Effective time management is essential for making the most of your time and accomplishing your goals. Whether you’re working on a specific task, or long-term project, or taking a well-deserved break, effective time management is critical to success. Unfortunately, many people struggle with time management due to improper planning and execution, which then leads to anxiety and even burnout. In fact, 62% of all employees feel mentally and physically exhausted after work. However, the good news is that time management is a skill that can be learned and honed.
Effective time management is essential for making the most of your time and accomplishing your goals. Whether you’re working on a specific task, long-term project or taking a well-deserved break, effective time management is critical to success. Unfortunately, many people struggle with time management due to improper planning and execution, which than lead to anxiety and even burnout. In fact, 62% of all employees feel mentally and physically exhausted after work. However, the good news is that time management is a skill that can be learned and honed. The art of good management is not a gift with which a person is born with or not. It is a skill that each of us can develop. Learn methods for effective time management and start improving your efficiency right away!
The process of learning time management consists of the following points:
- Time use analysis;
- Goal setting;
- Decision-making (priorities);
- Planning;
- Delegating tasks.
Let’s dig in!
Step 1: Conduct a Time Use Analysis
To improve your time management skills, you need to start by understanding how you currently use your time. This can be accomplished through a comprehensive analysis of your current state. One method for conducting this analysis is the SWOT analysis.
SWOT
It is one of the most popular methods of strategic analysis of an issue. It allows confronting positive and negative factors inside and outside.
The name SWOT is an acronym formed from the first letters of the words that identify the four categories of strategic factors. The letter “S” corresponds to the word Strengths. Under the letter “W” is the Weaknesses, while “O” stands for Opportunities. Last in the name is the letter “T,” which is short for Threats.
We put all four factors on a special diagram divided into horizontal positive or negative factors and vertical external or internal factors. The combination of positive internal factors are strengths, while internal negative factors are weaknesses. Moving on to external factors – positive elements are opportunities, while negative elements are threats.
SWOT in Time Management
When it comes to personal time management, the SWOT breakdown looks like this:
- External factors:
- Opportunities – are outside the person, not controlled by the individual. These are events, phenomena from which the individual does not expect to be able to help him grow.
- Threats – are also outside the person and over the controll. These are the events, phenomena from which the individual expects that they can prevent him from having a professional development.
- Internal factors:
- Strengths – qualities, abilities, skills that a person possesses. They benefit the individual. Strengths are also those qualities that are not accepted by the person, although others admire them.
- Weaknesses – behaviors, habits, habits that hinder effective action and affect the individual. It is important here not to overlook the feedback received from others.
After conducting a SWOT analysis, you should assess how you currently use your time. You can do this through a time budget examination, which involves recording everything you do every 15 minutes for a few days and analyzing the activities you’ve recorded. Another method is to identify and analyze “time thieves,” both external and internal factors that reduce efficiency and increase the time required to complete tasks.
Among the most common time eaters are:
- Improper filing system;
- Distractions, noise;
- Unannounced visitors;
- Lack of motivation, indifferent attitude to work;
- Imprecise or lack of communication;
- Attempting to do everything at once;
- Interruptions for unscheduled phone calls;
- Excessive communication;
- Insufficient coordination of the team’s work;
- Lack of priorities;
- Not enough delegation of tasks;
- Lack of self-discipline;
- Personal disorganization – “swamped desk”;
- Waiting time (e.g. appointments, deadlines);
- Inability to say “no”;
- Inadequate control of delegated tasks;
- Incomplete, late information;
- Failure to bring matters to a conclusion;
- Prolonged meetings;
- Private chitchat;
- Postponing work until later;
- Wanting to have information about everything;
- Rushing, impatience;
- Sitting on Facebook and other social networks.
Step 2: Set Goals
A way to eliminate factors that distract and reduce productivity is to set a distinct goal and prioritize the pursuit of it. You can start by doing something simple and enjoyable, so that the satisfaction of the first success achieved will motivate you to achieve subsequent, more difficult goals.
Make lists of activities that need to be done – on a piece of paper or in an online calendar.
When striving for your goals, beware of perfectionism. Allowing some space for imperfections eliminates rushing, unnecessary stress and demotivation from not completing 100% of the assigned task.
