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Time management how to improve


How to Improve Your Time Management Skills (7 Easy Ways)

Anyone would benefit from improving their time management skills - it definitely beats working under pressure anytime. After all, if you don't master your time, then opportunities, efficiency, and work-life balance might slip through your fingers!

Nonetheless, time management is easier said than done. As with most soft skills, it takes a lot of practice to get good at.

That said, there are ways to improve your time management skills, and in this article, we’ll teach you just what they are!

Let’s get started.

7 Best Tips to Improve Your Time Management Skills

#1. Determine Your Priorities 

In your day-to-day activities, some tasks are more important than others. For example, a task might have a closer deadline than the rest, or the case might be that you need to finish task A before you can effectively complete task B.

The same can be said about achieving your long-term goals, whether it is a promotion or investing more time in a hobby.

Determining what your priorities are is the first step towards effective time management. Whether you're an employee or in high-level management, you should have a clear picture of your top priorities. After all, how can you set out to accomplish your goals until you identify them clearly?

One effective method to prioritize your daily tasks is the Eisenhower Matrix, which allows you to categorize and separate your most critical tasks from those that you can delegate or eliminate entirely.

The method is named after Dwight D. Eisenhower, the 34th president of the United States, who was widely recognized for his efficiency and discipline.

Here is what your methodical planning using the Eisenhower Matrix could look like:

#2. Avoid Multitasking

While many people praise their ability to multitask, there are just as many reasons to believe it can actually get in the way of improving your time management skills.

A 2011 research study from the University of California, for instance, found that multitasking can negatively affect your working memory and ability to focus on important tasks. This, of course, isn’t great for time management.

What’s more important, multitasking may just be overrated. What makes it true is the fact that, in reality, you never truly multitask. The various tasks you grapple with can be accomplished to some extent, but none will be to the best of your abilities.

It is essential to learn how to devote your whole attention to the task at hand if you want to improve your time management skills. Your productivity can only improve if you master sustained focus and effort.

#3. Avoid Distractions 

Our daily lives are definitely fast-paced and full of distractions and, more often than not, that gets in the way of improving time management skills. If you’re working from home, for instance, it might be hard to concentrate on work due to having more distractions than in the office and, before you know it, you’ll have lost hours of your time.

Great ways to avoid distractions include putting your phone aside or turning off the notifications, having an office space even if you’re working from home, and asking family members or colleagues not to disturb you with non-work-related matters.  

#4. Learn to Say No

Many people will take on as many responsibilities either to make a good impression and showcase their dedication to work or because they just can’t say no. Yet, an overwhelming amount of tasks can set a toll on your work efficiency and mindset.

Setting a limit on how much workload you're willing to accept can help you manage your time and concentrate on the most important tasks. In turn, you’ll be able to focus and be more productive in the most pressing tasks.

Start by determining how much work is ideal for you and then be sure and confident to decline any offered workload that goes beyond it. If you feel bad about not being able to help, just explain to whoever asked that you don’t have the time to do the quality work they expect or that you have other, more important deadlines to meet.

#5. Use Time Management Apps

It’s all too easy to get overwhelmed with never-ending daily reminders of scheduled tasks and meetings, and constantly trying to catch up can take a toll on your workflow.

Fortunately, technology has come a long way to help us in that regard. 

By using time management apps, you can easily organize everything in one space and track your time for different tasks.

Time management apps like Rescuetime can significantly boost your efficiency. The app allows you to use a Focus Session mode whenever you truly need to focus, preventing main distractions and tracking how effectively you work.

Similarly, time tracking apps like Toggl Track can show you how much time you actually spend on any given task.

 #6. Organize Your Day 

A goal is nothing more than a wish without a solid plan to support it in place. And, without proper day-to-day organization, improving your time management skills can turn into a daunting task.

However, if you organize your day, prioritize your tasks, and measure your progress, you will know precisely where you stand as you work toward your bigger goals.

Now, there are several effective ways to organize your day and get immediate results. For example, work-wise, you can start writing daily to-do lists, taking into account any interruptions that may come up, or dedicating less time to repeating tasks. 

#7. Take Breaks

Although you might feel tempted to complete large amounts of work before taking a break, this strategy could seriously harm your mental health.

For starters, skipping frequent, short breaks might result in fast burnout and overwhelming stress. One study found that employees even tend to compromise their lunch breaks, choosing to work instead. This, in turn, has been shown to have badly impacted their mental health.

Stepping away from your work for a few minutes every couple of hours can help you achieve more with greater comfort and enjoyment, boosting your overall efficiency.

3 Benefits of Improving Your Time Management Skills

Taking steps to improve your time management skills has numerous advantages. More than being efficient at work, effective time management can help you significantly reduce stress and improve your work-life balance.  

Here are the top 3 benefits that come with improving time management skills:

#1. Reduced Anxiety 

A recent study found that poor time management not only hurts productivity but also your well-being.

Come to think of it, time is your most valuable asset. We all understand this, which is why it is critical to manage your time effectively and leave enough space for leisure activities, hobbies, and private life. Otherwise, you risk harming your mental health and putting yourself through more stress than you can handle.

