Every now and again we find ourselves in a position where we have too much to do and not enough time on our hands. As the to-do list builds up, the feeling of stress grows with it until you have a list as long as your arm and are too frustrated to do anything about it. If you have ever found yourself in this position or found yourself saying “there aren’t enough hours in the day!” then keep reading for our 5 tips on how to improve your time management skills.

  1. Prioritise 
  2. Delegate
  3. Set Deadlines
  4. Create a Schedule
  5. Don’t Give in to Procrastination  

Prioritise

Before you begin your day, make a list of all the points that need your attention. Decide which of these is your main priority and make sure you get this done first. You can then move on to the less urgent tasks. 

We can spend a lot of time completing tasks that aren’t urgent or helpful toward our goals for the day. If you make the list at the beginning of the day you can decide what’s important and what isn’t. You’ll then be able to work through your most important tasks without letting less important tasks get in the way. 

Delegate

Sometimes we give ourselves too many tasks to complete in one day. If you find you are in this position the best thing for you to do would be to delegate. Identify tasks that you don’t need to do yourself and ask someone else to complete them. This will allow you to focus on the tasks that only you can complete, while the other urgent tasks are still going to be completed in the timeframe required. 

Set Deadlines 

It can be difficult to complete any task without having a timeframe in mind to complete it. By establishing a deadline, you can put steps in place to make sure you complete your task on time. To determine your deadline you will need to ask yourself the following questions:

  • Does this task already have a specific deadline?
  • How many steps are involved in completing this task?
  • How long should this task realistically take to complete?
  • Is this more or less urgent than my other tasks?

If your task already has a required deadline, how many tasks you have to complete, and how urgent this specific task is compared to others on your current to-do list. 

Create a Schedule 

Creating a schedule is one of the most effective ways to manage your time better. By having a schedule to stick to you can make sure you are on track to complete your tasks throughout the day, ticking them off as you go, which will help to keep you on track and motivated. 

There are a number of different types of schedules that you could consider, including a monthly plan, a weekly plan, and a daily plan. 

Monthly, Weekly, and Daily Plans

A monthly plan is beneficial for larger tasks that may require your attention several times over a number of weeks. You can write in the weeks of the month that you plan to work on each of the larger tasks you have, making sure that you aren’t taking on too much over a short space of time. 

A weekly plan is useful if you have a number of smaller tasks that need to be completed in the same week. Making a list of tasks and sharing them out between the days of the week will ensure you don’t overstretch yourself. It’s also a great way to organise other areas of your week, such as meal planning.

A daily plan breaks down every hour in the day so you can decide what tasks you are going to tackle and when. This is a great way to work through your tasks because you have written them down and dedicated an exact time to them, so if anything else crops up you can allocate the time without conflicting with other tasks. Another great thing about daily plans is that as you work through the day, ticking off all your tasks as you go, you will get a feeling of accomplishment which doesn’t happen when you complete a task at random. This sense of achievement will keep you motivated to work through your tasks, and also help you relax when you’re done for the day! 

There are no hard and fast rules to using plans, you can use one of them or all three. Try them all out for yourself and see what works best for you.

Don’t Procrastinate

The final tip we have for you to work on your time management is do not procrastinate! This is easier said than done, as many of us find ourselves dodging the most difficult (and often the most important) tasks as much as we can by filling our time with less important tasks. The tips above will help you to avoid procrastination. If you prioritise your tasks, delegate, set deadlines and then create a schedule which reflects this, you’re bound to find yourself working through your tasks more effectively. If you’re a professional procrastinator and need a bit more guidance, we’d also recommend that you minimise your distractions. You can do this by removing mobile phones, tablets, and televisions. You’ll find yourself working through all your tasks in no time!