The characteristics of a well-formulated goal are defined by the SMART(er) method:
S – (specific) – so that it is clear what you are aiming for;
M – (measurable) measurable- there should be a very specific way to determine when the goal will be achieved;
A – (achievable) attainable- achievable;
R – (realistic) realistic- meaning grounded in reality;
T – (time & cost oriented) defined in time and cost;
E – (exciting) exciting- increases motivation to achieve it;
R – (recorded) recorded- proof of resolutions and implementation.
CASE STUDY: How should the goals look like according to the SMARTER method in practice?
The most important thing is always the practice – it makes perfect. So let’s analyze objectives of the discussed method on a concrete example. I will show you how SMART(er) goal setting works. After this reading, it will be easier for you to implement the SMART method. Spoiler: It is, in fact, very easy!
Let’s start with something pretty general – I want to sell my own jams. The SMART(er) principle will help us get our goal well defined, which is to strive to start our own business – a jam store.
- S – specified
That means precisely worded, leaving no understatement. This is where you ask yourself the questions: What do I want to achieve? By what methods? Why do I want to achieve this particular goal?
Example: I will set up an online jam store. I will achieve one hundred thousand in revenue per year. I will do what I love and make money from my hobby.
- M – measurable
You need to know how to evaluate the progress of your venture. This point often involves numbers. It could be a certain amount of money you would like to earn, the number of followers on Instagram or the number of products you want to sell in a certain period of time.
Example: I will set up an online jam store. I will achieve one hundred thousand in revenue per year. I will do what I love and make money from my hobby. I will sell 40 products per month, and my profile on Instagram will be followed by 300 active users.
- A – attractive
This is a very important point, because it keeps us motivated to take action. SMART goals should be an interesting challenge for you. You must want to achieve your goals to feel the satisfaction of completing your plan. In this way, achieving your goal will not be a frustrating burden but an interesting adventure with a reward at the end.
Example: I will set up an online jam store. I will achieve one hundred thousand in revenue per year. I will do what I love and make money from my hobby. As a result, I will give up my disliked corporate job.
- R – realistic
This is probably the most difficult element that the SMART model assumes. At the beginning of a venture, it’s hard to judge at what level you can do it. It’s good to get out of your comfort zone and set the bar a little higher but still at an achievable level. By formulating SMART goals that are too simple, you will simply get bored, and the executed plan will not give you much joy. However, if you overestimate your capabilities, you won’t achieve a given goal and may quickly become discouraged.
Honestly, it’s better to set a goal slightly higher. When you realize, however, that the plan was too ambitious, don’t worry. Modify it to a simpler one, and do not give up. Act in spite of everything and persevere towards your goal.
Example: I’ll set up an online jam store. I will achieve one hundred and twenty thousand in revenue per year. I will do what I love and make money from my hobby. As a result, I will give up From the disliked corporate job.
- T – timed.
This is an absolute must-have. Humans naturally like to put things off. Therefore, you need to specify the time frame in which the project is to be completed. You can divide it into smaller stages, which will involve the completion of individual mini-targets within a given timeframe.
Example: I will set up an online jam store. The store’s website will be ready in a month, in the next six months, I will introduce X new products to the store. I will achieve one hundred and twenty thousand in revenue per year. I will do what I love and make money from my hobby. As a result, I will give up my disliked corporate job.
- E – exciting
This premise is supposed to give you the energy to act. Set such a goal that you are sincerely fascinated by it, and you are driven to your goal by positive emotions. This way, you will avoid discouragement and boredom.
- R – recorded
This is the last SMARTER principle, but also very important. Once you have gone through all the previous steps, be sure to write down what you came up with. Then you certainly won’t forget what you want to achieve and how. In addition, there is scientific evidence that people feel more obligated to implement ideas that are written down. You can make notes the way you like. Whether it’s a file in Word, a piece of paper hung over your desk, or an entry in your calendar, it’s up to you.
It’s also a good idea to brag about our plans to someone – it could be family, friends, or maybe social media watchers? This way, you’ll gain people who will support you and motivate you to take action. It can also be a great way to do market research – you’ll find out what a larger audience thinks about your idea.
Step 3: Make Decisions and Prioritize
At a further stage, these goals can be assigned to different categories. Based on the time range, we distinguish:
- long-term (strategic) for 3-5 years, set the course of action;
- short-term (tactical) for 2-3 months, propose solutions ;
- current (operational) for the coming week, give specific tasks.
