Know How To Manage Your Time Effectively AndBoost Your Productivity

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Anam Tahir

Have you ever experienced oh-shit-time-is-up moments? Does your to-do-list haunt you day in and dayout because you have not been able to finish the tasks for days and they just keep rolling on to the nextdays? Do you find yourself juggling between tasks and still not able to get them done?

If yes, then you are no different from thousands of people out there who too are struggling with theirtime management skills. I too was one of them. I have been experiencing these oh-shit-time-is-upmoments for almost all my life minus a few recent years.

My worse-than-poor time management skills sucked me into a spiral of procrastination to the pointwhere my daily to-do-list would haunt me like an immortal monster. My productivity curve keptstumbling at low levels for a long long time.

I tried various way-outs to get done with my daily tasks:

– Staying awake until late midnight, usually up until 4 am;

– Cutting my sleep time to 5 hours a day;

– Having a zero social life with the presumption that this would prevent me from ‘wasting’ my precioustime;

– All day work and no play;

– Compromising on my fitness and skipping gym time just to fetch some time out for finishing work;

I practiced all of these just to find myself failing miserably and getting tinier in front of my gigantic daily

set of tasks. This led me into a negative spiral of stress and anxiety.

Stiff neck, heavy headedness, fatigue, body aches, cramps, excessive urge to sleep – all such physicalsigns started emerging and prolonged. Due to poor physicalconditions I would in turn not be able to finish up my already previousdays’ tasks. And the never ending cycle of procrastination would goon and on.

If you too are battling with your downward sloping productivity curvejust because you don’t know how to manage your time effectivelythen kick away all those worries aside and keep reading.

Following are a handful of effective time management tips that Icame up with after months of hit and trial. They worked like magic.Not just was I able to get done with my daily list of to-do’s but alsostarted having a great family life. My social life was back on track and I was a much happier andrelaxed person.

They worked for me. They will work for you too.

25 Hacks On How To Manage Your Time Effectively

Number #1 Set daily schedule and writedown things to be done during the day

Setting and writing down a daily schedule withtime slots assigned to each task is like a dailyaction plan for your mind. You can use a simplespreadsheet such as excel or just write it downmanually on your notebook. It will let your brainknow what it needs to get done during the day.

Number #2 Have a SMART daily to-do-list

It’s very important that your daily goals are:

Specific

Measurable

Attainable

Realistic

Time-bound

Only if your daily goals are specific regarding what exactly needs to be done and how, can your mindbe all set to do those tasks. If your daily tasks are vague, your end-of-the-day results will be vague aswell.

For example, instead of having a daily goals list such as:

– writing a blog post;

– syndicating it; and

– going for work out;

is a vague to do list. Instead of it turn it into a SMART to-do-list.

For example, your daily to-do-list can look like this:

– Writing a 1500-2000 words blog post: 4 hours ;

– Finding and adding 5 images to the post: 1 hour

-Doing the final editing and publishing the post: 1 hour

-Syndicating/distributing it on Facebook, Google +, Pinterest, Tumblur, Ping-o-matic, issuu.com : 1hour

-Workout for 1.5 hours (6 pm to 7.30 pm);

– Check emails and other notifications (reply back if needed):1 hour (8 to 9.00 pm)

and the list can go on.

Note that in the above list all the goals are:

Specific (for instance, having mentioned that you have to distribute it on certain websites);

Measurable (for instance, assigning a word limit to the post and the number of images to be added);

Attainable (can be achieved during a day’s time);

Realistic (not over-the-top); and

Time-bound (have time slots attached to them).

Number #3 Allot realistic time slots

Don’t beat yourself up by assigning time to your task for which you know in your gut that you can’t finishit within that time frame. For instance, if you haven’t written a blog post in 2 hours time before thendon’t put that extra pressure on yourself. Take it easy and go slow. Allot some more hours to it.

Give yourself some time to adjust with the time management. Cut yourself some slack because thatlimited time frame will only add to those back packs on your shoulders and that will only add to thestress.

It’s okay even if you take baby steps. The important thing is that you take it every day for equal amountof time.

Number #4 Have a single definitive list of everything you need to get done in a day

Having a well defined list of things to be donehelp you decide what needs to be done in whichorder. Not having a well defined specific list ofthings to be done will only lead you to wastetime and get vague results for the day.

