How to Acquire Time Management Skills for Success

Time management is a skill acquired by finding the best ways to utilize the limited time that is available to complete any given task. The best way to approach time management is to view time as an asset if it is used properly and a burden if it is wasted. To make the life of managers, employees, and individuals much easier, those who want to make the most efficient use of time must prioritize their tasks, organize their ideas, create shorter deadlines, and distribute specific tasks to the right employees.

Prioritize Tasks

Prioritize tasks by choosing to complete the task that requires the most time to complete first, or based on urgency. Spend as much time on the project as possible if the estimated time of completion is unknown. Don’t get into a habit of setting aside time for other activities, especially leisure activities that can be done at any other time. This will ensure time efficiency and preventing distractions or wasting more time than was originally planned after participating in an activity that consumes a lot of attention.

Organization

Try to be organized, but do it in a way that is proven to be easy and effective. “For instance, if a person is writing a business report or creating a draft of ideas for a project and it helps to write down all their ideas at once and organize them in a cohesive manner later, they should do it,” opines Michael Payton, Head of Content Writing at APA Outline Service. Some people find it easier to organize their thoughts and assignments by doing one thing at a time, but some people might forget important details pertaining to the assignment unless they write down their ideas as soon as they get them or act out their ideas on an assignment as their ideas come to mind. They can always refer to what they have written down later while they’re working on the assignment, so that they can organize their thoughts while they are trying to complete the assignment. Since making room for time to edit the draft is always essential, editing much more later on after the draft is almost completed rather than editing much less toward the completion of a project can be beneficial if the ideas perfect the whole project.

Set Deadlines

Set deadlines that are as strict as possible. “If an assignment is expected to be completed in a few days and it most likely will take less time to complete, try setting a 24 to 48 hour deadline to complete the assignment,” recommends Jessica Wright, Senior Staff Writer at ConfidentWriters. Meeting tight deadlines will help get more assignments out of the way to create more free time for other assignments or leisure activities as they come, maintain concentration on the task at hand, and offer ideas of how long it will take to complete future assignments. The goal is to be ambitious, but don’t forget to be realistic. If the task takes longer to complete than expected, it would still be helpful to strive to complete the task sooner so that gradual progress at meeting goals will develop.

Delegate Tasks

There will be tasks certain individuals are better at than others or tasks some individuals are trained to do based on their skill set and others are not. Capitalizing on the skills of each employee can sometimes take time to master, but it is the most effective way to meet goals with or without a deadline. Allowing each worker to do what they do best to contribute to a common goal will help each participant focus in completing one task at a time, prioritize each individual task, and perfect their tasks over time. Getting help to achieve a common goal will also help managers focus on the tasks that they do best such as managing the cohesion of the team work resulting from these tasks. Although managers can attempt to take on a big project on their own or train themselves to do something new, “it is better to succeed at a few tasks than to attempt and then fail at many,” says Henry Stones, Team Lead at Paper-Research.

Managing employees and tasks can get overwhelming over time if there aren’t clear goals on how to manage such endeavors. Managers are expected to handle a wide range of tasks that often cannot be handled alone. They should always focus on the task at hand and avoid all possible distractions that may interfere with a person’s ability to prioritize the tasks that matter most. Deadlines are another crucial element for time management as it gives workers prioritized goals to work in an effective manner. Delegation of the work will help lower labor costs and raise productivity if it is used in a way that will complement the important guidelines of time management. Effective time management skills will raise the efficiency of individuals and businesses alike by giving them proven skills they need to succeed at the goals set before them.

Author bio:

Paul Bates is a part-time editor at SwiftPapers and EssayTask. He is also a content writer at PaperAdepts contributing articles on management and business topics.