5 Time Management tips
Being good at Time management ensures that you have more focus for your tasks, that you get more done in a day and that you also have peace of mind. We sought out the best Time management tips for you.
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5 Time Management Tips
for efficient working
Being effective with your time management ensures that you have more focus for your tasks, that you get more done in a day and that you also have peace of mind. That’s why we sought out the best time management tips for you. To make the right choices and use your time as efficiently as possible.
#1 Work with a task list and schedule
In the hustle and bustle of the day with all the work that comes your way, it is good to work with a task list. This provides overview and helps you determine what has priority. Do not dive straight into your mailbox, but make a daily list of tasks before you start your day. This way you can start efficiently. Start with the most important or most difficult task to avoid stress. It is also smart to carry out tasks that are similar to each other in one go, such as telephone calls, your e-mails or preparing quotations. An easy way is to give similar tasks the same color on your to-do list and complete them in one set time block. Mentally switching between different tasks will cost you time and energy. If you don’t want to write down your task list, handy online scheduling tools include To Do and Trello.
To really have a handle on the bigger picture, it is advisable to keep a weekly or monthly schedule in the process. This can be done in an Excel document or specific planning tools. Update this planning weekly at a fixed time. For example, on Friday afternoon, so you can go into the weekend feeling calm.
#2 Prioritize
If you find prioritizing difficult, it may make sense to use a priority filter. Also useful if you get an ad hoc request to pick up a task. With this you determine which activities actually contribute to your goals. So it is important to first have your 3 to 6 main goals clear. You can determine this for example by answering the following questions:
- What tangible results are you hired for?
- When are you doing your job well?
- What results have you achieved?
Make sure you support these goals and that your manager thinks the same. If not, you still need to fine-tune your goals. And put your goals in order of importance.
Once you have your goals clear, you can then scale the activities that come your way on the priority matrix. This determines whether it is useful to spend your time on them (upper quadrants) or not (lower quadrants). You do that by always asking 2 questions:
- Does this activity contribute/not contribute to your goals? So is it important or not important?
- Does this activity require immediate attention now, yes/no?
Eisenhower Matrix
#3 Limit emailing
Emails are received and sent throughout the day and are huge time wasters. Therefore, it is good not to be busy all day, but 1 or 2 times a day to process your emails. Decide with each email that you receive what the next action is: delete, forward or an action for yourself. Can you perform this action in less than 2 minutes? Then do it right away. Otherwise, put it on your to-do list.
#4 Tidy up and organize
Chaos around your work (place) creates stress. So when everything has its own place, you save time searching for stuff or information. Therefore, tidy up and keep everything organized. This also applies to your computer. Digital documents and mailboxes can be organized in folders, such as a folder per customer. Or create a folder for work with a lower priority, which you can then pick up at a quiet moment. When your workplace is tidy, you have fewer distractions around you. This way you can pay 100% attention to your current task and be much more efficient.
#5 Take enough rest
That you occasionally work longer hours to complete your work is understandable and not a bad thing. But don’t try to work for hours on end. Make sure you have enough small breaks in between to take your mind off things. In this way you give your brain the rest and your subconscious can put all the information in a row. So if you’re tired, don’t force yourself to keep going. In the long run this will only work against you, so know when to take a break. Go for a walk outside or grab a cup of coffee with your colleague and blow off some steam. Afterwards, your head will be clearer and it will help you avoid stress.
Bonus tip
These are our tips for effective time management and, above all, a successful, productive and less stressful working week. Well then, one last bonus tip: Even if you have such a nice job, annoying, difficult tasks will always remain. Prevent procrastination, plan these activities at fixed times and just pick them up. This will not only give you satisfaction but also space in your brain and calendar to be busy with things that are fun to do.
Read more about time management
We were informed and inspired by these Dutch articles:
https://www.heteffectievewerken.nl/blog/prioriteiten-stellen-en-leren-prioriteren.html
https://www.optelsom.nl/8-time-management-tips-om-je-productiviteit-te-verbeteren.html
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