Are you in a constant state of stress, with too much on your plate and not enough hours in your day to complete your To Do list? Do you feel you’re running hard but still standing in the same place?
Everyone has the same 24 hours in a day, but some of us seem to need more, while others sail along at cruising speed yet get all their work done.
There are enough idioms and sayings in the English language that focus on time and how to manage it, but rarely do we pay attention as many of them have attained the status of platitudes or cliches.
Whether you’re a student, home-maker, senior citizen, business owner, employee, artist or musician, scientist or gardener, the one resource you have within your control is time.
What Is Time Management?
Today the world is moving at a pace that seems nearly impossible to keep up with. Many of you juggle multiple roles, careers, time zones and geographies. All this has to be done within the fixed boundaries of a limited resource – Time.
Managing this resource effectively means that you organize the allotted span, plan ahead, create a hierarchy of priorities and avoid squandering this precious resource in irrelevant or unnecessary procrastination, and be mindful of how you’re utilizing time.
In short, time management means making intentional and fully conscious choices that help you to evaluate the relative urgency of each task, prioritize them in order of importance, allocate a particular duration to each and complete all the tasks on your list for that day or time period.
You can use a variety of aids and accessories to help you with this technique. Timers, calendars, software apps and more are available. You can also use digital tools such as to-do list and calendar apps, time trackers, phone alarms, note taking apps, project management apps and more. Planners and distraction blockers can be used along with tools such as Pomodoro timers, or techniques such as the pickle jar theory, Eisenhower matrix and more.
It means careful planning, using all the information available to you, estimating how long a particular task may take, factoring in your physical, mental and social needs, preferences and wants and avoiding multi-tasking while focusing fully on the work at hand.
Benefits Of Productivity Timers On Time Management
Using time management techniques regularly can become a lifelong habit that keeps you on top of your commitments.
Effective time management reduces your workload because you are able to identify the leaky spots and time-wasting situations.
The main benefit of time management is that it can completely eliminate anxiety and stress when you feel in total control of your schedule. You know exactly what has to be done, when, how and where.
Getting your time management act together means that you have fewer mistakes and reworkings to deal with, you’re more confident and relaxed, and you have super clarity on your end goals.
Another huge advantage is that effective management of time allows you to make more informed and better decisions. Your decisions need not be made at the last moment, giving you very little time to reflect, analyze, deduct, observe, examine and conclude.
Your work-life balance remains stable, as you’re able to attend to both sides of the spectrum equally. You can take care of the important tasks at work while giving enough time to your personal work. This frees up enough time for hobbies, interests and sports that you would like to incorporate into your life. Your self-discipline gets a boost, and you become more conscious of wasted time and unproductive activities.
In short, it can improve your physical, mental and emotional health with a few simple tweaks and techniques. You can find more information on productivity and pomodoro timers here: https://restanddigest.com.au/blogs/time-management/pomodoro-timer
How To Be More Productive By Using Timers
The main concept of a timer is that it divides time up into equal sections or blocks. This idea helps you to micro-manage the larger quantity of time available so that you use it more effectively.
You may have planned your day meticulously, but without a sense of how long each item will take, you could end up not achieving your targets.
In many cases, the work you have is dull, routine or difficult. Breaking it up into smaller chunks can give you a sense of speeded up time with a higher level of satisfaction.
Timers in fact put a boundary that you have to work within. They keep you focused, keep the momentum going, and allow you to move on swiftly to the next chunk without getting into a procrastination loop. Your productivity will increase significantly as you pick up the skill.
Timers may be either digital or physical. In the digital arena, you have a variety of apps or online platforms that you can customize to meet your own unique requirements. They have a variety of add-on features such as reminders, analytics, trackers and more. They can give you the big picture about how you utilize time.
Physical timers are very simple and popular. They are mechanical devices or physical objects that enable efficient use of time. Pomodoro timers or other simple kitchen timers help you to allocate a time block to each task, while setting mini-breaks in between.
You can use techniques such as the Japanese Kanban board to provide yourself with a visual representation of the whole task while breaking it up into smaller steps.
You can create your own personal timer tool or technique using the information you have about yourself and the task at hand. Many famous people like Dwight Eisenhower and Elon Musk have created their own time management system.
Not all of these tools and timers work for everyone as time management is not a one-size-fits-all proposition. It is closely related to your individual situation, so keep this in mind when you select a timer or time management technique.
