Effectively prioritizing tasks, creating realistic and achievable goals, and developing a personalized time management plan can enhance productivity and reduce stress in both professional and personal contexts.
In short, time management helps you make the most of your day. By setting priorities and allocating time efficiently, you can achieve your goals without feeling overwhelmed.
Learning Objective
Learn how to effectively prioritize tasks, create realistic and achievable goals, and develop a personalized time management plan to enhance productivity and reduce stress in both professional and personal contexts.
There are dozens of time management techniques out there. Below is a list of popular ideas in a variety of approaches. Experiment with different ones to find the combination that works best for your unique work style and preferences.
Time Blocking
The time blocking method asks you to divide your day into blocks of time, each dedicated to accomplishing a specific task or group of tasks – and only those specific tasks. Instead of keeping an open-ended to-do list of things you’ll get to as you can, time blocking has you start each day with a concrete schedule outlining what to work on and when.
How to use: Allocate specific blocks of time to different tasks or activities. Create a schedule that designates when and where certain activities will take place.
More information: How to Time Block: A Guide
Batch Processing
The batch processing or time batching technique involves grouping similar tasks together and setting aside a time to complete them all at once (or work on them until a predetermined point of progress). The purpose of time batching is to minimize distractions and maximize efficiency.
How to use: Group similar tasks together and tackle them in a single time block. This minimizes context switching and improves efficiency.
More information: How Task Batching Can Increase Your Productivity
Pomodoro Technique
The Pomodoro Technique was developed in the late 1980s by then-university student Francesco Cirillo. Feeling overwhelmed with his studies, he tried committing to just 10 minutes of focused study at a time using a tomato-shaped kitchen timer (pomodoro means tomato in Italian) shaped kitchen timer.
How to use: Break your work into intervals, traditionally 25 minutes in length, separated by short breaks. After completing four, take a longer break.
More information: The official Pomodoro Technique Website
Eisenhower Matrix
The Eisenhower Matrix, also referred to as Urgent-Important Matrix, helps you decide on and prioritize tasks by urgency and importance.
How to use: Divide your tasks into four boxes based on the tasks you’ll do first, the tasks you’ll schedule for later, the tasks you’ll delegate, and the tasks you’ll delete. Attend to tasks in the “urgent and important” quadrant first.
More information: Introducing the Eisenhower Matrix
ABC/123 Method
The ABC/123 method is a simple way to organize tasks based on importance.
How to use: Sort your tasks into three categories: A, B, and C (with A being the most important). Next, within each letter, order your tasks again by importance.
More information: Practice the ABC Method of Setting Priorities
Ivy Lee Method
Named after 20th century businessman Ivy Ledbetter Lee, this 100-year-old method has you optimize your next day’s schedule at the end of each day.
How to use: At the end of each day, write down the six most important tasks to concentrate on completing the next day, ordered by priority. Move any unfinished tasks to the top of the next day’s list.
More information: The Ultimate Guide to the Ivy Lee Method
The 80/20 Rule (Pareto Principle)
Named after Italian sociologist and economist Vilifredo Pareto, this method is based on the idea that for many things, 80% of the results come from 20% of the inputs.
How to use: Identify the 20% of tasks that contribute to 80% of your results. Prioritize and focus your efforts on these high-impact tasks.
More information: Understanding the Pareto Principle
Time Audit
A time audit is the process of tracking exactly what you spend your time on and finding more efficient ways to use your time.
How to use: Track how you spend your time for a week. Analyze the data to identify time-wasting activities and areas for improvement.
More information: Want More Time? Do a Time Audit
Eat That Frog! (Brian Tracy)
Mark Twain once said that “if it’s your job to eat a frog, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning. And if it’s your job to eat two frogs, its best to eat the biggest one first.” Productivity consultant Brian Tracy named this method after this famous quote.
How to use: Tackle your most challenging or important task first thing in the morning. By “eating the frog,” you start your day with a sense of accomplishment.
More information: Eat That Frog & the ABCDE Method
The Two-Minute Rule
Coined by David Allen in Getting Things Done, the two-minute rule states that “If an action will take less than two minutes, it should be done at the moment it’s defined.”
How to use: If a task can be completed in two minutes or less, do it immediately. This prevents small tasks from accumulating and becoming overwhelming.
More information: What is the 2-Minute Rule? &How to Stop Procrastinating
Additional Tips for Common Time-wasters
Throughout your day, you may run into distractions or problems which take up too much of your time. Here are a few tips to avoid or resolve these “time-wasters”:
Interruptions: Establish focused work periods, communicate your availability to colleagues, and use “do not disturb” features when needed.
Distractions (Email, Social Media, etc.): Set specific times for usage, turn off notifications, and delete/file what you don’t need right now.
Ineffective Meetings: Have a clear agenda, set time limits, only invite necessary participants, and follow up with action items after the meeting.
Overcommitting: Learn to say no, assess your current workload before taking on new tasks, and prioritize your commitments.
Lack of Delegation: Identify tasks that don’t require your unique skills or attention, delegate accordingly, and clearly communicate expectations. Trust others to handle it.
Additional Information & Resources
Videos
- Digital Project – Why Time Flies
Articles
- Here’s Why Time Off Work Actually Improves Your Work and Life
- A Guide to the Best Life Hacks From the Last 100 Years
