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Smart time management makes you more productive

Reading time 6 minutes
Smart time management makes you more productive

Do you get nervous when you look at the clock because you think you won't get your work done? With successful time management, you won't sweat anymore. Even when the next deadline is approaching, you stay relaxed. Lots of emails come in, but you don't worry about that. You have your fixed plan.

Sounds unrealistic? But it isn't. A time management coach will give you the right tips. Together with him you will find out how to organise your working time optimally. Setting priorities is just as important as a good structure of processes. Here you will get good tips on how to manage your time.

What exactly is time management?

How can you manage time? By structuring the time you have available for certain tasks. When planning the individual tasks and the time units, it is important to remain realistic. This is how you can manage your time successfully.

By making the best use of the time available, you get all the work done efficiently and on time. In a coaching session, you will find out how to improve your personal Increase productivity lets. The focus here is on the Self-organization. A concrete plan gives you a good orientation. It is an important tool for your concentration and discipline.

Often time problems arise due to energy-sapping disturbances. Some people get distracted quite quickly, while others have a good ability to concentrate. But in everyday work, focusing on a specific task is not enough to drive away the time thieves.

Breaks and idle times also play a role. These give you the opportunity to relax in between. The flow may be a pleasant feeling, but in the long run, the non-stop working increases the stress level.

The effects of a lack of time management

Recent statistics point to the time problems in small and medium-sized businesses caused by unstructured working. Employees spend an average of 44 minutes a day on social media. A quarter of weekly working time is spent on administrative tasks by micro-business owners. Despite the time tracking systems and helpful tips available, a lack of organizational skills is already evident in students.

A lot of time is spent on unproductive meetings, searching for documents and procrastination. This has a negative impact on productivity and also on the work-life balance. But gradually the situation seems to be improving. More sleep and regular breaks help against stress and Burnout. This positive effect shows how important modern time management is.

time management methods

5 time management methods to make your life easier

You want to improve your time management? There are various methods that will bring you forward. Depending on the situation, a combination of several measures makes sense. At the beginning the methods cause an increased effort. But the effort is worth it. After a while you will benefit from faster processes. You don't let yourself get out of step so quickly and deal with unpredictable situations more easily.

The success of time management can often only be assessed later. Besides the higher productivity reduces stress. You can better enjoy time with family and friends and feel fitter overall. These benefits are a strong argument for trying one or more time management methods.

The Eisenhower Principle

The Eisenhower Matrix helps you to set priorities. How important and urgent are the current tasks? You have four fields at your disposal to categorize the individual to-dos. The first field contains the tasks that are absolutely important and urgent. You complete these as quickly as possible. Field B is for the urgent, but less important things, field C for important, but less urgent and D tasks you delegate or delete them completely.

The Eisenhower principle provides a good overview of your projects and tasks. After the classification into the four fields, you complete the pending work according to priority. Depending on the importance and urgency, it may make sense to delegate them.

The Pareto Method

According to Pareto, doing 20 percent of the work is enough to get 80 percent of the result. What is important for you to achieve the goal? Which steps are less important? By identifying priorities, you protect yourself from unnecessary legwork. Instead, you focus on the essential things that determine success.

The ABC method

With the ABC method, you also define priorities. Here, the priorities are divided into three categories. A stands for very important, B for important and C for less relevant. This categorization can be combined well with another time management method.

Class A tasks usually can't be delegated. They are of great value, so you do them yourself. For this you plan about 60 % of working time.

The B tasks have an average value. Some of them you can delegate. Even if you do them yourself, you should not spend more than one hour (25 % of working time) on them. The C-tasks are often time-consuming, but of little value. You should not devote more than 15 % of working time - about 3/4 of an hour - to them.

The ALPEN method

With the help of the ALPEN method, you will be able to organize your working day. It consists of five steps, which are responsible for the naming of this method:

  • Define tasks for an overview of the pending to-dos.
  • Estimate length - to structure your daily schedule. In this way you can see whether you can do the work you need to do in one day.
  • Allow for buffer time: Schedule no more than 60 % of work time. This leaves 40 % for unforeseen situations and social interactions.
  • Make decisions and set priorities. Which tasks are to be done first and which ones will you carry out later? A complementary method such as the ABC analysis or the Eisenhower matrix helps here.
  • Follow-up to check that your planning has worked and that you have achieved all of the targeted Goals achieved have.

The Pomodoro Method

When working in the office, the Pomodoro technique has proven its worth. It protects against time wasters such as emails and interesting articles on the Internet and social media.

So that you don't get too bogged down in a particular task, divide it into smaller subtasks according to the Pomodoro principle. You work through these in 25-minute phases, one after the other. After these 25 minutes you take a break of five minutes. Then the next "Pomodoro" follows with 25 minutes. When you have completed four Pomodori, a half-hour break is due.

In such a Pomodoro session with four units, you alternate between concentrated work phases and short relaxation breaks. This helps you stay focused. Getting used to the regular alternation increases work efficiency and at the same time fulfills the Need after breaks.

Other methods: Time Boxing, Eat the Frog and 10-10-10

In addition to these five time management methods, there are other promising tricks. Time boxing is one of the proven models. Here you define fixed time blocks for your tasks. The basis for this time management model is the assumption that most tasks can be completed within the given time frame. A some pressure to act helps - provided the time units are properly measured.

The "Eat the frog" model means that you do the unpleasant work first and then the nice or interesting tasks. This method helps you to stay motivated.

The 10-10-10 method aims to assess the consequences of your decisions. What are the consequences of your current decision in ten minutes, ten months and ten years? - A good method to identify priorities, but also to gain distance.

The various methods are always about prioritizing different activities and decisions. The bottom line is to reduce the amount of work. Important points in time management are:

  • Avoiding distractions,
  • Delegate,
  • Subdivision and prioritization of tasks,
  • Timekeeping,
  • Creating daily schedules,
  • Documentation of activities.
 Improve time management

8 tips to improve your time management

A current Statistics on the subject of time pressure deals with the development in recent years. From 2017 to 2020, the numbers of Germans in time trouble gradually increased to over 26 %. In 2021, the value drops to below 25 %: A side effect of Corona? Or does this show the changed awareness of entrepreneurs?

With proven time management tips, you will be able to survive even stressful phases. In addition to the various methods, there are useful tips on how to cleverly organize your working time. This not only helps you with the practical implementation, but also has a positive effect on your emotional state. By improving your time management, you will strengthen your Resilience and you're less susceptible to stress.

  • Tip one: Define the priorities - this reduces the time pressure.
  • Tip 2: When big tasks come up, break them down into smaller steps.
  • Tip Three: Protect yourself from time thieves and avoid unnecessary disruptions.
  • Tip Four: Take breaks, because this time will give you the necessary strength to continue working afterwards.
  • Tip 5: Write down important points so you don't forget anything.
  • Tip Six: Delete Multitasking from your plan and go for focused monotasking.
  • Tip 7: Sort out what is urgent and what can be put off.
  • Tip 8: Say no when you can't - it takes the pressure off you.

Improve time management - this is how it works

At the end of a long working day, you should know what you have achieved. There are still urgent matters to attend to? Then there's something wrong with your schedule. Overtime seems to be unavoidable - and already the working time is creeping into the longed-for free time.

If you have problems with time organization, a time management coach can help you. You want to advance professionally? An experienced coach will show you how to reach the next step on the career ladder.

You want to identify time wasters as early as possible and avoid disruptions? With our Webinar you will learn effective methods in business coaching that will help you get ahead. Sign up and get familiar with the methods for time management

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Reviewed by Dr. med. Stefan Frädrich

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