Time is ticking, and we can’t do anything about it!
60 seconds in a minute – gone! 60 minutes in an hour – gone! 24 hours a day – gone! You can’t slow it down. Neither can you stop it for a millisecond? Yet, there is so much work on a daily basis that you have to manage to do in the given time frame.
But.
The only way to cope with the shortage of time is to manage it well.
You have to get smart about time! Otherwise, you will never have enough of it.
Here are the top 3 time-saving techniques you should try to take your time under control.
1. “The Eisenhower” Time Saving Technique
Do you know who the 34th President of the USA is?
Dwight D. Eisenhower! This time saving technique is named after him.
You bet it is a good one then, huh?
The Eisenhower time saving technique is divided into 4 quadrants:
- Important
- Not important
- Urgent
- Not urgent
In order to manage your time effectively with this technique, first you need to decide which quadrant your daily tasks fall into. Then decide on your action plan based on their importance and urgency.
Important and Urgent – You need to do these tasks at the first opportunity.
Important but Not Urgent – You can schedule a time to do these tasks later.
Not Important but Urgent – You can to these later or delegate them to someone else. They are at a much lower priority to you.
Not Important and Not Urgent – You can do these tasks whenever you want.
This time saving technique is just brilliant for managing any kind of tasks at any given time.
Also: 5 Effective Strategies of Time Management At Work
2. “Pomodoro” Time Saving Technique
As you may have already guessed, “Pomodoro” is translated into “tomato” in the Italian language.
The author behind this fun and super effective time saving technique is Francesco Cirillo. When he was studying at a university, he used a tomato timer to track his time spent on homework assignments. So, the name goes…
The Pomodoro technique requires you to allocate 25 minutes on much focused hard work, and then take a 5 minute break. This is to ensure your mind gets a rest from time to time and fresh energy is brought on to start working productively again. Genius!
During these 5 minute breaks, you can do whatever inspires you or makes you happy, such as painting, walking, chatting with your friends, eating, or even taking a quick shower. Whatever you like, as long as it manages to breathe life into yourself.
3. “Time-Boxing” Time Saving Technique
The Time-Boxing technique is about setting some time aside. Here, the accent is on the actual allocation of time to be spent, not the tasks to be completed.
Certain tasks are just created to be done with the time-boxing technique, ultimately saving lots of your valuable time.
What types of tasks? Reading your emails, for instance!
If you allocate 15-20 minutes every 5 hours to reading and responding to your daily work emails, you will end up saving lots of time at the end of the day.
Simply, put several time boxes on your calendar, and you will have a more focused working time planned ahead.
Don’t Miss: 5 Tips for Successful Time Management
Which of the above time saving techniques did you like and would use to manage your time more effectively? Let us know!
Any additional time saving techniques you have at your sleeve? Share the wisdom with us!
