Everyone has only 24 hours in a day. But there are some people who seem to be more productive more than others. What's the secret? It's the time management: how you plan, prioritize, and deliver results for your day. You can't create more time, but managing it wisely can make you happier, healthier and more productive. Here are the most effective ways for time management.
Time management is highly dependent on your unique circumstances, but a few general tips can help you keep your life and work organized and improve your time management skills no matter what happens.
1. Look at the big picture
You know the old adage that says you can't see the forest because you can't see the trees? Being chaotic and obsessed with detail makes it nearly impossible to be productive. What you need is the ability to get a bird's eye view of the overall schedule and workload—the ability to see the big picture.
Power Tip: Connect Evernote with Google Calendar to conceptualize your workload and break it down into manageable chunks. This keeps your notes and calendar in one place and makes it easier to start organizing by associating your notes with events.
2. Set your priorities early
Setting priorities is a smart way to ensure a productive day. You need to understand the overall context of which tasks need to be done first, why and when. Before you start your day, it's a good idea to honestly evaluate what you need to do and how long it will take to complete it.
More specifically, you should aim for:
Consolidate all your tasks into one list and break them down by month, week, or day.
Separate important or urgent tasks from lower-priority tasks
Organize your day by doing the most important tasks first and the less important tasks later.
Power tip: Evernote's Tasks feature helps you get through the day by organizing your to-dos and checking when you're done. For each task, record details related to its execution, such as projects, due dates, and time commitments. Adjust the order as needed to prioritize tasks and create a schedule to meet all responsibilities.
3. Centralize your information
Accessibility is the key to effective time management. Time spent looking for information is wasted. Keep all your notes, tasks, and schedules in one place to make your life a little more concise. You can take a step back and see the big picture in a clear and relevant way and prioritize your to-dos. Plus, you don't have to worry about losing valuable time keeping track of important information.
The easier it is to access the information you need, the more immediate action you can take. If you have to constantly switch between apps to get the data you want, it's a waste of time and a huge inconvenience.
Power tip: Keeping your tasks and notes together connects all the information you need to get them done. This way you don't miss any information in the chaos. Linking Calendar + Tasks + Notes makes it easy to:
Instantly create notes for events and quickly access them later from the Calendar widget on your home screen.
Easily prepare meetings in advance or on-site. One click creates structured notes with event details as well as action items and note options.
Search for event details such as date, location and attendees. It makes it much easier to access the information you need.
4. Set and stick to deadlines
The most important detail in any task is the deadline, whether set by you or someone else. Deadlines give you a set timeline and a rough idea of how much time you should devote to each task.
Many organize their day by writing checklists and erasing them as they complete each task. Unfortunately, this doesn't help with efficient time management and can even backfire. This is because, in a simple list, the estimated duration of each operation is not considered and rarely is prioritized. Instead of focusing on a to-do list, organize your tasks by deadlines. Of course, projects that take more time should be accounted for.
Follow these four rules to better manage your work:
Give it a sense of urgency. If you have too much time to complete a task, it's easy to procrastinate. Without a little sense of urgency, it's tempting to focus on less demanding activities that have nothing to do with the task at hand. Set shorter deadlines to keep you moving and keep you motivated.
Fit yourself. How you manage your time is a personal matter, and the tasks in your life should be adjusted to your own rhythm. Instead of trying to force tasks to fit into a set schedule, arrange your schedule so that you can complete it according to your lifestyle.
Make it executable. Don't just write down what needs to be done. Visualize how you will do it and what you will need. Only then will you be ready to complete the task.
Make it meaningful. Deadlines should be important and you should be accountable to both yourself and your team.
Power tip: Use Evernote to set (and meet) deadlines and keep to-dos and notes on tasks at a glance so you can keep track of all your tasks. Tasks lets you set priority flags, due dates, and reminders for your to-dos and manage them from within your notes.
5. Take a smarter break
People don't get enough rest when they need to because of fear of losing productivity. But rest is not only good for your health, it's also essential for a productive day. It is most effective when the following conditions are met:
During your break, you should focus on an activity that is significantly different from what you were just doing.
You must maintain a work-related atmosphere so that you can get back to work quickly.
Every break you take when you really need it helps.
The health benefits of a well-planned break every 45-90 minutes are well documented. It lowers stress and improves work concentration after a break, contributing to a feeling of well-being.
Power Tip: Automate your break schedule with notifications in Evernote. When you receive a reminder to take a break, take a break. It's not a waste of time, it's an overall more productive activity.
It's time to start organizing
During the pandemic, work routines such as remote work or hybrid work completely disrupted time management for many people. Failure to maintain a healthy work-life balance can be catastrophic. Problems in one area quickly spread to other areas, causing procrastination, failure to achieve goals, or even burnout.
Everyone's concern is this. You want to be productive at work and at home, but the requirements, deadlines, and distractions seem endless. What if you want to get more done in less time while still being productive?
Keeping your to-dos on track can be challenging with constantly changing priorities, but Evernote helps you manage your time more effectively, keep track of your tasks, plan ahead, and be more productive. Use Home, Calendar, and Tasks together to build on your existing capabilities and get more done.
Tasks + Notes: Close the gap between what you need to do and the information you need to get it done, helping you reach your goals faster.
Calendar + Notes + Tasks: Give your meetings wings. All the information you need can be easily found with one click, reducing preparation time.
Home + Notes + Calendar + Tasks: Organize your day with an at-a-glance dashboard that consolidates the information you need to know and to-dos. Your most important notes, your most urgent tasks, and your latest calendar are all in one unified view. Don't be overwhelmed by information, use it to your advantage.
Pro Tool for Time Management:
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You also might find this article useful: Best cost effective project management software
Finally, time management means making the most of your time and doing the right thing at the right time. Smart time management can help you be more productive and progress in different areas of your life while controlling your stress and energy levels. By understanding the value of time, you rarely overdo it unnecessarily and you can fully enjoy every moment of your work or life.