Have you ever felt being so busy with tons of works to finish but with lesser time remaining on your long and hectic day? Do you submit reports on time? Are you able to accomplish all your tasks before the deadlines? If your answer is yes, I can tell that you are a highly productive person, otherwise, you may need to rethink of your work habits and take time to read these five life saving tips on how you can manage your time effectively and become your most productive self in the workplace.
- Create a To Do list.
- Prioritize tasks
- Take one task at a time
- Avoid distractions
- Focus
Just like how teachers plan the flow of their lessons with their daily lesson plans, do the same thing by planning for your day before it unfolds. You can do this by listing all the things you have to do for the day. Start from the most important one to the least important task. You may now proceed in tip number two which is to…
After having created a “to do” list, you may now start saving time by working on the most important tasks at your hand. Remember that by prioritizing a task, you learn to see the urgency of the things you need to work on. Finish this particular tasks and move on to the next important task on your list.
Working on different things simultaneously will not make you a productive employee, taking on one task at a time does. Do not jump into the next task if you are not yet finished with the first one or just because you have experienced difficulties in accomplishing your first task. If you do, you will only stress yourself out thinking that you still have to get back to your most important task which you haven’t finished yet.
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat – come on, you know it doesn’t help you save time while working. You know it, and yet, you still browse your newsfeed, stalk your crush, or post your rants online. Social media is just that tempting and it can be considered as the top modern day distraction. Furthermore, using these social networking sites while working on your task has its consequences. And I tell you, they are not good. Learn to step away from the online realm by keeping your phone in your bag or in your pocket. Or if you’re working in front of a computer, close all the browsers and keep yourself busy working on the task at hand. This will not just save you time but also, it will teach you the most important thing in this list. And that is to…
Yes, focus is the most important thing to learn if you are passionate about managing your time in the workplace. This can be developed over time especially if you have learned to internalize its prerequisites which are the first four tips I have mentioned above. Focus is one of the essentials in time management. This will keep you in your most productive form.
As an additional tip, you may also make use of time management techniques such as the Pomodoro technique. It is a time management technique developed by Francesco Cirillo where in you use timer to break down work into intervals. These intervals are called Pomodoros. The term Pomodoro is the Italian word for tomato.
Using this technique, you keep yourself focused on your tasks for 25 minutes and take a five-minute break after it. Continue working with these time intervals and keep it in your mind and you will be able to work productively within the day. This technique works on the idea that frequent short breaks can improve mental agility.
That’s it. Now that you have learned about these time management tips, it is now up to you to apply it on your daily working endeavors. With that, I leave you with this old adage, “work smarter, not harder”. And always remember to finish what you have started. This is a basic principle for getting things done. Do not quit somewhere in the middle saying it’s just too hard. Believe in yourself that you can do it and apply the tips I have mentioned above. In the end, you’ll see yourself smiling and by that time, you can tell yourself, yes I’ve done it.
By: Ms. Maricel P. Balatbat
