Time Management Tips for Busy Professionals
- Chikeremma Dr. B
- 1 day ago
- 6 min read
Isn't it weird how many of us go through 24 hours doing so much work yet getting few results? It happens to me, and sometimes I wonder if 24 hours is really enough? Well, yeah, it is enough, but in order to get the best out of each day, we need to learn how to manage each hour well.
But first, let's discuss why it is important to manage your time effectively.
Why is it important to effectively manage your time as a busy professional?
There are tons of work-related and personal benefits from effective time management and we will discuss them in detail;
Increased productivity: A typical productive day is one where you complete all urgent and important tasks and achieve the goals set for the day. This level of productivity is only possible if you can allocate and manage each hour effectively by setting clear daily goals, minimizing distractions, and staying focused on achieving those goals. Managing your time wisely, helps you maintain consistent productivity in both your professional and personal life, thereby making each day more fulfilling and impactful.
Less stress: Most times, the stress we experience as professionals is not actually from our jobs itself, but from our inability to manage our time effectively. A professional who decides to intentionally plan, structure, and approach each day systematically will discover that not all tasks are urgent enough to be completed in a day. Some tasks can be rolled over while some can be delegated which will eventually help you feel less overwhelmed and anxious about meeting last-minute deadlines.
A good work/life balance: Every professional desires a good work-life balance but what prevents us from having one is our inability to structure our day in a way that meets both our work and personal needs. Achieving a work-life balance is only possible if you intentionally manage your time well. It is important to do so because it leads to improved well-being and relationships.
Increased motivation: A well-managed and productive day helps improve your quality of work which in turn gives you that sense of accomplishment and also improves your confidence as a professional in your craft. This sense of accomplishment also helps to lessen procrastinating on getting tasks done.
Increased overall well-being: A well-managed day helps prevent the overwhelming and anxious feeling that comes with trying to meet last-minute deadlines. The less anxiety we have, the better it is for our mental and physical health as professionals.
11 time management tips for busy professionals
Do an introspection of how you have spent your time in the past: A good tip to begin with is to reflect on how you have spent your time over the past weeks to find out where exactly your time is going. If you are unsure how your time has been spent over the past few weeks then you can begin by tracking each day for at least 2 weeks to see how many hours you spend doing actual work and how many hours you spend feeding your distractions. This will help identify your priorities, your distractors, and time wasters.
Create a simple morning and evening routine that works for you: A structured routine each day can help you set the tone for a productive day. A simple morning routine that includes activities such as meditation, workout, and breakfast can help boost your energy and set a positive intention for the day. Also, a simple evening routine that includes activities such as journalling, reading a book, and meditation can help you wind down as you prepare for a restful sleep.
Have a to-do list and keep it simple: A to-do list helps to keep things organized and systematic so you are not confused about what to do first or what to keep for later. An effective way to create a practical to-do list is to keep the most important and urgent tasks at the top of the list while the less urgent ones, at the bottom of the list. This tactic helps you keep up with important deadlines and lessen the need to overstress when an unimportant task is not ticked off the list because it can always be rolled over to the next day.
Do the hard and important things first: Most people call this the "eat the frog" technique where you focus on getting the hardest and most important task off your plate. The morning hours are very productive for most people so it's a good idea to pour that energy into doing what you consider most difficult before taking up the simpler tasks. This method helps avoid procrastination and boosts your confidence for the rest of your day.
Avoid multitasking: From personal experience, I find that when I try to juggle two or more things at a time, I am less focused and I produce low-quality work. The brain functions well when we focus on doing and completing tasks one at a time. By focusing on a single item at a time, your concentration level is improved, more tasks are completed in less time, and the quality of your work is improved too.
Set a deadline for each task: Setting deadlines for tasks helps to create a state of urgency so you can get things done as quickly as possible. Be careful not to fall into the trap of planning fallacy where you underestimate the amount of time required for a task to be completed. To know how much time a task will take, you should break it down into small bits and note how much time each step will take for the entire project to be completed.
Learn to say no distractions: Our distractions often keep us from accomplishing our daily tasks. These distractions could be calls from family members, social media, or random thoughts that cross our minds. A practical way to avoid these distractions is by putting your phone on "do not disturb" until each task is complete.
Learn to delegate and outsource: delegating tasks to others doesn't mean you are lazy or less professional instead it means you have adopted a mindset of working smarter and not harder. As a professional, you cannot do everything so it's best to outsource freelancers for the job thereby offering you some extra time for other important things that require your expertise.
Create an organized workflow: A good way to avoid wasted time and effort is to adopt an effective and organized workflow that helps you complete each task in good time. You can use digital tools such as Trello, Notion, Asana, and others to standardize each process required to accomplish a task.
Sleep for at least 7-9 hours: Adequate sleep helps boost your productivity level. It helps you focus more on your daily task thereby decreasing the probability of making mistakes. A good evening routine can help you maintain a consistent sleep/wake cycle and improve your sleep quality.
Exercise, stay active, and hydrated: These are essential habits that should be adopted daily because they help improve your focus, mood, and energy level required to effectively manage your time.
About the Eisenhower matrix
Remember the third time management tip I mentioned about creating a to-do list? A good tool that works is the Eisenhower matrix time management tool which helps you prioritize tasks based on their urgency and importance.
When using the EM tool, you divide each task into these categories: (Urgent and Important), (Not Urgent but Important), (Urgent but Not Important), (Not Urgent, and Not Important). Tasks assigned to urgent and important, are tasks that should be done first, tasks assigned to not urgent but important can always be carried over if not completed in a day, and tasks that are urgent but unimportant can be delegated. Lastly, tasks that are not urgent and unimportant can be eliminated from your to-do list.
Here is a chart to help out in prioritizing your to-do lists
Concluding thoughts
Trying to effectively manage your time and get the most out of your day is more about being mindful of what truly matters and focusing on getting these things done on time. By doing this you are not only boosting your productivity as a professional, but you are reducing stress and freeing up some time to meet your personal needs. If you adopt any of the tips highlighted above, you are sure to make the most out of each day and achieve success both personally and professionally.
Comments