Because we all need enough time for leisure activities, reconsider all elements of your daily life and design a strategy that will provide you with maximum benefits in the shortest possible amount of time.

By improving your time management skills, more and more spare time will appear for you to spend as you please.

#2. Enhanced Work-Life Balance

Too much work and too much leisure can both hurt your overall well-being. That’s why striking a balance that can help you get the most out of each without overdoing it is one of the biggest benefits of improving your time management skills.

According to the organizational psychologist Dr. Deirdre Anderson, an important aspect of taking care of your well-being is devoting time to all different aspects of your life.

Good time management is one of the most effective ways for you to find the perfect harmony between your personal life and work life.

#3. Achieving Your Goals

If you're used to procrastinating, you probably struggle with organizing your day and you constantly postpone your deadlines and goals. This not only consumes all of your time but may also keep you from achieving your dreams. 

According to researcher Piers Steel, 95% of people procrastinate at least to some degree. While knowing you're not alone can be comforting, it's also sad to discover how much procrastination can hold you back.

Start by following these simple strategies to overcome your procrastination habits:

  • Practice self-forgiveness: For starters, don’t beat yourself up too hard. Self-forgiveness can help you feel better about yourself. In fact, it lowers the likelihood of future procrastination.
  • Reward yourself: If you manage to complete your tasks on time, treat yourself to a nice meal at a restaurant or something similar.
  • Turn off your phone: This one may sound redundant, yet if you delve deeper and look at the University of Chicago's study on cellphones, which shows that even the mere presence of a wireless device badly impacts our cognitive capacity, you might want to reconsider.

So, it’s only natural that improving your time management skills can help you stop procrastinating and take you a step closer to your goals.

Looking to improve more than just your time management skills? Communication is just as important, so check out this guide to find out about how to make your communication skills stand out. 

2 Types of Time-Management Skills

Developing solid time management skills is essential for controlling your time during a day and ensuring that it is used as efficiently as possible.

To practice effective time management, there are primary and secondary skills you should work on:

  • Day-to-day organizing, task prioritizing, and planning ahead are primary time management skills essential for using your time wisely. You should be able to assign levels of importance to different tasks, devise solid plans for their accomplishment, and stick to the strict schedules you set for yourself.
  • Seemingly unrelated parts of your life, such as regular exercise, eating healthy and getting enough sleep, directly impact your overall efficiency and hence your ability to manage your time. These can be called secondary time management skills.

So, before you delve deep into your next task with maximum concentration and your phone away, take 20 minutes to cycle around that lovely neighborhood of yours! 

 

Key Takeaways

Now that we've covered all the tips and tricks to effectively managing your time, let's do a quick recap:

  • Effective time management helps you organize your daily activities around your priorities. So, before you start working on improving your time management skills, take some time to identify your key and secondary priorities.
  • When you're clear on what is most important to you, you can start discovering your preferred method for organizing your time. One effective method you could use is the Eisenhower Matrix.
  • A variety of time management software exists to help you out in organizing tasks and tracking your overall productivity. Two very helpful tools are Rescuetime and Toggle Track.
  • To make the best use of your time, you should focus on both core and secondary skills that we've discussed (including your overall health and stress levels).
  • When you master effective time management, you shall enjoy more time for yourself, reduced stress, enhanced work-life balance, and more stamina to start achieving your dreams!

Top 16 Proven Ways to Improve Time Management Skills

Do you often feel stressed out with too much work to do when there’s not enough time in the day? How is it then that some people seem to have enough time to do everything? The secret seems to be controlling time instead of letting time control you. In other words, the difference lies ineffective time management. 

This blog discusses how you can improve your time management skills and increase productivity.  

What is Time Management?

Time management is a technique for using your time productively and efficiently. It means organizing and planning how to divide your time between various tasks. You’ll have time to do everything you need without being stressed out about it with good time management skills. You can work productively and prioritize your time to work out the urgent or important tasks first while following up with things that are not urgent but still important. Thus, you can focus your time and energy on things that matter the most. You’ll end up working smarter, not harder, to increase productivity. 

Top 15 Time Management Skills

Good time management begins with the right set of skills. You cannot manage your time better if you don’t develop the essential time management skills. These skills take time to create and will vary from person to person. Finding what works best for your personality trait is necessary. 

Let’s analyze the core time management skills and how to develop them.

1. Make a Plan

Effective time management isn’t achieved randomly. It involves a good amount of planning. Developing a strategy for which tasks are important, task sequences, calendar management, meetings, project plans, etc., can help you calibrate the course of the day and not go astray. 

2. Create a Priority List Rather Than a To-Do List

Think about what needs to be done and prioritize the most critical tasks. 

Refrain from creating to-do list of all tasks to be done. Instead, create a list of the tasks based on priority and check off items as you complete them. This helps to drive a sense of accomplishment and motivation. The best way to develop planning skills is using calendar tools like Google calendar. 

3. Start Early

Start your day early to take full advantage of the day. Most successful people get up early in the morning and do some quick exercising before heading to work. If you start early, you have plenty of time to think and plan the day. Early in the morning, you are more calm, creative, and clear-headed. This means you have all the ingredients to be more productive.

