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Time management: know these techniques and streamline your routine

Good time management can have a positive impact on your routine, helping you to become more agile and productive. In addition, it’s possible to reduce the feeling of pressure and keep tasks on schedule. With this in mind, we have prepared this material to explain everything you need to know about good time management.

Read until the end, because we will teach you 4 amazing techniques to help you optimize your routine.

How many times have you imagined how ideal it would be if the day had 48 hours? Thus, you would be able to handle all your daily tasks. But, have you ever stopped to think that the problem may be in how you manage time, and not how many hours you have in a day?

The truth is that we have enough time to complete our routine, what is missing is an appropriate way to manage this time.

According to Time Management, it is possible to organize and plan the routine and still consider unexpected events. But before we get down to business, let’s understand what time management is.

What is time management?

what is time management

In short, time management is the process of organizing and planning how time should be divided between the various activities of a routine. That is, time management concerns the amount of time spent to perform your day’s task.

Good time management requires a change in the focus that is given both to activities and to the results achieved. Being busy is not synonymous with being productive.

After all, how much time and energy do you spend in a day to perform various tasks, and at the end of the day, you didn’t complete any? This is because you are probably dividing yourself between all your countless tasks, rather than focusing on one task at a time.

So, time management means:

  • Time spent in the right places to perform the right tasks;
  • Know the priorities, your obligations and work with a list of tasks;
  • Manage time spent in the professional environment, and also in all other areas of your life.

In other words, time management doesn’t mean finding ways to work harder, but, making the right use of the time you have.

Below are the advantages of performing good time management.

Advantages of Time Management

Now that you know the concept of time management, understand why it’s important to invest in good time management in your life. We separated a list, check it out:

  • Reduce stress;
  • Prevent surprises and increase the ability to deal with unforeseen circumstances;
  • Increase productivity, and consequently, the number of tasks performed;
  • Reduces the risks of rework when investing in a more organized routine;
  • More free time to dedicate to your family and your hobbies;
  • Less time and energy wasted;
  • More opportunities arise;
  • More time for what is really important. After all, managing time also means dedicating more time to tasks that require more attention;

Managing your own time properly, directly impacts your entire life. Its main objective is to increase productivity. That is, improving your ability to produce more, better, and in less time.

Read more: Productivity for those who want more time

In addition, good time management helps you in making decisions, and connecting with course deadlines, giving you clarity about what needs to be done.

That way, we’ve separated incredible time management techniques so you can apply and start enjoying all these benefits today. Check it out in the next topic.

Time Management Techniques

Disorganization and procrastination are two of the great villains of time management. And to escape these obstacles, there are some techniques that can help you. We list the top 4, check it out:

1. Pomodoro technique

Pomodoro Technique

The Pomodoro time management technique was developed in the late 1980s by an Italian university student named Francesco Cirillo. He was looking for an effective way to increase his productivity in his studies.

For this, he used a kitchen timer in the shape of a tomato (or “Pomodoro”, in Italian), and rotated for 25 minutes, making a noise at the end of that period.

In these 25 minutes, Francesco keeps concentrated on his tasks, without any interruption, remaining 100% focused.

The technique is based on dividing the workflow into blocks of intense concentration, ensuring greater stimulation of our brain. To put the technique into practice you will need:

  • a stopwatch, timer, or app;
  • and a list of tasks.

The task list will help you to define what needs to be done in your workday or studies.

Then you will divide your time into 25-minute periods, and work with full focus, without interruptions or distractions in those periods.

When the 25-minute period ends and your alarm sounds, take a 5-minute break. During this break you can take the time to do things that are not related to the most important task, such as: taking a coffee, making a call, going to the bathroom, where it’s even worth browsing social networks (just be careful not to exceed 5 minutes)

Every 4 cycles of 30 minutes (that is, 25 minutes of activity and 5 minutes of break), take a longer break between 15 and 30 minutes to certify oxygenation in your brain, reduce stress and overload. These breaks are important to increase mental alertness.

2. GTD technique

GTD or Getting Things Done is a technique that assumes that having greater control and clarity over what you are doing allows you to achieve better results and in less time.

