How good are you with time management? Are you maximally productive at work? Well, if you always seem to have too much on your plate all the time yet there is never enough time to do what your purpose to accomplish, then you probably have a problem with time management. This article seeks to help you manage time and become more productive. Here are 5 important tips in that regard.
- Get sufficient sleep
Adults are supposed to sleep for 7 hours a day, 8 hours maximum. Some people think that sleeping for less than 7 hours creates more working time, thus making them more productive. They can’t be more wrong. According to experts, insufficient sleep causes your body to burn out and eventually shut down during the day. That reduces your productivity. So, in a nutshell, don’t sacrifice sleep in order to overwork. It is not worth it.
On the flip side, sleeping for hours on end is associated with depression and other mental disorders. You are not doing your body any favors by sleeping in.
- Adopt good morning habits
Do you know your most important tasks? If you do, then it is important that you work on them first thing in the morning- The human brain works best in the morning. If you don’t know which tasks are most important, consciously create a to-do list and rank the tasks in their order of relevance to your overall objectives. The items at the top will automatically be the most important, so yours will just be to adjust your schedule in order to accommodate them in the morning hours.
Speaking of good morning habits, avoid being late for work, at whatever cost. It is also important to clear your tray in the evening so that you don’t have any backlogs in the morning. And for as much as you can, try not to get moody in the morning or to open mails/social media feeds that can potentially make you moody.
- Find a helper, a source of motivation
A motivator shares your interests and calls you back to order when you seem to be losing focus. Who is your source of motivation? Who/what helps you manage your time? Is it your partner, colleague, or a special book? Whichever it is, be sure to include it in every task you undertake.
You could have a genuine friend who is constantly pushing you to realize your full potential. Stay close to that friend. If you don’t have one, you can always find one in a professional life coach. A coach will work with you, challenge you, push you to be punctual, and encourage you whenever you feel down.
- Avoid multitasking
Research shows that multitasking lowers an individual’s performance by nearly 40%. When you perform more than two tasks simultaneously, you lose a lot of your productive time switching between tasks. After all, it is hard to regain your focus on one task immediately after switching focus from a different task.
To be maximally productive, take on one task at a time without dividing your focus and attention. That will help you increase productivity and succeed in many individual tasks.
- Planning is vital
Can there be effective time management without proper planning? Absolutely no! You have to plan ahead and organize your priorities well in order to avoid unforeseen inconveniences. Planning becomes even more critical when you have to manage your time when on the move. How do you run your company effectively when you are busy on a business trip overseas, maybe on a London tour, for example?
If you are like most people, planning a business trip carefully and well in time ensures that everything runs smoothly both in your trip and back in the office. If you are new to planning when on a trip, this will help:
Research beforehand where you will be staying and your proximity to the key meeting venues you’ll be going to. Make sure that you understand the public transport systems in your host country/city. Also, be sure to research where the closest shops, restaurants, tourist attractions, and ATMs are located. This information will help you plan when and how to undertake different tasks. Also, if you are taking a trip to London, it is highly advisable to take London free walking tour, as they are very punctual and will enable you to visit most everything within a compressed period of time.
To avoid getting lost and ending up wasting your quality time finding your way back to your hotel, have a map with you at all times. Also, ensure that you have useful contacts in your hotel; people who will willingly help you out whenever you are stranded.
Wait times when traveling can be irritating, but it is hard to avoid them. So, instead of complaining for six hours at the airport or train station, how about you use that time to face time with your staff back in the office or to go through supply/demand records from your PC?
Author: Elisa Williams
