How to Manage Your Time With These 18 Easy Time Management Tips

Learning how to manage your time is as easy as implementing these time management tips which will boost your productivity and help you find more time to enjoy doing what you love. Does the day never seem to have enough hours in it to accomplish what you need to finish? I can relate and it’s one of the reasons I’ve made it my mission to find ways to better manage my time.

Why it matters

Perhaps you’re thinking that this isn’t really a problem for you and that better time management wouldn’t really make that big of a difference. Even if your day isn’t typically overflowing with tasks to be completed you can still benefit from better time management. 

It’s all about maximizing your time. So even if you’ve got time to spare, learning to be more productive with the time that you have will spill over to other areas of your life in a very positive way. 

How to master your time management skills:

1. Set goals

Setting goals is one of the most important things you can do to boost productivity. Why? Knowing what you are working toward will keep you focused and help you recognize when you begin to get off track. This is incredibly important for me as it is very easy for me to get distracted and start working on something that isn’t helping me meet my goal. If this sounds like you, goal setting can be a huge help in focusing your efforts and boosting efficiency.

2. Create a to-do list

Once you have some goals you’ll need to set up a to-do list to give you a clear picture of what it’s going to take to accomplish your goals. A to-do list will serve as a point of reference to help keep you on track. These can be prioritized and timed for particular times of day, different days, weeks, etc. 

As a public accountant, I use OneNote to keep track of everything that needs to get done. Without this I would be lost and things would fall through the cracks and not get done. Having everything organized and in front of you to reference is a requirement to make sure you don’t forget anything and to keep prioritized items in the forefront of your mind. 

You don’t have to use OneNote, however, to have an effective list. There are many apps that can be used just as effectively. The important thing is that you have a list and that it works for you. 

3. Schedule time

Having goals and a good to-do list is a great start but now you need to get to work. The challenge now is finding uninterrupted time to start checking off items on your list. Again, for someone like me who can be easily distracted, it helps to set aside dedicated time for specific tasks. This helps keep you on track and, if at work, can let others know that you are busy working on something specific. 

This can also help you further plan your day. If you have four hour long tasks and this gets scheduled in one hour blocks, you are more likely to concentrate on completing these tasks than if you simply have a plan of “getting them done today.” Something that isn’t scheduled is something that can more easily be put off. This doesn’t mean that if something comes up that is more important you can’t reschedule but it does create a sense of importance and urgency and will make it more likely to be done. 

4. Set deadlines

Setting deadlines is another important tool in managing time and boosting productivity. Also, being able to consistently meet deadlines is an important skill to have and master. 

When you set a deadline for something, not only are you setting a goal but you are also setting up the framework for a plan to accomplish that goal. Similar to how scheduling time for something makes it more likely for you to work on it, having a deadline forces you to strategize a way to effectively meet that deadline. 

For example, if you have something that you know will take you ten hours to complete and it needs to be done in one week, you know that you will need to carve out ten hours of dedicated time to put toward completing this task. Depending on your other commitments, you could separate this into two 5 hour blocks of time, 10 one hour blocks of time, or any other combination that works with your schedule. However you decide to break up this task, you know what needs to be done to finish it and this makes it all the more likely to actually get done on time. 

5. Figure out your distractions

I think I’ve mentioned before that I am easily distracted. Thankfully, this has given me the opportunity to learn how to deal with this problem and even if distractions are not an issue for you, knowing how to deal with them can still provide a more streamlined and productive experience when working toward accomplishing goals.

Knowing what distracts you is the first step in dealing with distractions. Maybe your distraction is noise and having a noise free work environment is what you require to be productive. Perhaps social media is a distraction for you or even just your phone in general and you are your most productive when your phone is off or not around you. Whatever it is, knowing what reduces your productivity and removing that distraction is going to go a long way in making you more productive and help you better utilize your time. 

6. Create little rewards throughout the day

While the feeling of accomplishment that you get when meeting a goal or checking something off of your to-do list is rewarding, sometimes giving yourself little rewards can help reinforce your good habits and make being productive a little less daunting. 

Rewards can be anything from enjoying a coffee or tea break to giving yourself a little time to play a game or some other break from thinking. One of my coworkers will take a 15 minute break to explore Google Earth. Whatever you enjoy, make it into a reward, just don’t forget to put a time limit on it so it doesn’t turn into a distraction. 

7. Set time limits (set a timer)

Setting time limits can apply to breaks, as we just talked about, or to specific tasks. Just as it’s important to set aside blocks of time for tasks, it can be just as important to set limits. You may want to make sure that there is ample time to do something else that is important, or perhaps a particular task can be very draining. Whatever the reason, setting time limits is another way to further manage your time and be more efficient. 

8. Write things down and take notes

Writing things down helps you remember them and taking notes helps you not forget. If you have a great idea pop into your head, write it down! I don’t even want to think of how many amazing ideas I’ve lost due to not writing them down and thinking that I’ll remember them later.

