:
- The task seems unpleasant:, after doing an unpleasant task, give yourself a reward task, carry out an activity that counteracts your negative mood. The task seems very complicated: Break the general task into small stages, it will be more manageable for you. to fail: failure is inherent in the task, what is clear is that if we do not try, failure is the result we will achieve. We can do tasks correctly even if they are not perfect and that is already a success. You do not have enough skills to do them: if you think you do not have these skills, ask for help from someone who can have them and who can "help you out" and recycle yourself in those knowledge that you have obsolete.