For this, you need to clear your mind, recording somewhere everything you need to do. It can be in an app, a physical calendar, or a whiteboard in your office. That way, your mind is free to fully focus on performing your tasks.

This technique is divided into 5 steps:

  1. Collect: write down on a paper everything that needs to be done.
  2. Process: analyze the degree of priority and the order in which they will be made.
  3. Organize: separate the tasks according to the similarities between them and create an action plan.
  4. Execute: it’s time to focus and get your hands dirty. It’s time to “Getting Things Done”.
  5. Review: resume your work to mark what has already been done, and check if nothing important is left behind.

The idea is to make a real list, not a huge list, with tasks that you know you won’t be able to handle, even if you work 20 hours a day.

Read more: Organize your documents using this curious technique

3. GUT technique or process prioritization matrix

This technique is an easy-to-use and simple to understand tool that helps in the process of prioritizing problems and internal situations.

In other words, the matrix is ​​used to classify each problem that you consider pertinent to your routine from the point of view of gravity (of the problem), of the urgency (of solving it), and of the tendency (of it to worsen quickly or slowly).

The idea is to distribute grades from 1 to 5 for each of your demands and activities. And start with the highest grade tasks. To help you determine grades, use the following criteria:

  • Gravity: 5 is extremely serious, and 1 is non-serious.
  • Urgency: where 5 means immediate action is needed and 1 is the activity or demand for waiting.
  • Tendency: 5 will get worse quickly if an action is not taken and 1 nothing will happen.

4. Kanban time management method

Kanban system

Finally, the Kanban method consists of grouping tasks in a table, separating and sorting them by lists. At first, this method was created as a project management technique and is used in most applications like Asana, Trello, Click Up, and Pipefy, for example.

Through this method, it’s possible to be clear about which stage each part of the project is at. But, there is a simpler version of this technique that can be used to facilitate time management.

What you need to do is write each task on a card or post-it (manually or in an app) and change its place in the general board, according to its progress.

This technique is ideal for you who work with long processes, or if your activities involve several tasks. Moreover, it’s an ideal time management and organization tool.

In this general framework you can create lists such as “to do”, “in progress” and “completed”. This is the best technique to get an overview of how your progress is doing throughout the week.

In conclusion, what did you think of these techniques? Leave your comments in the comments. Don’t forget to share this content on your social networks.

Finally, what about learning the essentials components to set a productivity routine?

Take the opportunity to follow Organize na Pratica on Instagram, and to follow more amazing videos on the YouTube channel.

Reference material    

  1. YouTube – Personal and Business Productivity    
  2. Zapier – How to Automate your Business and Gain Efficiency    
  3. Set a productivity routine – Google Calendar + Evernote + Calendly  
  4. Organize na Pratica – Courses
Categories
blog Productivity

Productivity for those who want more time

Do you need to put an end to your procrastination and increase your productivity? Want to learn how to produce more in less time? Then read the tips we have prepared for you in this article. They are valuable productivity tips for you who want more time with the family, for leisure or simply to rest.

What is productivity?

Productivity is one of the most discussed topics in the routines of professionals and companies, if not the most recurring. And it’s no wonder, after all, productivity influences the agility of a business, a person’s work capacity, efficiency, optimization, and even the value of a service or product on the market.

But, what is productivity?

It’s the ability to perform as many activities as possible with less use of resources. In general, productivity is related to two indicators:

  • The quantity or quality of work done and;
  • The resources used to get the job done.

Tips on how to increase productivity and save up to 2x more time

Being productive means getting more done in less time. And it can make all the difference in your business. After all, you certainly have to deal with a lot of different demands every day.

And if you have a hard time solving or doing all tasks on time, you could end up hurting your career or your business.

Therefore, in this article, we have separated some tips to help you manage your time efficiently. And, consequently, increase your productivity to have more time at the end of the day for you to do what you want. Whether spending time with the family or investing in a personal project.

Check out the following tips.

1. Eliminate obstacles

eliminate obstacles for productivity

In short, productivity is related to time, the number of resources used and the amount produced.

And if you are a person who is always saying you don’t have time for anything, you may be facing many obstacles in your routine that take your time and make tasks longer and more tiring. Therefore, the first point is to define what the obstacles are.

