You’re always running out of time. How can you make every minute count?

As a working woman and a mother, maximizing every minute is essential for balancing professional responsibilities and family duties. Prioritizing tasks, setting realistic goals, and maintaining a structured schedule are key strategies I employ to ensure productivity. Additionally, embracing efficiency tools such as time management apps and delegating tasks when possible help streamline my day. By staying organized and focused, I strive to make every minute count, both at work and at home, ensuring that I fulfill my commitments to the best of my ability.

Making every minute of the day count and feeling accomplished is a common goal for many people. Here are some activities you can do daily to feel more accomplished: Prioritize your tasks: Make a to-do list and prioritize the most important tasks. Focus on completing the most critical tasks first. Set specific goals: Set specific, achievable goals for the day. This could be related to work, personal development, or hobbies. Time management: Use time management techniques such as the Pomodoro Technique, time blocking, or the Eisenhower Matrix to make the most of your time. Exercise: Engaging in physical activity can boost your energy levels and help you feel accomplished. Learn something new: Whether it's reading a book.

You can start your day with exercise as exercise lifts your mood and then prioritize your routine tasks, and urgent things, proceed first with necessary items. The most important thing is to reduce your time gradually on social media as it helps a lot in managing time

Effective time management involves setting clear goals, prioritizing tasks, time blocking, limiting distractions, using the Pomodoro Technique, batching similar tasks, saying no when necessary, delegating tasks, setting time limits, using technology wisely, reviewing and reflecting, learning to multitask effectively, setting realistic expectations, continuous learning, and taking breaks. These strategies help maximize productivity and prevent burnout. It's important to continually evaluate and adjust your approach as needed, as time management is a skill that can be developed over time.

I prioritize tasks by importance and urgency. I use the Pomodoro Technique for focus and productivity. I cut out distractions like social media and unnecessary meetings. When possible, I delegate tasks to others and set clear goals and deadlines for motivation.

Planning your day can help you organize your tasks, allocate your time, and anticipate potential problems or interruptions. You can use a calendar, a planner, an app, or any tool that works for you to plan your day. A good practice is to review your goals and tasks the night before or the morning of each day and decide what you will do, when you will do it, and how long it will take. You can also group similar or related tasks together, batch them, and assign them to specific time.

The to-do list is one of the most effective ways to plan your day and work efficiently. Make your to-do list starting with the most important and achievable tasks. At the end of the day, you can also evaluate your progress, how and where to adjust your planning. The same goes for your personal life, your fitness goal or whatever you are committed to achieving with discipline.

I believe effective time management hinges on thoughtful planning. Starting with a weekly and daily task list provides a solid foundation. Additionally, implementing the 10/30 rule— dedicating 10 minutes daily and 30 minutes weekly to reflect on and plan for the day/week—proves valuable. This rule fosters self-awareness, enabling us to acknowledge successes and areas for improvement, instilling confidence for future endeavours. Furthermore, this strategic planning aligns with the 80:20 rule, ensuring focus on tasks that significantly contribute to overall productivity and goal achievement in a daily basis.

Planning your day in advance is an effective strategy to optimize time management and productivity. Using tools like calendars, planners, or apps, individuals can organize tasks, allocate time, and anticipate potential challenges. Reviewing goals and tasks the night before or the morning of each day enables intentional decision-making about priorities and scheduling. Grouping similar tasks together and batching them into specific time blocks minimizes switching costs and enhances focus and efficiency. Additionally, setting realistic expectations and allowing flexibility for unexpected events fosters adaptability and resilience in meeting daily objectives.

In my experience having a plan is key to having a successful day/week/month/ year etc. I like to prioritise my tasks in accordance with the schedule of my day. If I get assigned a task I always try my best to action it at the point of receiving it, if that fails I will make a note to follow up. I tend to use my phones notes to do this as my phone is always accessible! All this has enabled me to focus on the right things and prioritise tasks.

This principle is commonly known and referred to in the business world amongst other domains. It can also be used in terms of risk assessment where you account for 20% (or even 10%) of the favorable situation occurring and plan contingencies accordingly.

Aplicar o princípio de Pareto tem sido uma estratégia eficaz para priorizar minhas tarefas. Por exemplo, ao enfrentar uma carga de trabalho intensa, identifiquei as tarefas que contribuiriam significativamente para o resultado final e concentrei minha energia nelas. Isso me permitiu maximizar meu tempo e alcançar resultados mais impactantes, mesmo diante de prazos apertados.