4. Breakdown Every Task Into Small Chunks

Zero in on what you want, and build smaller goals that ladder up to your desired goal. Group all related tasks into smaller groups that are easy to manage and tackle. Thus, you can better visualize and take steps to reach your goal.

5. Practice Decision Making 

What we do with the 24 hours in a day is what makes the real difference in time management. The ability for good decision-making about time is one of the top time management skills. Prioritize and decide which tasks to handle first and say no to. 

6. Delegate tasks

Task delegation means proper management of tasks. Learning how to delegate is very important in developing time management skills. Delegating work to your subordinates depending on their skills and abilities will free up time for you and make your team members feel valued and motivated to perform well. By delegating or outsourcing whenever possible, you give yourself time to take on the most challenging tasks. Thus you move closer to the goal of becoming the most efficient version of yourself possible. 

7. Set SMART Goals

Set goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and secured within a time frame. Be specific with the outcomes you want to achieve and allocate the time needed to reach that outcome.  

8. Set Up Deadlines

Set realistic deadlines for task completion and stick to them. Try to set a deadline before the due date to deal with other tasks that may get in the way.

9. Be Mindful of When You’re Going Off-Track 

Procrastination affects productivity and causes wastage of time and energy. We tend to procrastinate when bogged down or feeling bored. Break up challenging tasks into smaller activities to stay engaged and on track.   

10. Learn to Set Boundaries and Say No

Time is your most precious asset, and good time management means getting comfortable with saying ‘no’ to tasks that are not your priority. Saying no on-time saves you time to focus on more important things. Learn how to set boundaries for yourself, so you don’t end up biting more than you can chew. 

11. Minimize Distractions

Anything that distracts you – emails, texts, social media – can make you lose focus and become less productive. Eliminate these distractions and take control of your time so you can get more work done. 

12. Deal With Stress Wisely

Stress can affect our productivity. We often feel stressed when we take on more work than we can accomplish. It’s crucial to identify what works for you when it comes to managing stress response. Find effective ways to deal with stress, including taking a short break, exercising, meditating, practicing a hobby, calling up a friend, or listening to music.

13. Avoid Multitasking

Multitasking sounds like you’re getting more tasks at once. But, studies have proven that it actually hampers productivity. Therefore, rather than multitasking and splitting your attention between a few different tasks, focus on getting one task done and moving on to the next. This small change can improve your outcomes. Bonus: You’ll feel less drained! 

14. Use the 20-Minute Rule

The 20 minute increment block is one of the most essential time management skills. Prepare to tackle an important task and set the alarm for 20 minutes. Focus singularly on the task and give it your best shot until the alarm rings. Now decide if you’re going to put the task down or finish it. Repeat until you’ve completed the task.   

15. Take Time Off

Sometimes the best thing to do is give your mind a break from the task at hand. Taking a break is a great way to give your brain a chance to reset. It enhances focus and creativity and results in better problem-solving.  

16. Build a System and Follow It Diligently

Try out different techniques and figure out what suits you the best. Put the selected methods together to build a system that works and helps you improve. Follow the system regularly to get the most value out of it. 

Final Words

These practical time management skills can lead to a happier, more successful life because you’ll be able to focus and achieve your goals in less time. Use these strategies on a regular basis to extract maximum value out of them. With the everyday practice of prioritizing tasks and organizing them, you’ll be able to build a healthy relationship with time — which is key to a successful and more fulfilling life.  

Interested in learning more about management? Then sign up for Simplilearn’s Post Graduate Diploma in Management and easily take the next step in your career. Designed in collaboration with JAGSOM, master management principles of marketing, economics, accounting, and HR.

management - secrets and ways to manage time

Let's say you have not one online store, but two. Or three. Or five. Or there is a working offline point and you are thinking of transferring part of your sales to the Internet. How not to get confused in the assortment and work equally effectively with each project? Read our next article.

Who will benefit from this article?

All those who have to solve several problems at the same time.

So, if you are:

  • an entrepreneur who has opened several online stores;
  • offline business owner who wants to open an online store in addition;
  • owner of several offline businesses - in one area and in different ones;
  • content manager or marketer who manages several Internet projects at the same time.

What is time management?

Obviously, "time management" - any child knows. It is assumed that the one who has mastered this science is the master of his own time, he himself plans the working day, week, month, he himself determines which tasks are priorities and which can wait. And most importantly - he knows how to do more in the same unit of time. That is, work less and do more - it's just a dream! nine0005

Another Russian physiologist Nikolai Vvedensky noted: “We get tired and exhausted not because we work hard, but because we work poorly, we work in an unorganized way, we work stupidly” . Probably, you have noticed more than once: when the day is not planned, when clear tasks are not set, we hang out like some kind of substance in an ice hole, jump from one to another, get distracted. As a result, in the evening, summing up, we bitterly summarize: nothing useful has been done during the day, some kind of fuss and decay. nine0005

Let's look at examples. We have a hypothetical student who comes home and does his homework. One can stretch the process of doing homework for 5 hours, constantly being distracted by toys, the other will get together and do everything in an hour - and then the long-awaited freedom. Which one is the best time manager?

