10 Strategies to Manage Your Time and Maximize Results

Time is a mirage. You often feel like you don’t know how to manage your time but, that is not the problem.

This is because it is impossible to manage time. On the other hand, you can choose your actions in relation to the time you have. You only have so many hours in the day, so many days in the week or weeks in the year.

All you can do is make do with what you got and ensure that you’re productive with every minute you have.

In this article, we will discuss the best strategies you can implement to manage your time and improve productivity.

Tips to Manage your Time and Maximize Your Results

#1 – Create an Order of Priority

It is quite normal to have multiple tasks that require your attention at once.

The problem with this is that if you don’t create an order of priority for each of those things, you might end up spending too much time performing a particular task that is not so important compared to all the other things that require your attention.

To solve this problem, simply set out to do those things in the order of priority.

Start from important to not so important. With this, you’re likely to be more productive with your time because you focus your best energy on your more important tasks.

#2- Assign Some Tasks

You’re not a machine, you need rest every once in a while.

There are times when you must recognize that you cannot perform a particular task, not because you don’t have the ability but because you have too many things on your plate.

In such situations, you need to take a step back and get an efficient person to assign some of those tasks to.

#3- Create a List

Not everyone finds it easy to create a to-do list first thing in the morning but it really helps. Simply make a list of the activities you expect to perform during your day.

Be careful not to put too many things on the list because the aim is to cross off every item on that list by the end of the day; and setting unrealistic expectations will keep them on the list.

Once you’ve created your to-do list, put a specific amount of time on the list, and ensure that you keep to it, if you can.

#4 – Avoid Distractions

When you work, try to avoid distractions. This includes activities that will waste your time or keep you less focused.

For example, if you love music and you know you’re not very effective with music in your workspace, it is best you avoid it totally.

#5 – Track Your Progress

While you work on your daily tasks, ensure that you’re constantly tracking your progress to know how effective you’ve been.

You can set specific times in your day to check how much work you’ve done so far, this will keep you accountable and improve productivity.

#6 -Avoid Multitasking

Sometimes, we tend to think that we can focus on 2 or more things at once and still be productive at all of them. This is not usually so.

In fact, you’re likely to be less efficient at multiple tasks compared to if you had taken them one after the other.

Avoid doing multiple things at once, to avoid reducing the quality of work you deliver.

#7- Clear Your Workspace

It has been discovered that you’re less likely to be in the mood to work if have a cluttered workspace. It affects your state of mind and makes you less productive.

Also if you have a cluttered workspace, you tend to waste a lot of time searching for misplaced items in your work area.

If possible, tag different items and have a specific place you place each of them, that way, you don’t waste so much time searching for stuff. Also, remember to keep your workspace clean always.

#8- Stand Occasionally

A sedentary lifestyle causes more harm than good. This especially includes people who sit through 5 or more work hours.

To avoid damage to your health, set an alarm, and take a few minutes to stand every 2 hours during your work hours.

Sedentary lifestyles have been discovered over time to cause a lot of mortal risks to the body.

Some of the diseases that result from sitting down or lying down too much include obesity, heart diseases, high blood pressure, anxiety e.t.c

#9 -Take a Break

Sometimes, your mind gets to a point that it cannot go on anymore. Perhaps you’ve overworked yourself and are exhausted but still have a bunch of things to do, it’s best you take a break.

While this might not seem like the best use of your time, working when you’re exhausted produces low quality work.

What is more, is that you push your body past its limits. And you must never sacrifice your health for work. Remember to take a break every once in a while when you work.

#10 – See Every Single Project You Start Through

Once you start a project, always make sure that you see it to completion.

Starting projects and stopping midway ruins productivity. Half completed projects hardly have any merits and you don’t get credit for your hard work till it’s done.

Ensure that you finish every single project you start and avoid starting anything you can finish.

Finishing every single thing you start also helps you declutter your mind. Your mind is likely to linger on an uncompleted project if its something you intend to go back to and this shouldn’t be.

The best way to implement this tip is to ensure that your daily to-do list only contains things that you can finish once you start.

Conclusion

In this article, we discussed strategies to manage your time and improve productivity.

While it is important to manage your time and ensure that you’re being productive, most people use this as an excuse to ignore their health.

This is really bad because your body will usually fight back in the long run, and it might even be more serious than you anticipate.

Which is why you should listen to your body signals and obey when you think you can’t go on anymore. This is usually a sign that its time to stop and take a break.