  • What is taking more time in your daily life, more than it should?
  • And when you see an obstacle, what can you do today to solve it?
  • That is, what activities are unnecessary and can be eliminated?

Thinking and evaluating these questions will help you to have a clear view of how you are using your time.

2. Make a to-do list

to-do list to increase productivity

Once you have identified the obstacles that make your routine unproductive, build weekly and monthly task lists. They are important because they will direct your work and your day.

When you divide a large project into small steps or tasks, it becomes easier to carry it out, and it will be easier to achieve the goal or expected results.

You can use an agenda to make your to-do list, as well as using Google Calendar, for example.

The important thing is to list the tasks, at least one day before. This way, you will not waste time organizing, you will be able to take action.

3. Organize your work environment

organize your work and your mind

It may seem like an absurd tip, but what many people don’t realize is that disorganization in the external environment, also causes mental disorganization. In this way, more time and energy is needed to perform quality work.

After all, productivity is not just about productivity and time, but also about quality and the appropriate use of resources.

Also, who likes to work in a polluted or disorganized environment?

A good work environment is one in which you or your team are comfortable to perform activities efficiently.

So, organize your mind, if you need maximum concentration to perform a certain task, ask for the collaboration of others. If you work at home, talk to your family.

And always organize your table the way you feel comfortable and can find what you need without difficulty.

4. Set goals and objectives to improve productivity

If you start a project without a defined goal, you don’t know where to start, let alone what to do to accomplish it. It’s like leaving the house and going around the block because you don’t know where you’re going.

The same goes for activities and your routine. They need to have a well-defined goal and objective. It’s this objective that will indicate what the expected result is, as well as where you want to go when performing a certain task.

In doing so, the chances of achieving the result increases, as does your productivity.

5. Organize and plan your week

As well as the importance of the task list, organizing and planning the week is essential for increasing productivity.

And if you feel that you have difficulty starting your activities, or that you are always rushing to deliver your work on time, understand that perhaps this may be a lack of organization and planning.

Therefore, determine a specific day to list and organize your routine. So, if something unexpected happens, you can reorganize yourself more easily. After all, with an organized agenda, you have a broad view of what you need to do.

In addition, you can measure your performance by crossing out tasks as they are done.

6. Bet on time management

Time is the most important resource in our routine. However, if you cannot manage it correctly, it becomes impossible to have discipline, punctuality, and efficiency in your activities. As a result, you become an unproductive person.

Time management means the ability to know how to use it consciously to:

  • Increase yield;
  • Optimize the performance of tasks;
  • Reduce levels of stress and anxiety due to delays, rework, and activities left to the last hour.

In a nutshell, it’s about learning to have more control over your personal and professional routine. It has to do with how you manage time, that is, how much you spend on each activity.

And a very effective method to help you manage your time better is the Pomodoro Technique.

In short, it’s about working 25 minutes on a task without interruption, and at the end of that time, you take a 5-minute break to rest your mind.

After completing four cycles of 25 minutes of work, plus a 5-minute break, you can take a longer break of 15 to 20 minutes.

This technique will help you not only better manage and manage your time, but it will also help you become more productive, as you tend to focus on one thing at a time.

7. Do one thing at a time

And speaking of focusing on one thing at a time, this is an extremely important tip.

If you believe that to be productive you need to do four or five tasks at the same time, then stop what you are doing.

By focusing on just one task you can more easily remove those obstacles from the first tip, in addition to carrying out activities with greater efficiency and quality.

8. Invest in technology to increase productivity

technology to boost productivity

Last but not least: use technology to your advantage to increase productivity and save time.

There are people who believe that the internet can be a big villain for productivity. However, it can help you in countless ways.

Like, for example: eliminating unnecessary tasks, automating repetitive tasks, organizing processes and archiving documents and information in a simple and practical way.

In conclusion, what about learning to increase your Productivity and Organize your Personal and Business Routine, in a practical and easy way? 

Finally, what did you think about this content? What do you usually do to improve your productivity? Leave your opinion in the comments and share this material with your friends.

Reference material 

  1. YouTube – Personal and Business Productivity     
  2. Set a productivity routine – Google Calendar + Evernote + Calendly   
  3. Organize na Pratica – Courses