Let's go further. The boys grew up and became businessmen. Both have several businesses, dozens of employees, constant tasks that need to be solved during working hours. One habitually procrastinates, interferes with work and personal, or tries to solve everything at once - as a result, he does not have time for anything and is sewn up from current tasks. And in the long run, professional burnout awaits him, because you can't work at your limit all the time . The second one put everything on stream and can now work for several hours a day - and the quality of the business will not suffer from this.

Why do you need to know the basics of time management?

  • to live a full life, to find time not only for work, but also for rest;
  • to effectively allocate time for personal and work, useful and leisure, solving important tasks and not so much; nine0018
  • to learn to separate the wheat from the chaff - important tasks from non-essential ones;
  • to comprehend your goals and in general life actions. Keeping track of time is a good practice in everyday life as well. Once you learn how to plan your time, you will habitually transfer these skills to life in general. So, it will be more meaningful and filled;
  • to motivate yourself to work and live more effectively.

Basic principles of time management

1. Make to-do lists. Be sure to record everything that you have planned - as you prefer. Even on paper, even in a mobile application, even in a diary. Even better - specify the time during which the task will be completed . For example, 9.00 - planning meeting with employees. 10.00 - meeting with the supplier. 11.00 - meeting with a marketer, development of an advertising campaign. Etc. This will give you a clear plan and instructions on how and when to do everything. And then, when you write down, the brain remembers information better. So you won't forget anything! nine0005

2. Divide big tasks into small ones. It's easier even psychologically - major tasks hang over us like the sword of Damocles, it's scary to start them and it's so tempting to put them off until later! When a big task is divided into several small ones, it is no longer so scary. Do each systematically - and you will see how quickly you will achieve results.

3. Prioritize. Each day, determine the most important thing and throw all resources and opportunities into it. Do it first or come back to it during the day - the main thing is that the task is completed. In the meantime, perform less important tasks - you should not forget about them too. nine0005

As a rule, the most important things are usually the most difficult ones. Or unpleasant. For example, you need to negotiate a deferral of rent payments or start a difficult conversation with an employee at fault. This is where procrastination rears its head - we delay the moment by killing time with small things or even wasting it on nonsense. Make it a rule to do the main thing first - you will see how quickly the stone will fall from your soul. Then everything will go just like clockwork!

4. Don't get distracted. nine0004 Get yourself certain hours for productive work, during which you are not allowed to be distracted. Teach employees: no matter what happens, solve problems yourself, and the boss should work. Do not be distracted by calls, letters, communication in instant messengers - they eat up several hours of your personal time. It is better to allocate half an hour in the morning, afternoon and evening to check all messages and chat, and not go beyond this limit.

5. Be clear about your goals. nine0004 Not “increase sales”, but “increase average check by 20%”. Not “increase the conversion of the site”, but “achieve an increase in traffic through contextual advertising”. The main business performance indicators will help you with this - we wrote about them in this article.

6. Set goals correctly. This is necessary in order not to be excruciatingly painful for the wasted time. Any goal should be specific, relevant, achievable over a real period of time (and not sometime later), measurable. For example, “I want to become the best in my niche” is a wrong, too vague goal. “I want to overtake my main competitor in 2020” is already better. “I want to overtake a competitor in 2020 using modern marketing trends” - even better. “In 2020, I will increase sales by 30%, overtake the competitor, using advertising from bloggers and using additional advertising channels” - this is the right goal! nine0005

7. Set the bar high. Schedule a little more tasks than you can handle. Set a little earlier than planned - for example, start selling a new collection in a month, not a month and a half. Now, whether you like it or not, you have to do it! If it doesn’t work out, you can always win back, but more likely you will recklessly try to do everything on time.

8. Or vice versa - leave spare time. Yes, plans and clear schedules are needed, but force majeure can happen in any business. Either the supplier will let you down, or the employee will mess up - anything can happen. Do not plan to complete tasks, especially large ones, in the shortest possible time - give yourself a head start. During this time left in reserve, you will be able to correct the situation if something goes wrong. nine0005

9. Do your routine, don't forget the main thing. Even if at the moment you are working on everyday tasks - choosing a new assortment, hiring a new employee - always remember why you are doing this. Think about the mission of the company - does a specific current task meet the main goal? If yes, great, you are on the right track. If not, the goal must be adjusted.

10. Delegate authority. Even if you think you know everything best, do not rush to perform the duties of other employees. Your job as a manager is not to answer calls, take photos of new card items, and deliver orders instead of a courier. You can safely give all the turnover to your subordinates - and do the planning, development of long-term strategies, business scaling and other pleasant things yourself. That's why you hired employees and deputies to load them with work duties and unload your loved one to solve global problems. Read more about delegation of authority in this article. nine0005

11. Learn to say no. Jim Carrey's character in Always Say Yes! suffered from an excess of free time - therefore, he happily filled his life with interesting events. But you don’t have this time - so don’t take it away from yourself even more! Cases that the soul does not lie in, inappropriate, unprofitable things are real killers of the leader’s time and the profit of any business. And all you have to do is learn to say “no” and refuse unprofitable offers! nine0005

