7 Ways to Supercharge Your Time Management Skills

Woman holding a cell phone at a table

You keep trying to balance your busy schedule, but things aren’t working out very well.

You find yourself arriving fifteen minutes late to appointments, your meetings run over the allotted time, and you’re constantly battling your schedule, instead of following it.

Like many things in life, the key to better managing your time is to work smarter, and not harder.

In this post, I offer several ways for you to supercharge your time management skills.

Stop viewing time management as an emergency.

There’s no need to get stressed out over your calendar; time will pass whether or not you pay attention to it.

That being said, why not approach it gently, and calmly?

Take a deep breath, focus your intent, and plan out your days and hours with clarity.

Know your weak spots.

What are your time management weaknesses? Are you an avid procrastinator, do you work on last-minute items before leaving for appointments, or do you get distracted easily? It pays to be honest with yourself; once you take inventory of your weaknesses, you can start working on improving them.

Make the most out of breaks in your schedule.

Time management isn’t just about being busy, it’s also about taking much-needed rest and breaks. You don’t have to fill up every moment of your day with a scheduled activity. A cancelled meeting is the perfect opportunity to go for a walk, take a brief nap, or read a chapter or two of your favorite book.

Identify and use your favorite time management techniques.

Compile a short list of your favorite time management tools and techniques. Some ideas include time-boxing, the Pomodoro technique, using a timer as you work, the Pareto principle, the Eisenhower Box, etc. You’ll not only work efficiently, but you’ll actually look forward to using your preferred technique or tool.

Try out a new time management technique every month.

Experiment with a new time management technique every few weeks. You’ll get to approach your work from a different angle, and this new technique might even help you get things done more efficiently. To keep things manageable, try out the new technique on a non-urgent task or project.

Work on improving a single time management issue.

Instead of trying to solve all of your time management issues at the same time, focus on improving just one. You could resolve to leave the house on time in the morning, end all of your office meetings on time, or give yourself more time to work on new projects. When you’ve mastered your time management skill of choice, you can move on to another.

Never stop learning.

Expend your skillset by listening to time management podcasts, reading blogs, books, magazines, attending lectures, or taking courses. Alternatively, you can learn from your mistakes. Review your schedule at the end of each week and ask yourself, “Could I have prevented this time management issue from happening?” or, “How might I solve a similar issue in future?”

 

How about you? Do you actively improve your time management skills? How do you go about doing so? What has worked for you in the past? Join the conversation and leave a comment below!

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About the Author

Rashelle

Rashelle Isip is a New York City-based productivity consultant who helps successful entrepreneurs and business owners manage their time and energy so they can reduce stress, work less, and make more money in their businesses. She has been featured in Fast Company, Forbes, NBC News, The Washington Post, NPR, and The Atlantic. Get her free guide, 5 Unexpected Things You Need to Organize a Work Notebook, by clicking here.

2 Comments

  1. Janet Barclay

    I seem to need to change up my system every few years. A few years ago I finally found fabulous to-do list software, and I continually refine the way I use it to make it less cumbersome and keep me better on track. However, lately I’ve been thinking about switching back to a paper planner. That’s a huge step so I will definitely be proceeding with caution!

    Reply
    • Rashelle

      Change is good! I regularly reevaluate my systems and my files to keep things in order, which translates to less time filing/looking for things.

      Reply

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