The Value of Time Management
Sometimes I feel like there is not enough time in a day to complete everything on my agenda, yet everyone wakes up with the same 24 hours to accomplish our daily tasks. Why is it that some people tend to be so much more productive, consistently checking off their to-do list, while others appear to be drowning and constantly have to roll their tasks over to the next day, week, or month? The answer is time management.
Time management can be the sole difference between a productive and inefficient person. However, just like any skill, time management is a discipline and requires effort. It’s a skill that does not come naturally to most. Time management is a struggle because we must resist the natural urge to prioritize our favorite tasks to instead push through and complete jobs that are difficult or mundane.
Better managing your time might include saying no to “good” things to say yes to better things. Time management is life management. I have found that making good use of my time is an art of balancing my professional life with my personal life. Figuring out how to be productive in both areas helps me remain motivated and focused on what I need to complete. For example, I’ve often found when I miss my physical exercise in the morning because I scheduled something during my usual morning exercise time, my spiritual discipline likewise lags, and vice versa. Remaining conscientious in all areas breeds more productivity!
Mastering self-discipline will not only benefit your productivity but will bring long-term results by reducing overall stress, creating a healthier mind, and improving happiness as you can incorporate more time for the things you value the most. Here are some tips that I have found have helped me in planning and executing my daily tasks to feel more accomplished, energetic, and productive.
Stop Multitasking
The cliche phrase “work smarter not harder” might be overused; however, there is truth to it. The busiest people might often be categorized as the hardest working or the most accomplished; however, there is not always a direct correlation. Oftentimes, the busiest people struggle with time management which keeps them in a cycle of bouncing from task to task and never quite completing anything to the best of their abilities.
To eliminate the frenzy of trying to do multiple things at once, stop altogether and focus on one task at a time. Try time blocking your tasks. For a certain time, pick one thing you need to work on and do not do anything else during that time slot. You might find you have improved focus and can complete the work much quicker than if you were multitasking.
Plan Ahead
Again, this might seem too simple, but people often ignore the most fundamental components. Planning can look like writing out your schedule the night before to ensure you do not blindly go about your day or creating a to-do list with your top 5 most important tasks. Planning won’t account for unexpected distraction, but it can free you up to not overwhelm you if things do come up. I am seldom able to complete all my planned list for the day, as other things always come up that require priority. But if you have planned, you at least know which critical things must be completed before you call it a day.
Limit Distractions
Working towards planning and focusing on one task can be huge steps in increasing productivity. However, the biggest block to these goals is distractions. Even with all the right planning, we can become easily distracted and enter into a rabbit hole on our devices or things surrounding us. This may be an extra temptation in the new work-from-home environment when it’s so easy to have the television on in the background! It is helpful to take breaks from social media or just turn your phone/TV completely off during work hours to get your brain used to working without craving these distractions. I typically turn off my message and email notifications, which I find distracting and interrupting when I am focused on an important task, and then just check them every hour or every couple of hours.
Focus on the Most Difficult Projects First
I have found I am more productive when I get the biggest or my least favorite tasks completed first, rather than having those hanging over my head and distracting me while I am trying to focus on other things. Sometimes you can’t do it that way if something simply has to be completed to meet a time deadline. But I have found if the most dreaded things are cleared off my plate first, the rest of the items can be tackled very efficiently without the distraction of my conscious reminding me constantly that I still need to finish my dreaded tasks.
Learn When to Say No
An important lesson I learned early in my career, is that every time you say “Yes” to something, you are saying “No” to something else. By that I mean if you say “Yes” to a meeting that you really didn’t need to attend, you just said “No” to something else you could have been doing with that time, maybe even getting home in time to have dinner with your family. We only have so much time each day, and every time we commit to spending any of our time on something, we have said “No” to spending that time on something else. So before you say “Yes,” think about what you are then saying “No” to by committing yourself to that time.
As both a leader and a Christian, I believe time management is a skill worth mastering because it enables us to be mindful of where we are spending our time. It also allows for intentionality to steward our time to things we care about and bring value to our lives and others. We all have 24 hours in one day; discipline yourself to use them wisely.