12. Allow yourself to rest. A boss squeezed like a lemon is a thunderstorm for his subordinates and a time bomb for himself. Thinking about work night and day, breaking into the office on a legal day off, neglecting your personal life - all this sounds heroic, but it will not lead to good. It’s impossible to do everything anyway - at least several times a week, allow yourself to relax and unwind, do what you love. So you reboot your brain, recover and work many times more efficiently. Isn't that what you want? nine0005

13. Live according to your biorhythms. All childhood and adolescence artificially made larks out of us - remember getting up to school and college by eight in the morning! Now you are the owner of your own business and you can allow yourself to live in harmony with your body. What is the point, if you are a night owl, to wake yourself up at 7.00 and walk like a boiled fly until lunch - in this state you will still be unproductive. It is much more useful to get enough sleep and start work at 12 noon - and then live on your own schedule. If you are comfortable working at one in the morning, work at one in the morning. nine0005

These were the basic rules of time management. Now let's complicate the task - let's talk about how to manage several projects at the same time .

Time management options

Option one. Offline and online business

So, you have a store or outlet. Business is doing well, sales are growing, and you are increasingly thinking about reaching another segment of the target audience: those who prefer to shop online. There are more and more of them - by abandoning the online store, you lose some of your customers. And not the worst part of them: young, modern, solvent.

What do you need to do?

1. Your main task is to keep the advantages of the offline store (familiarity, territorial accessibility, the ability to touch and try on goods) and attract customers with the advantages of online trading . In a regular store, leave everything as before, but you will have to figure out the rules for opening and promoting an online store:

  • prices in an online store should be lower than in an offline point: this is its main advantage;
  • you can deliver goods not only within your city, but throughout the country;
  • you can develop your own bonus or affiliate program;
  • you can collaborate with other sites and resources on the web. There are more of them than it seems!

2. Automate business processes. You will not manually translate the entire catalog of goods online! It is easier and more reliable to use ready-made systems, such as EKAM. nine0005

3. Expand promotion channels. If earlier you were limited to standard advertising: published articles in the media, handed out leaflets, hung billboards and banners on city streets, everything is different with e-commerce. You will have to simultaneously advertise your store among your new target audience:

  • in social networks - this is where the majority of young people live;
  • using SEO promotion;
  • using contextual and targeted advertising; nine0018
  • with the help of videos, infographics and other modern promotion methods.

4. Create a convenient modern site, which will be convenient not only to sell, but also to buy. We advise you to contact an advertising agency or use InSales ready-made templates specifically for online stores.

5. Advertise an offline point on the site, and place information about the opening of an online resource in the store itself. People need to know that you are expanding and conquering the internet. nine0005

Tip: find a good specialist who will take over the creation and promotion of the site and filling it with goods. Watch his work: perhaps later you will get involved yourself, but for now, do what you do best: the development of an offline point.

Option two. Several Internet projects

If this is your case - one hundred percent, on the Internet you swim like a fish in water and you yourself know everything about opening and promoting online stores. nine0004 You definitely have one - perhaps the assortment has expanded too much, and you decided to split it into two or more resources? Well, for example, they started selling household goods, and over time, hundreds of models of garden goods or tools appeared in the catalog - it's time to open a separate store!

You can, of course, leave everything as it is, but in this case the store will turn into a collection of various categories. It will be difficult for buyers to understand the variety of goods - you will lose customers and profits. Paradox, but it works! nine0005

Advantages of creating several online stores:

  1. You will be able to study in detail each topic, each category. Now you have the opportunity to add not only standard goods to the assortment, but also rare, unusual models for an amateur - believe me, and they will definitely be in demand. In a word, you will be able to give the buyer the most complete choice in your niche.
  2. People will have more confidence in every store. nine0004 Such is the psychology: if you emphasize that you are specialists in each chosen field, hire several savvy sales assistants, customers will think that professionals in their field really work in this store, who will give competent advice.
  3. You can create a separate landing page and your USP for each online store. Each landing will have its own traffic - which means you will be provided with customers who will fall into the sales funnel. nine0018

Cons of several projects:

It's expensive. Even if you use free InSales templates, you will have to invest in website content, Internet promotion, search engine optimization, contextual advertising.

What do you need to do?
  1. In order not to get confused, make stores as similar as possible in structure, engine, sections. Put the same feedback widgets, similar filters: by price, categories, other parameters. Do this at least at the beginning, during the break-in period. Then you can conduct A / B testing and understand which tools work best. nine0018
  2. Choose the same CMS or online store platform. Again, you need this for convenience, and also with an eye to the future: in case of problems, it will be enough for you to contact one technical support specialist. Of course, we will advise the InSales platform first of all: read the cases of stores that successfully work on this engine. But there are other options - the main thing is that the site is convenient, useful and has all the necessary modern functionality.
    3. nine0017 Use one online checkout for all sales. This is quite possible and legal, especially if you have one office from which you manage several online stores. It is enough to choose a model that can work simultaneously with several sites. On the check, you must indicate the website of the store where the purchase was made - this is regulated by the checkout settings.