Only when you have a definitive list of dailygoals, can you prioritize your tasks and decideas to what should be done first, what should bedone later and what tasks should be delegatedto others.

Number #5 Do Not ‘cram’ your daily goals list

Ever tried to over stuff your luggage in a suit case? Ever failed in zipping up that suit case due to thatextra stuff that you just tried to fit in there? The same is the case with making daily schedule.

Not a long time back when I would be writing down my daily-to-do list, Iwould literally write down everything that I would think of or that would hitmy mind at that time in my next day’s goals.

I would advise you to never to do that. It just stresses you and your mindthat’s it! It won’t help you achieve your goals in a shorter span of time. Yourbrain will take the time to do the tasks as much as it would actuallyrealistically need to get them done.

Giving yourself that extra pressure by stuffing your daily to-do list with everything will just not serve thepurpose.

Number #6 Break down a seemingly impossible or a very big task into doablechunks

Any task that seems too big to be done and daunts you, it should be broken down into smaller sections.This will not only make it easier for you to finish the task step-up-step within time but also give you asense of accomplishment as you get done with each section. It will ultimately result in you being able tomanage your time effectively.

Number #7 Prioritize your list

Effective prioritization will help you stay focused on getting themost urgent and right things done the foremost preventing youfrom wasting time.

Prioritization can be done according to various criteria. Forexample, you can prioritize your list according to the tasksthat:

are the most important and will have the greatest impacton your business;

need to be done on the most urgent basis according todeadlines;

are important and urgent;

are important but not urgent;

are most daunting and you want to get over them assooner as possible.

Doing the task that gives you nightmares as the first thing in the morning will not only help clear yourmind and relax you, but also ensure you that you have done it the right way as you have spent the rightamount of time doing it at the best of your energy levels.

Nonetheless, different strategies work differently for each one of us. Figure out what works best for youand then keep tweaking to get the most out of your day.

Apply the 80/20 Rule, aka Pareto Principle

The Pareto Principle says that 20% of your effort will produce 80% of your result. Prioritization of yourtasks and identification of those 20% of tasks will help you achieve the maximum of your results.

Number #8 Set reminders and synchronize your to-do list

You can organize your daily goals by using some smart phone apps that sync between devices suchas Any.do and setting reminders on Google calendar.

Putting your tasks on sticky notes and placing them on the wall next to your desk or anywhere that isclosely visible to you is a great way of reminding your brain to not to procrastinate and finish themwithin time.

Number #9 Give your mind some downtime, reward it with short frequent breaks

Your mind is like any other machine. It needs a down time.Give yourself frequent short breaks. I would say 10 minutesbreak after every 50 minutes is ideal. But if time managementis new to you and you are still working on developing such workhabits, then take short 5 minutes break after every 25 to 30minutes. That will help train your mind to develop focus andconcentration.

Take a short tea break, or listen to your favorite music, or goout in the sunlight and do some running, or check yourmessages during your break time.

It will not only freshen you up but will tell your mind that it hashad some pleasure boosts and now it’s work time.

Number #10 Stay focused on task at hand

Stay engaged and centered on what needs to be done for longer period of time by practicing these tips:

a. Use time chunks, aka pomodoro technique

This involves picking a single task, setting a timer for 25 minutes and committing to stay focused onthat task for that period of time. When the timer is up give yourself some rewards by taking a short 5minute break, have tea or listen to your favorite sound track or get something to eat, go out in theterrace for a while or anything that you would like to do.

If you are a person like me who was not used to stay focused for a longer time span and was easilydistractable, then don’t get hard on yourself. Ease yourself up and set short time limits like 15 or even10 minutes on your timer and then gradually work yourself up to longer cycles.

Repeat.

Every four cycles take a longer break for 15 minutes.

Be mindful of the type of breaks you are having during time chunking.

Get a cup of tea or coffee, chat with a friend or go out for a walk instead of scrolling through your socialmedia feed. During the break time get up from your desk. This gives your brain an organic break.

b. Break a large task into smaller, easier to complete chunks.

Prioritize those chunks on the basis of what needs to be done first. Breaking down your pile of work intopieces of successive tasks allow you to feel less burdened and your work will seem to you as less

insurmountable.

