⏰ 5 EASY Time Management Tips!

These 10 time management tips will make you work smarter :)

TLDR: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SshsZADF7U

1: Plan in Advance with S.M.A.R.T.

It’s not only a great acronym because it says “SMART”; it actually beholds a framework in each letter to work with this framework.

The S stands for SPECIFIC, which means you should define a clear and specific goal to put on your planning in the first place.

The letter M stands for MEASURABLE, which means you should always track your progress, like, for example, the status of a task.

The A stands for ASSIGNABLE, which is actually an important one; decide if you’re the right person to do the job. If not, assign someone else, like someone from your team, or by hiring a freelancer, for example.

The R stands for REALISTIC; Now that we’ve determined our task and decided who’s in charge, think about how achievable it is within the given time frame.

Consider all the variables, such as time, budget, and available resources.

The last one, the letter T, stands for TIME, and in this last step of the framework, you’re going to assign a target date that is reasonable and attainable.

Having a clear path of what you will be doing will free up the time to achieve it.

2: Design your day in a Calendar!

You’ll grab your calendar and start designing your day from the moment you wake up to the last hour before going to sleep.

By designing every single minute and hour of your day, you immediately see the bigger picture of what you need to achieve today.

The key is to batch tasks of a similar kind in one block, like for example, “doing customer support” would be tasks like responding to emails, answering chat messages, and taking a look at our feature request boards to reply to customer feedback.

And don’t forget to plan your breaks as well, as you’re working exactly the way your calendar tells you.

3: Take Regular Breaks!

Don’t get me wrong, working hard is fine; I used to work 10 hours a day to get my software product off the ground, but over time I realized that working for hours and hours straight actually reduces my productivity.

With these breaks, I’m actually improving my performance in between these breaks when I need to perform at my best.

Especially the off-screen time by walking outside is the one I enjoy the most.

4: Eliminate Distractions!

This means cleaning and tidying your desk by removing paperwork and unnecessary distractions that would otherwise get your attention when you simply look away from your screen for just a second.

By decluttering your workspace, you clear not only your desk but also your mind, which in return helps you focus on your tasks.

5: The 4 D's

The 4 D’s stand for Do, Defer, Delegate, or Delete.

This framework is specifically designed for you to prioritize your tasks, which is one of the most important things when working on accomplishing your goals.

The way this method works is to assign one of the D’s to your tasks on your to-do list.

So if you assign “DO” to a task, it means you have to do it right away.

When you decide to assign the “Defer,” you can leave it as it is for now, as it’s probably something that isn’t important, and you can schedule it for another day.

The third D, “Delegate,” means assigning someone else to this task.

And the last one, “Delete,” means you won’t do this task at all.

Using this framework gives you a clear understanding of your prioritization and what to focus on next.

If you want a more detailed explanation of these tips, check the video here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SshsZADF7U

Let me know if you have any questions :)