To determine priorities, you can use the method of combining importance and urgency. The key to efficient time management is to give clear directions to the planned work. To do this, professionals use the Eisenhower Matrix – a list of tasks arranged in four groups:
- important and urgent – these are urgent issues; difficult and crisis issues; “for yesterday” issues; tasks with a specific completion date – to be done personally immediately!
- unimportant but urgent – long-range plans; prevention of problems; assignment of tasks; training – plan! systematically implement! check the degree of implementation!
- important but non-urgent – ordinary tasks; meetings, lists, reports; some phone calls; helping others – delegate!
- unimportant and non-urgent – non-essential pleasures; time thieves; some phone calls; perfectionism – avoid!
Step 4: Plan Your Time
The ability to estimate the time relative to the completion of a task is extremely important for planning. There are two times in the work system:
- reserved – is not taken into account in planning because it is already reserved for regular activities, such as meetings, daily tasks, routine work, undesirable breaks;
- available – real time that is subject to planning and control, with only 20% of the total work day.
Available time should be divided into those when routine tasks are performed, during which work can be interrupted, and those when full concentration on important tasks is required and work cannot be interrupted. These are so-called the red and green hours.
Red hours are a time of hard work and cannot be interrupted. Organization of work during this time is advisable for tasks that require intense concentration and substantive work. Due to the complete exclusion of unwanted interruptions, the employee is more productive and completes key tasks for the company.
Green hours are the opposite of red hours. This is when the employee is available to others and performs routine tasks like answering emails.
Step 5: Delegate Tasks
When the realization of a goal requires the participation of several tasks, some of them should be delegated. You may think you’ll be able to do them all, but keep in mind that one study found that just 2.5% of people can multitask effectively. For the rest of us, our attempts to do multiple activities at once aren’t that. Distributing work among employees has many advantages, such as:
- it relieves the burden and allows you to gain additional time for value-enhancing activities;
- it allows the employer to test the skills of another employee in the position;
- delegation develops employees’ problem-solving skills, promotes their initiative, independence and competence;
- delegating work often has a positive effect on work motivation and co-worker satisfaction.
To delegate effectively, five basic questions must be answered:
What? – Planning what needs to be done.
Who? – Selecting the right person.
Why? – Justifying the choice.
How? – Determining how it should be done.
When? – Defining the time of implementation.
About the author: Magdalena Sadowska, the Community Manager of PhotoAiD. With a background in psychology, she is fascinated by how people interact and create their reality. As a travel enthusiast, given a choice of sea or mountains, she chooses both.
The process of learning time management consists of the following points:
- Time use analysis;
- Goal setting;
- Decision-making (priorities);
- Planning;
- Delegating tasks.
Let’s dig in!
Step 1: Conduct a Time Use Analysis
To improve your time management skills, you need to start by understanding how you currently use your time. This can be accomplished through a comprehensive analysis of your current state. One method for conducting this analysis is the SWOT analysis.
SWOT
It is one of the most popular methods of strategic analysis of an issue. It allows confronting positive and negative factors inside and outside.
The name SWOT is an acronym formed from the first letters of the words that identify the four categories of strategic factors. The letter “S” corresponds to the word Strengths. Under the letter “W” is the Weaknesses, while “O” stands for Opportunities. Last in the name is the letter “T,” which is short for Threats.
We put all four factors on a special diagram divided into horizontal positive or negative factors and vertical external or internal factors. The combination of positive internal factors are strengths, while internal negative factors are weaknesses. Moving on to external factors – positive elements are opportunities, while negative elements are threats.
SWOT in Time Management
When it comes to personal time management, the SWOT breakdown looks like this:
- External factors:
- Opportunities – are outside the person, not controlled by the individual. These are events, phenomena from which the individual does not expect to be able to help him grow.
- Threats – are also outside the person and over the controll. These are the events, phenomena from which the individual expects that they can prevent him from having a professional development.
- Internal factors:
- Strengths – qualities, abilities, skills that a person possesses. They benefit the individual. Strengths are also those qualities that are not accepted by the person, although others admire them.
- Weaknesses – behaviors, habits, habits that hinder effective action and affect the individual. It is important here not to overlook the feedback received from others.
