Time management is an essential capability to develop if you want to achieve bigger and better goals in business and life. If you can’t manage your time effectively, it’s easier to feel stressed, trapped and not in control of your time. In this article I’m going to share 12 simple time management tips that will help you master time management and help you regain control of your time, energy and focus.
If you never seem to have enough time, good time management will help you feel more productive, relaxed, focused and in control of your time. Learning how to manage your time effectively will lower stress, stop procrastination and help you achieve bigger and better results in less time.
The aim of good time management is to get the results you want in less time, and with less effort. These tips for better time management will help you remove distractions, increase focus and show you how to manage your time in the most productive way.
Read more about the benefits of time management.
What is time management?
Time management is the management of your time, energy and focus to achieve your most important results in less time. Essentially, time management enables you to work more productively and effectively with less effort and stress.
The objective of time management is to maximise the time spent on your most important activities. Being effective with your time will help you manage your time better and direct your focus to the projects that create the biggest impact.
These simple simple time management tips will help you organise and leverage your time so you can divide your time between your most important activities.
Good time management enables you to work smarter, not harder and achieve your goals in less time and with less effort, whilst creating a better work-life balance.
Why is time management important?
Learning time management skills leads to greater productivity, less stress, better task management and eliminates procrastination. Good time management enables you to focus your time and energy on your most important activities, so you can achieve more in less time.
Time management is important because you only have a limited amount of time each day to achieve the results you want, so it’s essential to maximise the time you have.
When you can effectively manage your time, using these simple time management tips, you can free up more time to spend time on your most crucial and important activities. Read more about the importance of time management.
12 simple time management tips
Here are 12 simple time management tips to help you increase productivity and achieve bigger results.
1. Set better goals
Goal setting provides the framework for managing your time effectively. Goals give you a clear picture of who you want to be in the future and provide a plan and path for how to manage your time to reach those goals,
Once you are clear on your bigger vision, you can set short-term goals that will help you prioritise your time, manage your energy and ensure that you stay productive every day. Read my guide to effective goal setting.
2. Make a list
Having a to-do list is a good way to stay organised and manage your time effectively. The key to good time management is to shorten your to-do list so you don’t become overwhelmed with too many tasks each day,
Having a small list will help you identify your biggest priorities, organise your time and ensure you spend time on your most important activities. Making a list helps you stay focused and productive every day.
3. Track your time
If you know how you want to spend your time in the future, it’s important to figure out where your time is going right now. If you don’t know where your time is going, it’s more difficult to manage time better or know if you’re changing the right things.
The first step to good time management is to track your time. If you want to start tracking your time, sign up to my Time For What Matters newsletter and get instant access to my Time Transformer Challenge.
4. Prioritise your time
It’s easier to manage your time better when you are clear on your biggest priorities each day. When you know exactly what your biggest priorities are each day you can focus your time on those few important activities instead of lots of lower value activities.
Start your day by identifying your three most important activities. Then, choose the activity that can produce the biggest results and start working on that activity. Read more about how to prioritise.
5. Focus on results
Good time management means achieving bigger results in the simplest and most productive way possible. When you focus on the results you want to achieve, you look for the fastest route to achieving those results. This focus ensures you manage your time effectively, rather than filling up time.
Effective time management means doing your most productive work for the majority of your day. When you shift to this productivity mindset, you focus your time on achieving a result, rather than being busy.
Spending more time, and working harder, doesn’t equate better work. Managing your time well is about finding the simplest, fastest and easiest way to achieve the result you want. Focusing on results is a critical habit of highly productive people.
6. Review your performance
Acknowledging and celebrating achievements each day builds confidence, motivation and momentum. Knowing you’re spending your time productively and achieving the results you want reinforces the habits of spending time on your most important work.
In my guide on creating a productive evening routine I go into this in more detail.
7. Schedule your time
The most productive people plan ahead and schedule their most important activities in their scheduler or planner each day. The simple act of scheduling activities shows their importance and focuses your mind to get them done each day.
Sign up to receive my Free Daily Planner so you can be more productive by scheduling your most important activities.
8. Find time to reflect each day
Taking time out of your day to reflect and recharge is an important time management skill. People who feel they have enough time for the things they want to do are more likely than time-poor people to engage in reflective activities multiple times per week.
When you have more energy, you are more productive and can manage your time better. Take time out each to boost your energy. You could meditate, go for a walk, journal, catch up with an accountability partner, or take some time out to think.
It’s easy to find five minutes to reflect, but sometimes creating a habit can help. It could be when you get up. When you’re taking a walk. When you’re travelling to work (if you still are).
Anywhere where you’re not distracted. You can use this time for a gratitude practice, to meditate, to think through your day. Read my guide on cultivating a gratitude practice.
9. Get a good night’s sleep
It’s easier to manage your time effectively when you feel energised. Getting a good night’s sleep is key to having a productive day, every day. To get enough sleep it’s important to figure out what time you need to get up and figure out how much sleep you need. Read my guide on how to sleep better and get tips on how to stop feeling tired all the time.
10. Plan your week in advance
When you can plan your week in advance you have greater direction and focus. Greater direction and focus allows you to manage your time better.
On a Sunday evening or Friday afternoon, make yourself a short set of 5 goals you want to achieve for the following week, and identify your biggest priority for the week. Try to front load the week with your most important work so you feel energised, motivated and excited to start the week.
11. Take breaks during the day
Taking regular breaks during the day can help you manage your energy, and avoid the mid-afternoon slump that has people losing hours to internet rabbit holes and mindless scrolling. Wether that’s going for a walk, taking some exercise, reading or having a lunch break, the simple habit of taking breaks can help you manage time better.
12. Set a time limit on activities
Activities can expand to fill all available space, taking over hours of your time, or even full days. Instead, choose how much time you’ll devote to a specific activity or task. Having a specific time limit forces you to prioritise and reduces busyness.
Summing Up
Good time management enables you to be more productive, improve your performance and achieve bigger results in less time. These simple time time management tips will help you set better goals, prioritise better and be more productive every day.
Give them a try and let me know how you get on.
Now I’d love to hear from you.
What’s your number one time management tip?
Which tip from today’s article will you action first?
Let me know in the comments.
Read also:
8 time management tips to manage time effectively
5 ways to improve your time management skills
About the Author
Mark Pettit is a business coach to female entrepreneurs who want to simplify their time, energy and focus so they can multiply their freedom, impact and results. Based in Colchester, Essex, UK, Mark provides business coaching and time management coaching programs.
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