Similarly, taking notes when learning something or when you need to remember something that is being said is the best way to avoid awkward conversations later when asking someone to repeat what was talked about. Also, writing down notes in your to-do list can be a good way to document more detailed information pertaining to your tasks and goals. Basically, if it’s even remotely important, write it down.  

9. Motivate yourself

Sounds easy but often motivating yourself is anything but. However, if you can learn what motivates you, nothing is impossible. I find that motivating myself can be as easy as reducing the perceived difficulty of whatever it is that I am doing. This can be done by breaking down your tasks into more bitesize pieces and also by giving yourself breaks. 

Another important way to motivate yourself is to remember why you are working toward your goal in the first place. Give yourself purpose in what you are doing. Even if it is for someone else (at a job, for example), frame it in a way that makes it beneficial to you. In the end, performing well is always going to benefit you in some way. 

10. Make tasks bitesize

Turning large tasks into smaller more manageable tasks is an effective strategy to use when tackling daunting work loads. Think about any other big project, like building a house. Building a house isn’t one task, it is a string of many smaller projects that can be broken down even further. You need to prepare the land before creating the foundation before building the frame, etc. Each step is its own mini project and allows for better time management and a better framework for goal setting. The same can be applied to any large project. Break it down and tackle each small task on its own. 

11. Give yourself breaks

Giving yourself breaks is an important part of being productive and effectively managing your time. Even the most productive people need  to take breaks and the time lost to a break will be made up with more productive time later thanks to a refreshed outlook and clearer mind. 

Sometimes when doing something we can get caught up in what we’re doing and lose sight of the bigger picture. We can lose perspective and all of sudden things become more difficult and we lose focus. Taking a break and stepping away may seem like the opposite of what you should do in a situation like this but giving yourself the time to clear your head and do something else can be exactly what is needed to get you back on track.

12. Organize your work area

Your work area matters. Having a cluttered and disorganized work environment will lead to cluttered and disorganized thoughts. Cliche but true. 

This can take many forms and is very individual but you should know if your work space is helping or hurting your productivity. For example, there is probably a limit to the number of sticky notes that help. Maybe it’s ten, or even 15, but we can probably all agree that 100 might be too much. Make sure that you know where everything is and can easily access what you need, both on your desk and on your computer. 

13. Set reminders

When you have many things going on, sometimes you will need to set reminders to help keep you on track. This is a good way to keep you on schedule and help you stick to your plan that you’ve created. 

Reminders can be from an alarm, calendar notifications, or any other applicable app that lets you know when things are coming up. Make them fun, personalize them, and make them unique to different types of tasks or to-do items. 

14. Automate and delegate

The more you have to do, the more benefit you will find in streamlining your workload. How do you do this? A couple ways are to automate things that can be automated and delegate things that can be delegated. 

Automating tasks simply means finding a way to have something done automatically. This may not be possible with more complex tasks, however, when breaking down complex projects into smaller more manageable tasks, you may find that some of these subtasks can be automated. Automation can be as simple as writing and scheduling emails in advance or creating an Excel template that allows for easy data entry in the future. Basically, find ways to do things that benefit your future self. 

Delegating means letting others handle tasks that are better suited to their strengths and capabilities. If you have something that is beyond your capabilities, delegate it to someone who can comfortably handle it. Likewise, if you have something that is easier for you and your time would be better spent working on something more suited to your expertise, delegate this to someone comfortable with this level of complexity. In short, allocate your workload where it will be most efficiently completed. 

15. Start now (don’t procrastinate)

Whatever it is that needs to get done, don’t put it off until later. Utilize the tools I’ve outlined so far to confidently tackle whatever you’ve got ahead of you today. It really isn’t as bad as you think and you will thank yourself later when you are not stressed out and behind on whatever it is that needs to be done. 

16. Prioritize

Prioritizing your workload is important to make sure that what needs to be done first gets done before less pressing items. Think of the things that you would like to finish today. If nothing else got done, you would still be satisfied that you finished these tasks. Make these your priority for the day. 

Also, look at easy to complete tasks that can be finished relatively quickly and easily. Add these to your priority list as they will shrink your to-do list with only a little effort. Organize everything else by applicable deadlines. 

17. Take ownership

In the grand scheme of things, you are in control of your goals. If you take this approach you will be the only one standing in your way. This means taking ownership of whatever it is that you are working toward. While this can feel like a lot of responsibility, it also puts you in control which is an empowering feeling. Step up to the challenge of taking ownership and make your goals happen. 

18. Take action

One of the most difficult things about doing something is doing it. Planning is fun and feels good (and it is!) but means nothing if you don’t put it into action. So, whatever your goals are and whatever it is that you want to accomplish, make the first thing on your to-do list “start now.” This will be your first win and the first step toward success. 

Once you get started things won’t seem so bad. Of course, not everything is easy and there will be times when things get difficult but keep these tips in mind and remember that you just have to keep your goals moving forward and remember to take breaks and have fun along the way.

Do you have any time management tips that I missed? Share them below!

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