Keep in mind that staying focused on a task for extended periods of time is a skill that needs practiceand takes time to develop.

Number #11 Use Tools for eliminating unneeded distractions

One of the many effective time management tips is to use the many tools available to us to escapedistraction at the maximum level. By the virtue of internet, today we are connected more than everbefore. There are a variety of factors that can distract us such as, notifications from social media sites,text messages, emails and unexpected phone calls.

Following are some simple yet very practical tips if you want to know how to manage your timeeffectively.

a. Disabling notifications on your smart phone

One way to avoid getting distracted is by switching off any social media notifications. this will enableyou to concentrate more on your work and complete your task at hand within targeted time.

b. Switch off wifi connections on your mobile phone

If you really need to focus on your work then switching off your cell phone’s wifi connection for a certainperiod might help you as well as it will temporarily disconnect you from any social media tools.

c. If you really need to have access to the internet to get done with your work and practice option babove won’t work for you then you don’t have to worry either. You have a variety of tools that enableyou to block access to certain sites that have the potential to distract you for a certain period oftime that you set.

SelfControl, FocalFilter and Leechblock are some of the cool tools that are available to you online toblock access to certain websites, incoming and outgoing mail servers for a certain period ofpredetermined time to help you stay focused.

d. Wear plugins or headphones to cut yourself off from the outside noise. You can also listen to anoise machine that can produce certain colors of sound. For example, typically white noise is thestandard noise used for maintaining focus on your work.

Number #12 Use a stopwatch or a countdown timer

Working in front of a computer or laptop and staring at the screen is hypnotic. You need to give yourbrain a little nudge to stop after short intervals. For that purpose you have got to use a stopwatch or acountdown timer.

I personally use this online stopwatch and set 50 minutes time whenever I start working on some task.50 minutes pass by before I know it and the bell rings to alert me that it’s break time.

Number #13 Keep your physical work space clean, lightened and more conducivefor work.

Your work space is any where you work, be it an office or the desk placed in the corner of your room.Keeping it clean is a must to avoid visual distraction and maintaining focus on the task at hand. This willallow you to get more done in lesser time.

For instance, if you are running an online business there are very high chances that you are workingfrom a desk placed in your room.

However, it is very important that you get rid of any visual clutter by keeping minimal things that youabsolutely need on your desk. Put those extra decoration pieces, or photo frames, that empty mug oftea or other personal items away from your desk.

Also having the right type of work furniture is a must. A chair that does not allow you to sit in the rightposture can result in sever back pain hampering your productivity. Consequently you will end up losingon productive time due to body aches emanating from working in wrong posture.

Number #14 Keep your digital space clean

Having a clean digital work space is similar to working in a tidy office. Get yourself rid of the visualclutter that you are exposed to on your desktop.

Organize your files into folders and keep only the files, applications and shortcuts on your desktop thatyou absolutely need. Hiding the extensions, plugins, toolbar from your browser will serve the samepurpose.

Snap your windows to specific size and position to fit the size of your desktop and keep your displaywindow distraction free by closing all extra tabs. This enables you to lower distraction, increase focusand utilize your time much more effectively.

Number #15 Capitalize on your personal energy levels by keeping track of it

Have you ever noticed that during certain times of the day you are buzzing with energy and you getdone with things most quickly? None of us have the same level of energy through out the day and eachone of us have energy fluctuations during the day.

Observe and keep track of your productive hours by monitoring your energy levels during the day. You

can do that byentering those times in a log. You can use a simple spreadsheet to monitor your energy levels during the course ofeach day.

Keep record of the high positive emotions and mentalenergy like focus and clarity, and times of negative emotionsand low energy like grogginess and distraction.

Collecting a week’s data in a spreadsheet and making agraph out of it, will make you discover your natural curve ofenergy levels. For example, you might realize that your energy level is at the peak during the morningand you feel the laziest in the evening, or you might notice that after having your lunch you get sleepy.

Monetizing your energy graph and capitalizing on it is one of the most important tips for effective timemanagement. It’s critical that you utilize your energy peak levels and do the hardest, most stimulating,most important and income generating activities during that time bracket to yield the most out of yourwork day.

