Good time management skills help you work smarter instead of just harder.

You have probably wished there were more than 24 hours a day so you could get more work done but also spend more time on other meaningful things in your life. Unfortunately, you can not add more hours to a day, but the good news is that you can always learn to use them more wisely.

Productivity and time management skills are what makes the difference between people who struggle with getting work done on time, and those who perfectly manage, having plenty of time and energy left over to invest however they want. Having more time helps you to focus, lowers your stress levels, and allows you to take advantage of learning opportunities. All of these time management benefits lead to more career success and other improvements in your life.

We have put together a list of top time management techniques to help you accomplish everything you have to do in less time. Skyrocket your productivity, and ultimately have more time for yourself.

1. PLAN THE WORK

Productivity is not about doing more things – it is about doing the right things. It is all about planning: mapping the tasks required to achieve the desired goal; and prioritising: ensuring you are doing the right things.

Start by setting up a defined master plan for your project. Then, break the plan down into tasks and subtasks. Set deadlines for the entire project, including each task and subtask – and stick to them.

Productivity expert Brian Tracy says that every minute you spend in planning saves 10 minutes in execution. It takes only about 10 to 12 minutes for you to plan out your day, but this small investment of time will save you up to two hours (100 to 120 minutes) in wasted time and diffused effort through the day. Also, the Six-P Formula reassures that “Proper Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance.”

Prioritisation helps you to make the best use of your time and resources. There are only a limited number of hours in a day and this is the same for the week, month, year, etc. There is a limit to the number of things that you can possibly do (with good quality) in a period of time, therefore you need to prioritise. The Pareto principle states that you get 80% of your results from 20% of your work. The key to effective prioritisation is to discover the 20% of your projects and tasks that will give you the greatest returns on your effort. The ABCDE method helps you with deciding which tasks to tackle first.

Keep in mind not to do everything by yourself. Instead, delegate tasks to appropriate parties. And don’t forget to make use of modern technology – you can easily plan your work and delegate tasks with any project management tool.

2. WORK THE PLAN

Next step is to perform the defined tasks and sub-tasks in the prioritised order and ahead of set deadlines. David Allen, the creator of the Getting Things Done (GTD) productivity method, recommends to have a to-do list for each day: write tasks down in an organised, clear, and simple way. However, remember to be realistic about what you can accomplish in a day and do not set yourself up for failure with an unrealistically long agenda. It is recommended that you keep a short list of three to eight things that you absolutely need to do each day.

Do not forget to regularly touch upon the big picture (the master plan) to make sure you are on the right track to your desired goal. Measure progress and make adjustments when needed.

Sometimes, it may be easy to get lost in a limbo between the macro (big picture) and the micro (tasks details) management of projects. Maintaining and switching between both the macro and micro are necessary for effective work and time management. To stay productive and motivated, it is imperative to keep in mind how the big picture and task details drive each other.

3. MAKE EVERY MOMENT COUNT WITH TIME MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE

In order to stick to the project master plan and not to miss deadlines, try tracking your time on work, meetings, etc. with the help of time management software. It is eye-opening to dig into work reports that reflect on your productivity and to pinpoint ‘time-wasters’ – it improves your work results, optimises your workload and improves your planning skills.

Did you know that a whopping 87% of high-performing companies use time management or project management software? For modern organisations, the success of a project initiative will be tied to the tools they use. Spreadsheets are still ruling in the world of general project management, but for time management, centralisation, collaboration, and sharing information – spreadsheets are still quite limited.

Read on: What Is Nomophobia And How To Break Free From It?

4. FORGET MULTITASKING, TRY MONOTASKING

Multitasking can seem necessary at times, and you might even be praised by your boss for doing it at work.

However, research by American Psychological Association suggests that doing more than one task at a time, especially more than one complex task, takes a serious toll on productivity and results. Not only does it take more time in the end and involve more errors, it also leads to as much as a 40% drop in productivity and increased stress. Furthermore, another study by the Institute of Psychiatry at the University of London concluded that multitasking can reduce your IQ by as much as 10% and cause mental blanks.

If you want to be effective in your work and get more done in less time, you need to stop multitasking. Instead of doing many things at half-effort, focus on your most significant tasks, one at a time.

5. CUT OFF DISTRACTIONS

A study Basex, a New York research firm, discovered that an average worker in the United States loses 2.1 hours per day due to interruptions. Additionally, researchers Gloria Mark and Victor Gonsalez of the University of California, Irvine, found that once interrupted, it takes workers 25 minutes to return to the original task, if they return at all.

Chances are you’re interrupted more than you realise – since interruptions blend in seamlessly with our work that it is often hard to notice them at all. According to research by RescueTime, a company that analyses computer habits, an average worker who sits most of the day at a computer, opens his or her email program 50 times a day and uses instant messaging 77 times a day. That means way too much distraction.

Distractions are multi-tasking in disguise and to successfully monotask, you need to eliminate these distractions. Turn off your phone ringers/beeps, create separate time slots for checking your email, Skype, Facebook, and other notifications. In the meantime, put your mind to the task at hand. And close the door if you must.

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