Whether you’re a budding entrepreneur, a booming businesswoman, or a superhuman student, time management can be your saving grace! How can you fit it all into your busy schedule? Sometimes, it feels like you’re simply spread too thin! Well, let’s chat about some of our top time-saving tips to help you manage that busy schedule.
Work In Blocks
Do you multitask? Does it make you feel super productive because you’re working on several different tasks at the same time? Would you then be upset if we told you it may not be the best way to work? Sorry, we know! It may not be what you want to hear, but time blocking may change your time management life.
How does this work exactly?
💥 Start with a to-do list, add numbers to each item on your list to determine the level of priority for each task
💥 Set a timer for 45/50 minutes and just buckle down on that task – no checking emails, answering calls, social media, making coffee etc. If it’s a quick task, make your timer shorter.
💥 Once your timer goes off, you get a 15/10 minute break. Maybe walk around, eat or drink something, and come back refreshed.
💥 Repeat. If you need more than one time block for a task, that’s fine!
Schedule Everything
This ties into our first tip – allocate your time as much as possible. Now, we’re not just talking about meetings or appointments, we also mean adding ‘work on X time’ and ‘do a home workout’ or ‘go for a walk’ to your calendar.
If you don’t schedule your downtime, are you really going to take it? Make your personal time a priority too!
The 2-Minute Rule
If you struggle with procrastination, the 2-minute rule is for you! We know the struggle, sometimes there’s so much to do it feels like a never-ending spiral and we procrastinate.
Here’s a hack:
Pick a task you’ve been putting off (an email, a report, a budget proposal, etc.) decide that you’ll dedicate just 2 minutes to it as a start and once you get some inertia going, it’ll be easier to complete. Even if you then don’t finish it for any reason, you’ll have started which is often the hardest part!
Prioritise, prioritise, prioritise…
A,B,C, it’s as easy as 1,2,3!
In a world of ever-increasing tasks, it’s SO important to decide what actually needs to come first and what could wait for later.
How? Divide everything into the following categories:
👉 Must do – urgent and have potential repercussions if not done promptly
👉 Should do – also urgent but are overseeable, delegatable tasks
👉 Would / could do – think later date tasks or something you could delegate with lower repercussions if not done immediately
Cut Meetings Down
Think “anything you can say in an hour, you can say in 45 minutes”. We have recently implemented this rule at Future Females where meetings are now 45 instead of 60 and 25 instead of 30.
Often, we stretch the task to fit the time allowed so implementing this with your appointments, planning, meetings and more is so important. Here are some more meeting hacks.
Make It Comfortable
This may not be a time-saving tip but it is important, especially in the current pandemic. Set up a workspace that makes you feel comfortable and houses everything you could need. Allocate a few minutes at the end of your day to do a quick tidy so it’s ready for the next day.
If you’re looking for a little inspiration, Pinterest is the place to be!
Some things we’d include:
✨ We love a bulleted to-do list
✨ Your diary
✨ A month-to-month desk calendar
✨ A pen (or 20 if you’re a stationery enthusiast like we are)
✨ A cute plant (plastic or not, no judgement)
✨ A comfortable chair is so important!
What are some of your favourite time-saving tips?
P.S: We recommend reading this blog on ‘Time Management…Myth or Reality?‘ too.