Do the menial tasks such as checking your emails or scheduling appointments during the low energylevel times of your day. Or you could simply take a break during times of low energy.

Keeping a log of your daily work timings will also help you notice your lifestyle habits and for exampleyou may notice that you have the most energy boost after you have breakfast or fruits as a snack. Thiswill help you get the most out of the energy that you have.

Keep experimenting with your routine so that you figure out accurately what works the best for you.

Number #16 Avoid sequential tasking, aka multi-tasking

Multi-tasking can be categorized into two types – dual tasking and sequential tasking. Dual tasking iswhen we do two things simultaneously, for example, raising our hand and moving our leg. But dualtasking is doable for very simple tasks only. When it comes to our work we cannot do two things at atime.

It is “sequential tasking”, that is switching between tasks, that we do most of the times while working.

For instance, switching between devices, checking our social media updates or texting while we workare typical examples of what we refer to as multi-tasking.

For practicing the effective time management you must avoid any such sequential tasking that hindersyours performance and consequently results in your time wastage.

Number #17 Put your cell phone on MUTE mode

Today we are connected more than ever before, which is a great benefit. But it also entails unexpecteddistractions such as text messages, unexpected phone calls,social media updates, email notifications, etc.

Turning my cell phone on silent mode, didn’t work for me as thevibration would still distract me and unconsciously I wouldleave my work at hand for a few minutes and check theupdates. It just hampered my workflow.

However, when I started turning on the ‘mute’ mode, it provedto be very effective. Neither was I distracted nor my messages,updates or notifications were held back. I would checkimportant notifications during my short 5 minute breaks.

I am pretty sure you will find this hack very effective as well.

Number #18 Never ever start your day by checking emails

Checking of emails should come after the tasks, if not at the last, that you have prioritized in your to-dolist. This will prevent you from taking somebody else’s work pressure on you.

Checking and reading emails at the start of your day or during your work not only distracts you but mostof the times stresses you and your energies are channelized towards doing the tasks that does notrequire to be done urgently. This makes you lose your peak energy levels.

Number #19 Get rid of external/outside distractions when running an onlinebusiness from home

While running your online business from home there are great possibilities that you get distracted byyour family members every now and then. Choose a time slot for working in which the distractions areminimal.

For instance, if you are a stay-at-home parent and run your own online business from home, you needto select the hours in which your kids are either asleep or have gone to school. This has three benefits.

Number one, you don’t feel the guilt of neglecting your child or children. Number two, your child doesn’tfeel left out or lonely. Number three, your work is finished in a lesser time with a much better output.

Number #20 Observe self-discipline when running an online business

Observing self-discipline is critical for managingyour time effectively. Being an online entrepreneurrequires as much self-discipline as any 9 to 5 job.Working from home doesn’t mean you just leaveyour work at the mercy of your own desires.

Set a daily routine. Choose the time slot as yourworking hours that suits you the most. Workinghours that go in harmony with your circadianrhythm will work best for you.

For instance, I wake up around 8.30 in themorning and start working around 9.30 to 10 a.muntil 6 in the evening after which I go to gym andhave a good family time.

You better know what suits you the best. Set yourdaily time table as per your circadian cycle.

Number #21 Never compare your results with others.

You must be thinking what does this have to do with time management. Well it has a lot to do witheffectiveness of your time management. I will explain.

Let me give you an example from my personal life to explain that better.

Not a very long time ago I would compare the rate of my progress with others’ progress. I would see asto how far I am left behind others and then try to catch up with them.

It freaked me out!

I was so stressed out that I went into minor phase of anxiety and depression. Due to that anxiety I justwon’t do anything at all! And even if I would do a little bit of something, the tasks juts won’t get done. Ihave actually wasted so many work days because of the stress emanating from the evil of comparison.

It was so difficult for me to pull myself out of this downward spiral. After much instructions to myunconscious was I able to overcome this habit of comparison.

Each one of us has their own pace and way of doing things. Do not let others’ progress or way of doingthings become a mental barrier for you. Instead take it positively and as an incentive to boost yourproductivity.

Trust me it will greatly help you in managing your time effectively.

Number #22 Work on your mindset and build your brain’s concentration muscle

I am sure you must be thinking again, ‘Now what does thishave to do with learning how to manage your timeeffectively?” Trust me this has a lot to do with it.