After conducting a SWOT analysis, you should assess how you currently use your time. You can do this through a time budget examination, which involves recording everything you do every 15 minutes for a few days and analyzing the activities you’ve recorded. Another method is to identify and analyze “time thieves,” both external and internal factors that reduce efficiency and increase the time required to complete tasks.
Among the most common time eaters are:
- Improper filing system;
- Distractions, noise;
- Unannounced visitors;
- Lack of motivation, indifferent attitude to work;
- Imprecise or lack of communication;
- Attempting to do everything at once;
- Interruptions for unscheduled phone calls;
- Excessive communication;
- Insufficient coordination of the team’s work;
- Lack of priorities;
- Not enough delegation of tasks;
- Lack of self-discipline;
- Personal disorganization – “swamped desk”;
- Waiting time (e.g. appointments, deadlines);
- Inability to say “no”;
- Inadequate control of delegated tasks;
- Incomplete, late information;
- Failure to bring matters to a conclusion;
- Prolonged meetings;
- Private chitchat;
- Postponing work until later;
- Wanting to have information about everything;
- Rushing, impatience;
- Sitting on Facebook and other social networks.
Step 2: Set Goals
A way to eliminate factors that distract and reduce productivity is to set a distinct goal and prioritize the pursuit of it. You can start by doing something simple and enjoyable, so that the satisfaction of the first success achieved will motivate you to achieve subsequent, more difficult goals.
Make lists of activities that need to be done – on a piece of paper or in an online calendar.
When striving for your goals, beware of perfectionism. Allowing some space for imperfections eliminates rushing, unnecessary stress and demotivation from not completing 100% of the assigned task.
The characteristics of a well-formulated goal are defined by the SMART(er) method:
S – (specific) – so that it is clear what you are aiming for;
M – (measurable) measurable- there should be a very specific way to determine when the goal will be achieved;
A – (achievable) attainable- achievable;
R – (realistic) realistic- meaning grounded in reality;
T – (time & cost oriented) defined in time and cost;
E – (exciting) exciting- increases motivation to achieve it;
R – (recorded) recorded- proof of resolutions and implementation.
CASE STUDY: How should the goals look like according to the SMARTER method in practice?
The most important thing is always the practice – it makes perfect. So let’s analyze objectives of the discussed method on a concrete example. I will show you how SMART(er) goal setting works. After this reading, it will be easier for you to implement the SMART method. Spoiler: It is, in fact, very easy!
Let’s start with something pretty general – I want to sell my own jams. The SMART(er) principle will help us get our goal well defined, which is to strive to start our own business – a jam store.
- S – specified
That means precisely worded, leaving no understatement. This is where you ask yourself the questions: What do I want to achieve? By what methods? Why do I want to achieve this particular goal?
Example: I will set up an online jam store. I will achieve one hundred thousand in revenue per year. I will do what I love and make money from my hobby.
- M – measurable
You need to know how to evaluate the progress of your venture. This point often involves numbers. It could be a certain amount of money you would like to earn, the number of followers on Instagram or the number of products you want to sell in a certain period of time.
Example: I will set up an online jam store. I will achieve one hundred thousand in revenue per year. I will do what I love and make money from my hobby. I will sell 40 products per month, and my profile on Instagram will be followed by 300 active users.
- A – attractive
This is a very important point, because it keeps us motivated to take action. SMART goals should be an interesting challenge for you. You must want to achieve your goals to feel the satisfaction of completing your plan. In this way, achieving your goal will not be a frustrating burden but an interesting adventure with a reward at the end.
Example: I will set up an online jam store. I will achieve one hundred thousand in revenue per year. I will do what I love and make money from my hobby. As a result, I will give up my disliked corporate job.
- R – realistic
This is probably the most difficult element that the SMART model assumes. At the beginning of a venture, it’s hard to judge at what level you can do it. It’s good to get out of your comfort zone and set the bar a little higher but still at an achievable level. By formulating SMART goals that are too simple, you will simply get bored, and the executed plan will not give you much joy. However, if you overestimate your capabilities, you won’t achieve a given goal and may quickly become discouraged.
Honestly, it’s better to set a goal slightly higher. When you realize, however, that the plan was too ambitious, don’t worry. Modify it to a simpler one, and do not give up. Act in spite of everything and persevere towards your goal.
