What is Time Management?

The skill of time management is crucial for business success

Time management skills fire up productivity, lead to employees achieving personal and professional goals, and contribute to a focussed working environment unaffected by distractions.

We all know time management is an important human skill – but where to start? Like anything in life, whether it be a new exercise regime or diet, the aim is to start small and build consistent habits over time. The same goes for time management. You need to apply strategies in a sustainable, systematic way so you’re not overwhelmed.

To help, we’ve identified six ways you can start to maximise your time management skills right now.

Six Tips to Maximise Your Time Management Skills

Focussing on just one of these can make a big difference.

1. Micro Goals & Rewards

Throughout the day, set small goals you know you’ll be able to achieve. Once you’ve achieved the first small goal, reward yourself with something like a 10 minute break or a nice cup of tea. Positive reinforcement works wonders in habit-building!

2. Mono-task, Don’t Multi-task

Multi-tasking contributes to a slowing down of your output and more errors, as you switch between tasks and your brain has to keep playing catch-up. Give one task your undivided attention. You’ll be surprised at how much more you’ll get done.

3. Choose Your Time Wisely

Are you a night owl or a morning person? How you function and when you function best can have a big impact on effective time management. For example, if you know your brain is most active between the hours of 8am – 11am, use this time to do your best thinking.

4. Win the Morning, Win the Day

Starting your day off on the right note can make a big difference to how the rest of it will unfold. Create a positive and productive morning routine without distractions. Get outside into the fresh air, read a few pages of a leadership book, or simply listen to your favourite upbeat music while make a hearty breakfast.

5. Kill Distractions

If you really don’t need it, remove your personal phone from your workspace when you’re focussing or at least turn off any personal notifications from social media apps. Procrastination will eat up time, fast.

6. Link Your Actions to Your Goals

Write down what high-value activities will bring you closer to your goals (and those of your team or project) and focus on them. This will keep your priorities top of mind and on track – so you’re not spinning your wheels.

For more on time management and other human skills, head over to the blog.

Interested to learn some time management techniques?

There are plenty of time management techniques used by highly successful leaders to maximise their own and their team’s productivity. We’ve condensed some of the more popular techniques into these easily digestible videos.