Once again let me explain its relevance to you with mypersonal experience.

For a long time my subconscious had been blocking me frommanaging my time and utilizing it in an effective manner bymaking me think that I cannot achieve what I wanted to. Itcaused a major hindrance in boosting my productivity as Iwould waste tonnes of productive hours just trying to pacifymyself.

Instead of working on the most important and urgent tasks Iwould keep myself busy in some other non-productive, non-urgent tasks just to keep myself distractedfrom the stress of finishing up the important, seemingly difficult tasks.

It was not until when I started giving my brain some exercise by building its ability to focus. If you reallywant to improve your time management you have got to work on your mindset.

Working on your mindset and visualization of your goals is as important as writing down goals when itcomes to managing your time effectively.

Your mind is the key driver of your actions. If your mindset is not directed towards your targets andgoals, it is more than ninety-nine percent likely that you’ll never get them done.

You have to remind your subconscious of your goals daily. If your subconscious will have doubts aboutyou achieving your goals then there is no doubt that you will never utilize your time doing the incomeproducing activities.

As a matter of fact you will end up wasting your time doing unimportant tasks resulting inprocrastination and not achieving your daily set targets.

It is the urge of our unconscious part of the brain for little pleasure boosts that leads us to delaying ourtasks and falling prey to ineffective time management trap.

Meditating every morning even just for 10 minutes will bring clarity to your mind, build its concentrationmuscle, make it more focused towards your work and certainly you will get things done within thespecified time. Remember, a satisfied mind leads to a satisfactory outcome.

Number #23 Let go of anxiety associated with starting anything new – practicecontrol over your negative emotions, stop over thinking and take action

Yes, I have been such a big victim of this starting-new-task anxiety. Whenever I knew that I had to starta new thing, I would just feel a knot in my stomach. I would feel my heart sinking somewhere down in abottomless pit. My heartbeat would be so fast that I would usually start sweating or feel hot in chillywinters. And at times just the opposite symptoms would show up. My blood pressure would dip so lowthat my hands and feet would get cold even in summers.

Such negative current of emotions only results in you leaving your daily targets unmet by wasting timejust thinking about starting to work. I too had to work hard on it.

By regularly listening to motivational podcasts and videos of my mentors, Jay Kubbasek and StuartRoss, It took me months to get over the habit of over-thinking and feeling anxious about getting mywork done.

So don’t let negativity take over your ability to accomplish goals and hamper your productivity. Insteadstop thinking and take action.

Number #24 Mastermind with others who are more knowledgeable than you

Never feel ashamed or hesitate in seeking out help from others. Ifyou are stuck in some work, just step up and seek

the assistance of others and it will help you get done with your workin a shorter period of time. Moreover, not just will you end upmanaging your time effectively you’ll also see your knowledgeexpanding.

Number #25 Outsource / delegate menial work toothers if possible

We all are faced with petty tasks that are urgent but not that important and getting them done before acertain time just interrupts your work flow and reduces the effectiveness of time utilization. In suchsituations just outsource them.

For instance, if there is some minor plugin issue with your website and given that you are not atechnical person, finding solution for it will affect your time dedicated to the important work at hand. Justdo not waste those couple of hours in researching about it on Google and then fixing it.

Instead outsource that work to some technical person that will resolve the issue in probably less than10 minutes. Not only will it save your time and energy but will also help you stay focused on the mostimportant tasks at hand. You can outsource your tasks online on sites such as Fiverr and UpWork.

All the hacks that I told you in this post are not just theory but I have applied them personally and gotgreat results in in accomplishing my online business goals! There is no doubt that these won’t work foryou.

Practicing them will help train your mind to develop its concentration muscle. Analogous to weighttraining, the results won’t manifest over night but practicing these time management hacks each daywill develop your mind’s concentration span and you will be able to effectively manage your time.

I hope this post gave you some easy-to-practice takeaways on how to manage your time effectively.Applying them immediately is the need of the moment.

I would love to hear back from you! Feel free to comment and connect with me on social media (see onthe right side of this page) or schedule call with me (at the bottom right).

Ciao for now! This is me, Anam Tahir, signing off with lots of love.

>Click here if you want to know about Anam Tahir <

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