Example: I’ll set up an online jam store. I will achieve one hundred and twenty thousand in revenue per year. I will do what I love and make money from my hobby. As a result, I will give up From the disliked corporate job.
- T – timed.
This is an absolute must-have. Humans naturally like to put things off. Therefore, you need to specify the time frame in which the project is to be completed. You can divide it into smaller stages, which will involve the completion of individual mini-targets within a given timeframe.
Example: I will set up an online jam store. The store’s website will be ready in a month, in the next six months, I will introduce X new products to the store. I will achieve one hundred and twenty thousand in revenue per year. I will do what I love and make money from my hobby. As a result, I will give up my disliked corporate job.
- E – exciting
This premise is supposed to give you the energy to act. Set such a goal that you are sincerely fascinated by it, and you are driven to your goal by positive emotions. This way, you will avoid discouragement and boredom.
- R – recorded
This is the last SMARTER principle, but also very important. Once you have gone through all the previous steps, be sure to write down what you came up with. Then you certainly won’t forget what you want to achieve and how. In addition, there is scientific evidence that people feel more obligated to implement ideas that are written down. You can make notes the way you like. Whether it’s a file in Word, a piece of paper hung over your desk, or an entry in your calendar, it’s up to you.
It’s also a good idea to brag about our plans to someone – it could be family, friends, or maybe social media watchers? This way, you’ll gain people who will support you and motivate you to take action. It can also be a great way to do market research – you’ll find out what a larger audience thinks about your idea.
Step 3: Make Decisions and Prioritize
At a further stage, these goals can be assigned to different categories. Based on the time range, we distinguish:
- long-term (strategic) for 3-5 years, set the course of action;
- short-term (tactical) for 2-3 months, propose solutions ;
- current (operational) for the coming week, give specific tasks.
To determine priorities, you can use the method of combining importance and urgency. The key to efficient time management is to give clear directions to the planned work. To do this, professionals use the Eisenhower Matrix – a list of tasks arranged in four groups:
- important and urgent – these are urgent issues; difficult and crisis issues; “for yesterday” issues; tasks with a specific completion date – to be done personally immediately!
- unimportant but urgent – long-range plans; prevention of problems; assignment of tasks; training – plan! systematically implement! check the degree of implementation!
- important but non-urgent – ordinary tasks; meetings, lists, reports; some phone calls; helping others – delegate!
- unimportant and non-urgent – non-essential pleasures; time thieves; some phone calls; perfectionism – avoid!
Step 4: Plan Your Time
The ability to estimate the time relative to the completion of a task is extremely important for planning. There are two times in the work system:
- reserved – is not taken into account in planning because it is already reserved for regular activities, such as meetings, daily tasks, routine work, undesirable breaks;
- available – real-time that is subject to planning and control, with only 20% of the total work day.
Available time should be divided into those when routine tasks are performed, during which work can be interrupted, and those when full concentration on important tasks is required and work cannot be interrupted. These are so-called the red and green hours.
Red hours are a time of hard work and cannot be interrupted. Organization of work during this time is advisable for tasks that require intense concentration and substantive work. Due to the complete exclusion of unwanted interruptions, the employee is more productive and completes key tasks for the company.
Green hours are the opposite of red hours. This is when the employee is available to others and performs routine tasks like answering emails.
Step 5: Delegate Tasks
When the realization of a goal requires the participation of several tasks, some of them should be delegated. You may think you’ll be able to do them all, but keep in mind that one study found that just 2.5% of people can multitask effectively. For the rest of us, our attempts to do multiple activities at once aren’t that. Distributing work among employees has many advantages, such as:
- it relieves the burden and allows you to gain additional time for value-enhancing activities;
- it allows the employer to test the skills of another employee in the position;
- delegation develops employees’ problem-solving skills, and promotes their initiative, independence, and competence;
- delegating work often has a positive effect on work motivation and co-worker satisfaction.
To delegate effectively, five basic questions must be answered:
What? – Planning what needs to be done.
Who? – Selecting the right person.
Why? – Justifying the choice.
How? – Determining how it should be done.
When? – Defining the time of implementation.
About the author: Magdalena Sadowska, the Community Manager of PhotoAiD. With a background in psychology, she is fascinated by how people interact and create their reality. As a travel enthusiast, given a choice of sea or mountains, she chooses both.
