5 Must-Learn Time Management Secrets to becoming Stress-Free
Many, if not all of us, fret about not having enough time on our hands, which is ironic. If you think about it, we all have the same 24 hours, the same 1440 minutes, and the same 86,400 seconds in a day but many of us still feels like we can’t steal a minute or get extra time.
You can hear it in the office or from clients how stressed they are about not having enough time in their hands to finish the task they need to do. Work gets compiled on their desk, stress level gets higher, and we burst to frustration.
Truth be told, we are all time managers. We have to realize that the time we’re managing is ours and ours alone. Thus, we have to learn how to spend it wisely. You are the only person who can decide on how to spend your time.
So here are 5 time management tips you need to learn to become stress free.
1. Assess where you are spending your time
Like in financing, figure out which activities you are spending the most time on and which ones you should cut back. Create a time budget and list down all the things you spend time doing in a day. Yes, this includes your social activity like posting updates on Facebook.
Honesty is the key so you have to make sure you have written exactly how long you do every single thing so you can effectively ‘budget’ time you spend.Using a time tracking software would greatly help on this one. More advanced tools can even help you track the level of activity, which gives you more insights on how much energy you need for certain tasks.
2. Limit the time you spend on emails
Hate it when you have unopened emails in your inbox? Many of us do. However, it’s the most time burning task and we don’t even notice it especially if you often receive junk mails which can distract you from your daily goals.
Create filters and folders in your inbox you can easily determine which emails should be attended to first and save time responding to not so urgent ones after you’ve accomplished your daily task.
3. Plan your day
Having a plan for what you want to accomplish each day is important. Though, there will be instances when everything don’t go the way you’ve planned. But at least, you have established your purpose early on. Plan but be flexible.
Set goals for getting one, two or three specific things accomplished each day. Create a list on a notepad or use a project management tool like your Asana, Basecamp, and Trello. It’s like a slight tap on the back whenever you tick off tasks you’ve finished.
4. Do one thing at a time
While we think we’re being more productive multi-tasking, we’re not. If you’re looking for quality results, you have to focus yourself in doing one task and get it done. You will feel less stressed, and feel far more efficient.
5. Don’t get sucked in office drama
A little chat in the pantry or down the hall with your officemate can take 30 minutes to 1 hour of your time that you can never get back. As much as possible, avoid your office’ drama kings and queens especially during work hours. You can always catch up with “what’s new” in the office after work.
These are just 5 things you can start doing to help you wisely use your time. Just doing these simple practices can truly make a difference.By Espie Vidal-Vinas