Third option. Several offline projects

Here it is necessary to distinguish - your businesses are in the same area or are they in different . If in one or adjacent ones - it's clear, it's easier. All business processes have been tested, competitors have been studied, suppliers have been found, the scheme for working with them has been streamlined - even buyers can be the same!

When businesses are in different areas, it is much more difficult. Therefore, we would still advise to find common ground . Well, a sporting goods store and a cozy girl's coffee shop are not mounted! Everything is too different: the target audience, assortment, suppliers - how not to get confused here! You need to be Iron Arnie or a biorobot to keep everything in your head. nine0005

What do you need to do?
  1. Cross target audience. Customers of one outlet may well become regular customers of another. To do this, make life easier for customers: let one store advertise another. Lay out promotional materials at the checkout, instruct sellers to praise other businesses, offer discounts, organize promotions and sales.
  2. Attract partners from related businesses. Or poach from competitors, or independently look for a person in the subject who will help you at first. So you delimit the areas of responsibility: you yourself will focus on one business, the partner on another. Otherwise, it is unlikely to succeed: no one has yet been able to embrace the immensity. nine0018
  3. Constantly develop: learn new things, read books, attend management courses. Two and several businesses is a huge responsibility that not everyone pulls.

Basic Time Management Rules for Multiple Projects

Whichever option you choose, you will have to learn how to allocate time between several important tasks. Here are the basic rules of time management that every manager needs to know:

1. Make charts. Let's say you have an offline outlet and two online stores or three online outlets. Grab your diary, open Google Sheets, and start scheduling. On Monday you work closely with one object, on Tuesday - with another, and so on. These are your main tasks, but there are also secondary ones: on Monday you need to go to a meeting with suppliers, look at the layouts of a new sign, and conduct an interview with the seller. Remember all the tasks for Tuesday and Wednesday and put them on the schedule too. When the tasks are completed, feel free to cross them off the list. This is very motivating. nine0005

2. Form a single database of clients for all projects. Let's say a client placed an order in one online store - tell him about another, offer a discount or a bonus. Tame it, attract it with favorable conditions and excellent service. Make sure that he does not go anywhere himself, but at the same time tells his friends about your projects.

3. Cross-promote. Tell about your other projects on each Internet resource. Create a single group in social networks, where you publish information about each of your projects. Constantly emphasize that it is in your power to lead several directions at once, that you are young and full of energy, and your employees are eager to work tirelessly! nine0005

4. Automate. Wherever possible, use artificial intelligence - so you and your employees will have more time. Artificial intelligence is not something from the world of the distant future, algorithms based on neural networks have been working on the Internet for a long time. These are the algorithms of search engines - "Palekh", social networks - "Prometheus" and "Nemesis", Alice's voice assistant, chat bots that communicate instead of a manager with clients in "Viber" or "Telegram". Each of these algorithms is constantly learning and improving. Each is aimed at making life easier for ordinary employees and ordinary users. nine0005

5. Play as a team. Ideally, if already familiar people who were previously in your team will be involved in the work on several projects. First, you already know them and can rely on them. Secondly, they have already shown their strengths and weaknesses. If you had to recruit new members to the team, you will have to work on rallying the team for more effective work.

And finally, five fly in the ointment

Do not think that knowledge of time management will make you a superman. Not at all - let's debunk the main myths so that life does not seem like honey . Better the truth than sweet lies!

  1. Time cannot be controlled. It is heartless: it goes on and on, and you can't do anything about it. You can only manage yourself by killing attempts at procrastination, planning your day and making clear plans.
  2. You will not work anymore, relax. Rather less - for the same units of time. This, in our opinion, is the main feature of time management. You will increase your personal efficiency and productivity. nine0018
  3. Time management is a panacea for all ills. Well, no. If you set initially wrong goals, make spontaneous stupid decisions - no time management will save you.
  4. Time management suits everyone. That's how it is, but each person is individual, you need to choose a strategy for yourself. Above, we wrote 13 general principles of time management and 5 rules for those who lead several projects at the same time. There are plenty to choose from! nine0018
  5. Everything will immediately go like clockwork. It is worth starting to implement the rules of time management - and he drank like a magic pill. Quite the opposite: at first it will be hard, because in fact, you will break the usual way of life, develop new skills. The main thing is not to break in the first week. It will get easier, check it out!

Multitasking is not an easy task, pardon the pun. Many people find it difficult to work in this mode - in this case it is better to concentrate on one project, and entrust the rest to a reliable person. Otherwise, you risk not completing any project. It's not scary: everyone lives at their own pace. The main thing is to understand this in time and find a reliable partner and deputy. Good luck with the management! nine0005

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Time management: 15 methods for effective time management

and household chores, it may be worth reconsidering the approach to planning. Time management is a whole science. We tell you how time management works and how to manage your time

What is time management

Economist Peter Drucker wrote that management will increasingly go beyond commercial enterprises, where it appeared in an attempt to organize the production of things.

Time management are techniques and methods for managing time. This is self-organization and self-management. Time management helps a person or company to plan time and save resources.

