Time management: how to plan your time and get more done

Time management helps plan time, set priorities and distribute the load between tasks and rest. Let’s look at five principles of organizing the working day, common planning mistakes and several apps and books on managing time.

Time is one of the main resources a person has. How you distribute it determines your ability to do tasks and find time to rest.

Different cultures have developed their own ideas about punctuality. The set of such ideas is sometimes called the cultural concept of punctuality.

For example, the original material cites a survey according to which 23% of workers in Russia are never late, while the other 77% are late regularly.

Differences between attitudes to time in Japan and Brazil are also noted.

Japan is given as an example of a culture where punctuality is highly valued. Brazil — as an example of a more relaxed attitude to schedules.

At the same time norms of attitude to time can differ.

But regardless of cultural features, planning helps organize everyday affairs.

When you need to do a large number of tasks in a limited time, distributing the load becomes especially important.

The main thing in time management is to understand when you are busy and when you have free time.

The first principle of time management — plan rest

Usually people first fill the schedule with work tasks.

Gradually they pile up, and there is less and less free time.

As a result the to-do list may keep growing even if part of the tasks is done regularly.

So the first principle is to start planning with rest.

Try drawing up a schedule for at least the next three days.

First set aside time for breakfast, lunch, dinner and other breaks.

After that it will be easier to see how many hours remain for work tasks.

It is important to understand that the to-do list can be replenished constantly. So you should define the boundaries of working time in advance and distribute tasks taking rest into account.

The second principle — distribute tasks across free gaps

When time for rest is set, fill the remaining gaps with tasks.

It is important to assess your own capabilities realistically.

For example, if you have 18 tasks on your list, do not expect that all of them will necessarily be done in one day.

Perhaps you will manage to finish only two, but do them well, so that you do not have to come back to fix them.

The number of planned tasks should match the time you have.

The third principle — stick to the schedule

After tasks are distributed in the calendar, you need to move on to doing them.

Planning in itself brings no result if you do not follow the schedule you made.

Focus not only on the number of closed tasks but also on the quality of work.

It is better to finish a few important things than to try to do too many at once.

The main thing is to gradually turn planning into a regular habit.

The fourth principle — split big tasks into stages

Besides the main tasks, leave time in the schedule to work on larger projects.

It is convenient to split them into several sequential stages.

For example, if you need to hand in work on Thursday, you can distribute its execution as follows:

• On Monday — do the first part.
• On Tuesday — continue the work.
• On Wednesday — finish the main part.
• On Thursday — check the result, make corrections and send it.

This approach lets you spread the load over several days.

Instead of doing the whole volume right before the deadline, you gradually move toward completing the task.

The fifth principle — limit distractions

To do tasks it is important to set aside time when you will not be disturbed.

Try to agree in advance with colleagues and other people on periods during which you are focused on work.

For example, you can define a time for answering messages — in the morning or evening.

If a request does not need an urgent answer, it can be left until the scheduled time.

This helps keep concentration and not interrupt a task unnecessarily.

Of course, it can be hard to eliminate distractions completely.

But communication rules set in advance can make organizing the working day easier.

Main time management mistakes

One of the common mistakes is irregular planning.

A person draws up a schedule but does not stick to it consistently.

Another problem is overestimating your own capabilities.

For example, you plan to finish a task in 30 minutes, but in reality spend two hours on it.

So for the first few weeks it is useful to observe how much time different kinds of work take.

Gradually this will help you estimate the needed duration of tasks more accurately.

For planning you can use different tools — from a simple to-do list to a calendar.

The original material also speaks of using time management principles inside a company.

Let’s look at several apps and books on organizing time.

Apps for time management

Forest

Forest is an app that helps you focus on doing tasks.

The original material gives the app’s price — about $2.

The app’s mechanic is linked with growing a virtual tree.

When you start a task, the process of its growth begins.

If you leave the app or get distracted, the tree may die.

Gradually the user creates a virtual forest and accumulates coins.

The article also mentions the chance to spend 2,000 coins on planting a real tree.

Focus To-Do

Focus To-Do is an app for planning tasks and organizing work intervals.

It lets you make to-do lists and distribute time between doing tasks and resting.

The tool can be useful for organizing the working day and maintaining concentration.

TickTick

TickTick is an app for managing task lists.

The article notes a clear interface and the possibility of use on different devices.

For example, you can make a task list on your phone and then open it on your laptop.

This lets you work with one schedule on several devices.

Books on time management

“The Pomodoro Technique: The Acclaimed Time-Management System”

Author — Francesco Cirillo.

The book is devoted to the original time management technique known as the Pomodoro Technique.

It lets you get to know the principles of this technique and its use for organizing work in more detail.

“The Kaizen Way: Step by Step to Achieving a Goal”

The book is devoted to setting goals and gradually moving toward achieving them.

The main idea is to split large tasks into small sequential actions.

This approach helps you move toward the result step by step.

How to apply time management in practice

Time management involves planning and distributing effort taking the available time into account.

It is important to understand how many hours you can devote to work and how much time a specific task will take.

Start with a realistic schedule, take rest into account and gradually refine the duration of familiar tasks.

Regular planning and attention to your own capabilities can help you use working time more rationally.