How to Become a Master of Time Management

There are only 24 hours each day which means that failing to have a grasp over time can quickly let the day slip through your hands. Time management is a collection of techniques, routines and habits which allow you to make effective use of your time. This article will share five different approaches so you can become a master of time management.

Mastery #1: Wake Up Productive

The first element of time management to grasp is the idea of always waking at a reasonable time and immediately diving straight into work. The average routine for most individuals would include some kind of “lazy” period where they are adjusting to work or slacking off by watching news. Instead of filling the mind with negative images and habits, make it important to start the day as soon as you wake. Develop a daily routine of waking at the same time to keep your mind in an active mode the moment you’re up.

Mastery #2: Taming the To-Do List

The to-do list is the quintessential cornerstone of time management (for the majority, at least). The to-do list will give you clear guidance on how to approach your day to maximize your efforts and gain the greatest rewards for your time. Unfortunately, most people fill their to-do lists with minutia and this leads to simply doing actions that don’t ultimately lead the individual to an end goal. Instead, use a to-do list that isonlypopulated with rewarding actions that relate to items such as your physical health, business projects, art or mental improvement; skip writing down the easy things else you’ll tackle those first and never reach the important items on your to-do list.

Mastery #3: Batch your Tasks

Think like a computer, when possible. Look at all of the daily activities and tasks you must complete and find ways to combine or pair them so you aren’t jumping between topics and focus. For example, if you know you must get an oil change than use that opportunity to fill up on gas for the week or even go out grocery shopping. Look for cracks between your daily tasks which allow you to fill these spaces with actions you would need to be completing throughout the day.

Mastery #4: Develop Incredible Focus

Everyone you ever meet will talk about how they are amazing at multitasking; unfortunately, the human brain is not nearly as effective at multitasking as we imagine. Multitasking may seem like you’re completing more tasks but it’s simply stretching out two (or more) into a much longer process. Instead, find a single task and make it a great habit of focusing in so deeply that youonlywork on the item until it iscompleted. In time, you will realize how effective you will be at tackling large projects and ultimately controlling your time.

Mastery #5: Set Hard Goals

You could fill your time with 1,000 items on your to-do list or you could do just one action that has the same effect as doing all 1,000. In the bigger scheme, you should create a lofty goal that will be difficult to reach because it will give you enough good stress and reward so that you are far more likely to remain vigilant throughout the tasks to complete the goal. Reward yourself throughout your time invested in projects or work; this is a great way to give yourself a mental boost to continue through to the end.

Conclusion

All-in-all, time management, as noted, is a collection of techniques, routines and building habits. There are only 24 hours each day which means that each of your actions need to have a profound effect on reaching goals instead of simply wasting time. Identifying wasteful actions, planning your attack and tackling the tasks day-to-day is the first step in mastering time management; from there, it’s only a matter of building it into a great habit that will follow you throughout life.