For example, if you are overwhelmed with work, and you do not know what to take on first, you should prioritize. The Eisenhower matrix helps you figure out which tasks are urgent and important, and which are just distractions. Do not forget about the famous "Pareto rule", according to which only 20% of efforts bring 80% of the result and vice versa. nine0005

The more we manage to do, the better the quality of our work and life in general. And in the face of digital transformation and the acceleration of change, clear time management helps you stay focused on your goals, stay on track, and ultimately avoid becoming a downed pilot in the job market.

Principles of time management

Almost all existing methods of time management consist of three components: prioritization, planning and structuring.

  1. Prioritization. To complete a task, you need to determine how urgent, complex and important it is, and only then proceed with its implementation.
  2. Planning. To complete a task, you need to figure out when it should be done and how long it will take.
  3. Structuring. To complete a task, you need to understand how to track its progress and results.

Most time management techniques rely on structuring and prioritization, and only a small part is a complex combination of all three principles. We will analyze the 15 best time management methods: from simple techniques to complex management systems. nine0005

Time management best practices

1. Preparing in the evening

Preparing in the evening for those who find it difficult to get up early in the morning - advice from psychologist Nick Wignal [1]. Write down work and personal tasks for tomorrow at the end of the working day. So you understand your workload in advance and distribute tasks without the morning rush. You can prepare a task plan in the evening, work clothes, or lunch to go if you work outside the home.

Tasks for tomorrow can be made in a notebook on paper or in Appendix

2. At least N minutes

The method helps to cope with procrastination - postponing tasks "for later", even if they are important or urgent matters. If you don't feel like doing anything, try starting with at least a few minutes per task: five or ten. According to Julia Müller, a professor at the University of Leipzig, this gives a person the right to change their mind, and it increases the feeling of control over the situation. He stops thinking that he is being forced to do something that he absolutely does not want to do [2], so further work goes easier. nine0005

3. Deadlines

Set clear deadlines for the delivery of work - deadlines. Clear deadlines encourage you to work faster and help you deal with procrastination. Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have found that even self-set deadlines help get things off the ground [3]. At the same time, such deadlines work worse than external deadlines set by the manager or the competition commission. In personal cases, the outside curator can be a friend, colleague, or relative. nine0005

4. Eating the "frog"

Business coach Brian Tracy suggests eating a "frog" every morning [4]—doing the most difficult and unpleasant task first. In the morning, the brain is less loaded with information, so it will be easier for you to cope with a difficult task. After such a task, all the rest will seem trifling and they will still have strength.

5. Small tasks

This is the exact opposite of the previous method. Do small tasks - for 1-2 minutes - first, if possible at the same moment. For example, check mail and equipment, submit requests, or distribute tasks. This rule is taken from the Getting Things Done (GTD) method by business coach David Allen [5]. nine0005

6. Autofocus

The "autofocus" method is suitable for people who often work with tasks without a deadline. The two previous principles oblige to choose a cause, and this sense of obligation causes rejection. The author of the method, Mark Forster, believes [6] that you should first write out all the cases in a single list, and then slowly read it until you want to stop at one task. The size of the task does not matter, the desire to do it right now is more important. If you managed to complete the task today, cross it out. If it doesn't work, move it to the end of the list and read it again. nine0005

7. Do It Tomorrow

Mark Forster, author of Do It Tomorrow [7], recommends not taking on urgent tasks right away, but putting them off until tomorrow. To do this, you need to maintain closed to-do lists. You cannot add a new task to the closed list, but you can add it to the list the next day. This approach helps you stay focused on current affairs and do only your job.

Forster separates "his real job" and "employment." A real job helps you advance in a business or profession. Here you will fully apply your skills and knowledge. Get out of your comfort zone often by doing things you haven't done before. The work is really difficult, this work can cause a little resistance. nine0005

Busyness comes when you put aside real work for small tasks. Activity is not the same as action. If a job feels overwhelmed but doesn't seem difficult, it's probably busy. Real work can be difficult, but it doesn’t make you feel like a “squirrel in a wheel.”

8. Dividing a large task

This technique is also called eating salami or elephant in pieces. The global task can be intimidating by its volume. To start it, you should decompose a large task into small stages, decompose. For example, “launching a new project” sounds loud and presses with responsibility. But when concrete steps appear in it, it becomes easier: “start audience research” → “talk with Sasha on the points of analysis” → “examine the results” → “prepare a layout based on the research results”. The task "acquires" specifics and no longer seems like an impossible mission. nine0005

9. One task at a time

Multitasking does not work in intellectual work. In 2009, researchers from Stanford University conducted an experiment [8]. They found that when a person does several intellectual things at the same time, for example, reads and talks on the phone, he remembers both the content of the conversation and what he read worse. At the same time, he cannot determine which information was important and which could be omitted. If a person works on only one thing at a time, he copes better with the task and remembers information well. nine0005

10. Fixed time methods

This includes timer methods. If you get into the habit of working on a timer, you will know the value of your time, work more productively, learn to manage expectations, train your willpower and prevent burnout.

Pomodoro technique. The Pomodoro Method is Francesco Cirillo's "25 Minute System". A "pomodoro" is a 30-minute time span - 25 minutes for work and five minutes for rest. You work for 25 minutes, take a five-minute break, then go back to work. Every four repetitions - a break of 30 minutes. nine0005

By the way, the timer is called "tomato" because Francesco Cirillo originally used a small kitchen timer in the shape of a tomato.

