“Oh no… I have not started my final paper due tonight! I can’t finish it, why did I procrastinate?”
Have you ever been in this situation? Well, I have, and I can tell you it is not fun! Late nights, 7 cups of coffee, and an overwhelming deadline are directly staring at you every single second of every hour left. Therefore to solve this problem, I have come up with the ultimate tips and tricks. Welcome to Time Management 101! In this post, I will present 3 of the handiest, effective strategies to manage your time.
But before that, to successfully develop these strategies, you need a pen and paper or any note-taking tool, and most importantly, you need to put your mind to the task at hand.
No Distractions
Okay, so the first tip for managing your time wisely is to avoid distractions. Distractions are one of the main reasons why all of us procrastinate to complete work, from aimlessly scrolling through Instagram to laughing and watching Tik Tok for hours. These are all distractions that make us deviate from our tasks and make us procrastinate.
So, to prevent distractions from getting the best of us, here are some suggestions. First, turn on the do not disturb mode feature on your device or, even better, leave it in a different room. This will help you focus on the task instead of getting distracted by pictures, videos or notifications. The second suggestion is to create a playlist of all the songs you want to listen to and make sure it is on loop. By creating a playlist and having it on loop, you avoid getting distracted by other videos or advertisements. This tip always helps me regain focus and ensures I’m not distracted.
Create To-Do Lists
My second tip for effective time management is to create a to-do list. Creating a to-do list is a game-changer that could increase your productivity and time management. It allows you to prioritize and visualize your tasks to complete. Another reason to-do lists are a fantastic way to manage time and productivity is that they create a sense of accomplishment. When you cross out or check off the various tasks you complete, you feel motivated and determined, which will increase your productivity to complete more jobs.
Personally, to-do lists are most effective when you write them right before bed. You have time to reflect on what you have finished and what you want to complete for the following day and assess your priorities for the next day. Writing a to-do list the night before also relieves some of the stress and anxiety related to the tasks as you feel as if you have more control by planning.
Take Breaks
My third and final tip for effective time management and productivity is taking short breaks. I said it, taking breaks helps your productivity rates and helps manage your time. My favourite trick to ensure my breaks are quick and increase productivity is following the Pomodoro technique.
The Pomodoro technique entails 25 minutes of purely focused work. After that period is over, you can enjoy a short 5-minute break. After this cycle has been completed 4 times, you can take a long 15 to 30-minute break. This technique pushes me to finish my work quickly while looking forward to the upcoming breaks. I recommend following this technique or just taking breaks while completing a task in general.
Conclusion
These three tricks have helped me overcome procrastination and manage my time while increasing my productivity. They are practical, efficient and goal-oriented. I hope these tips and tricks were helpful and that everyone implements them to ensure you are organizing your time well!
Edited by Jakob Kramer