Do you have problems managing your time? Do you think you can not do all the activities you want?
In this article I leave 10 key points to increase your productivity; Increase the confidence you need to achieve your goals and you will have more free time.
I also recommend reading this article on Parkinson's law .
1-Know your objectives and organize them by their value and priority
Do you have any objective? If you do not have one, create at least one for today. To learn how to set goals and know their importance, you can Read this Article . Objectives are essential and effective for time management.
You may also have too many goals. If so, organize them. You need a main objective for each main area of your life: one for work or business, another for your health, another for personal relationships...
Each day, a goal will have the maximum value and priority. For many people, it will be a work goal, for others to lose weight, for others to improve their personal relationships.
2-Prioritizes the focus of attention on an important task and works on it
Now you have goals. However, you can not"make a goal", these are achieved through activities. Decide what your most important goal is and work on an activity during the day that gets you closer to getting it.
If you can, work on that activity before you do anything else. If for example, your most important goal today is to lose weight, your priority activity is to exercise.
Therefore, have breakfast and try to do that activity as soon as possible (all gyms open early), since it will be the activity that will guide you to achieve your priority objective.
3-Know your priority in every moment
You may have a list of endless things to do. Therefore, choose the 5 priority tasks to finish in the day; Prioritizes and works on them in an orderly manner.
If you do not know what to work on then ask yourself which is your priority. Surely it's not checking facebook, whatsapp or your inbox.
4-Set a value to your time
Time management is simpler if you know how much an hour of your time is worth. If your time is worth 20 euros per hour, it is useful to know that spending 30 minutes on Facebook will cost you 10 euros.
If you are not sure how much your time is worth, you can calculate it or ask your boss. If you are your own boss, you will know how much it is worth by dividing what you earn each month between your hours worked. Keep a log of time to know what you spend.
5-Nothing is perfect
Do one thing and move on to the next You want to do your best, however perfectionism does waste time.
If you are a perfectionist , Be aware of it, do the activities you have to do and once completed, move on to the next.
6-Try to do it in half the time that you think you need
If you're a perfectionist, try setting time limits. For example, if you think it will take three hours to make a report, set a time limit of 90 minutes. You will be surprised that in many occasions you will complete the activity in that time.
7- Set a daily time to plan and reflect
You'll save a lot of time every day if you have a schedule and a to-do list before you start working on them.
Therefore, save time in your schedule to plan your projects and tasks each day, either in the afternoon for the next day or in the morning before starting work. If you separate your planning time from the time you do tasks, you will do everything much faster.
8-Divide the big goals into small tasks for the day
As I mentioned earlier, you can not"make a goal", you can only do activities to get it. When you establish one, think about what steps will lead you to achieve it. After that, divide each step into small tasks and projects, which should have a time limit to finalize them.
9-If someone else can do it: delegate
Watch all the activities you have to do in a day and decide which ones you should not do yourself. If you have to do something and you do not know how to do it or it will take a long time to learn, delegate. If for example you do not find it profitable to spend your time answering calls or answering emails, delegate.
10-Remember to set time limits
Limits to complete an activity, work or project are fundamental. If you are a student, have you noticed that the days before you submit a job is when you spend more time or even start it? If you do not put a time limit, you will leave the things to do.
Try to follow these time management techniques. They are practical and work. If you follow them, you will be amazed how much your productivity can increase.