Most often, the Pomodoro timer looks like this (Photo: bakunin.com)

The 90 by 30 method by Tony Schwartz [9] and the 52 by 17 method , which appeared as a result of The Muse research [10], are built on a similar principle. The first value is the time in minutes that you need to allocate for work, the second is the time for a break. nine0005

We can say that this is a modification of deadlines, but they severely limit the time for work itself. The abundance of short breaks helps to "unload the brain", change activities and get distracted.

If you want to try the methods in practice, remember that in them not only work intervals are equally important, but also rest intervals. For the methods to work, it is important to rest and return to the task at a set time.

11. The Nine Actions Principle

This method is based on a hierarchy of tasks. According to the principle, during the day you need to “close” one large task, three smaller tasks and five small ones. Tasks like preparing for a meeting with future clients are suitable, and simpler tasks, such as buying pet food. So household chores do not disappear from view and are included in the calculation of their own workload. nine0005

A variation of this method is Chris Bailey's "Three Things Principle" [11]. This method will help those who easily sink into a routine and do not pay enough attention to their long-term goals. According to Bailey, you need to complete three things a day that bring you closer to achieving a global goal. For example, doing grammar exercises in English for an hour a day or applying for a scholarship if your global goal is to study abroad.

12.

Kanban

Kanban is a method of organizing work to distribute work among people and get work done on time. The method helps to see the growing pace of work and not forget anything. Along with Scrum, kanban is one of the key methods of the Agile management system, which also needs to be implemented wisely so as not to achieve the opposite result. nine0005

Classic kanban is a table with three columns To Do, In Progress, and Done. But there can be more columns, for example, by the number of stages in your project or production, and their names can also change at the discretion of the company.

All cases are by default entered in the first column in a separate line or on a separate sticker, card. Then they are dragged from one to another until they get to the last column. Thanks to this “drag and drop”, you can easily track the progress of an individual and the entire team. nine0005

13. Timing

Gleb Arkhangelsky, an economist and author of books on time management, believes that planning is based on understanding where time is spent efficiently and where not. Arkhangelsky proposes to plan in three stages.

  • Fix. For several weeks, every one to two hours, record the completed tasks and the time it took to complete them. Cases can be omitted for two or three minutes. The purpose of the stage is fixation, third-party observation of oneself. nine0018
  • Find the important. After these weeks, note in the same notebook when the time was spent usefully, when the task could have been done faster, and when the time was wasted.
  • Plan. Adjust your schedule and work process based on your statistics.

14. Eisenhower Matrix

The system of doing business and prioritization, which was invented by the 34th US President Dwight Eisenhower in the middle of the 20th century. All current and future cases are divided into four categories of the matrix, depending on their urgency and importance. It is difficult to use the matrix all the time, but you can periodically return to it if you are overwhelmed with work and household chores. Here's how to use it. nine0005

Eisenhower Matrix

  • Important and urgent to do. These are tasks with deadlines. For example, complete a project for a client, send a draft of an article, answer important emails, pick up kids from school. If they are not done, it is fraught with unpleasant consequences.
  • Important and non-urgent - to schedule. These are deeds without a deadline that are needed for your growth. For example, go to the gym, study a foreign language, go to a networking session. Such cases need to be planned in advance so as not to lose. nine0018
  • Unimportant and urgent - delegate. Routine that does not require specific skills. For example, post blog posts, cook food, mail out to colleagues, put clothes in the wash. These tasks should be carefully and reasonably delegated to your employees or colleagues in order to free up your time for important and urgent matters.
  • Unimportant and non-urgent - delete. These are activities that are not useful in work and do not help achieve the goal. For example, scrolling through social networks, playing video games, watching TV. Such cases take a lot of time, so they need to be controlled or abandoned altogether. nine0018

15. Chronotype time management

The method is suitable for those who want to create an ideal daily routine for themselves. PhD and clinical psychologist Michael Breus believes [12] that there are four chronotypes. Each of them has their own ideal time to wake up, peak productivity and sleep patterns:

  • Bears. It is comfortable for them to wake up from 7 am to 11 am, the peak of productivity falls on the period from 11 am to 6 pm, and going to bed should be no later than 11 pm. nine0018
  • Lions. They can wake up without an alarm clock from 5:30 to 10 in the morning, they are most productive from 10 to 17, it is better for them to go to the side before 22:30.
  • Wolves. It is very hard to get up in the morning, their time is from 7:30 to 12 o'clock, they work effectively until 20 o'clock and easily go to bed at 00:00.
  • Dolphins. People with restless sleep patterns, so even if they get up between 6 and 10 can easily fall back asleep. To fall asleep by midnight, they need to remove any screens two hours before bedtime. The peak of their activity is from 10 am to 6 pm. nine0018

Breus believes that if you adjust your personal and work schedule to your own biorhythms, the quality of life will become much better. You can also read the advice of German Gref, Pavel Durov and other business leaders on how and when to work and relax.

Time Management Applications

These applications are useful for managing tasks. They are suitable for most of the time management methods on our list.