One thing I have found very helpful with distractions is setting time each day to tackle “the hard stuff” and sticking with it. I do this simply by blocking my calendar as “Hard Stuff”, closing out of the team’s application, and focusing on items that I know I do not want to tackle. I start with the “hardest” or least desirable work, and from there will tackle the “second hardest”. Even if it is only 30 minutes a day, getting some of the hard stuff done clears my mind and makes it easier for me to focus on the day to day.

Eliminar distrações tem sido fundamental para manter minha concentração e produtividade. Recentemente, ao trabalhar em um projeto importante, desativei as notificações do celular e fechei todas as abas não relacionadas ao trabalho no meu navegador. Isso me permitiu manter o foco na tarefa em mãos e completá-la de forma mais eficiente, evitando interrupções desnecessárias.

If you try all these techniques but still struggle, consider the chance of having AD/HD or other disorders. It's not bad, unfair, or shameful. It's just something that could happen to people. Your starting point is to meet a counsellor. Good luck!

I have been using Outsourcing and delegating in gene therapy and vaccine early research and development projects over the last 20 years. In these development projects, smaller research firms, CROs, and CMOs, especialty chemical Mfgs, and processes development experts are subject matter experts who have the necessary skills, expertise, resources and equipment to streamlines processes and cuts costs significantly. It is essential to find the right partner companies, negotiate the right terms, build a positive and constructive relationship where both benefit financially, scientifically and feel engaged. Navigating complex collaboration is critical for success especially at smaller startups where human and financially resources are limited.

Delegating and outsourcing can save you time and help you reach both your business and personal goals. As a business owner you wear many hats, you are the person who bears the accountability for everything that happens in your business. Because of this, you may be tempted to try do everything yourself. But in most cases this can quicly become a burden that will keeps you from reaching your goals. It is worth remembering that whilst you cant delegate accountability, you can delegate responsibility.

If you have too many tasks or ones you're not great at, you can ask others to help by delegating or outsourcing. Delegating refers to giving tasks to people on your team. Outsourcing refers to hiring outside experts or companies for specific tasks. Both ways help you save time and focus on what you do best. But it's important to check in on progress and give feedback. Also, show appreciation for their work. This keeps everyone motivated and happy. Delegating and outsourcing are smart ways to get things done efficiently. They let you use everyone's strengths, get tasks done well, while concentrating on your main responsibilities. With clear communication and checking on progress, you can make the most of these methods in your work.

Outsourcing and delegating in drug development have been pivotal in my career. Over 8 years, I've outsourced key drug discovery and development projects to smaller research firms, CROs, and CMOs. This not only streamlines processes but also cuts costs significantly. Effective negotiation with CROs and CMOs' account managers is vital for successful partnerships. Excelling in outsourcing demands diplomacy, especially with difficult individuals. Maintaining positive relationships is crucial for navigating outsourcing complexities and ensuring top-notch final products.

Nothing and no one is perfect. In down moments I'm always reflecting on the past day or week, situations I encountered, decisions I made and actions executed, all of my successes, failures, challenges, interactions. Everything that went well and not well can be improved upon. No two sets of context, no two moments in time are the same. What worked on one occasion will not work on another. Hindsight is 20/20- consistent reflection on the big picture aids comprehensive understanding which will improve savvyness, adaptability, composure. Always ask why and critique honestly. This is what wise veterans are made of. A successful, revered person of any occupation became so by learning from a road of failures, challenges, progression. C'est la vie

Take it a step further and look into why your plans have changed, got delayed, cancelled, went smoothly and all that in between as this will help you identify which are linked to intrinsic motivation and which are linked to extrinsic motivation.

Time management is a skill that requires continuous development and adaptation. Experiment with different strategies and find what works best for you.

Like in Economics, knowing your priorities, making an inventory of these priorities, and also making conscious efforts in monitoring and making sure you stick to them as much as possible, since there is room for little variation. This will go a long in helping one maximise time.

All the above points are valid and necessary to effectively deliver on time! But we all know when life happens in between deadlines the pressure can easily distort focus. We tend to feel rushed to complete tasks and as a result the chance to make errors increases. I believe being present and mindful allowing our brain to slowly process- on top of other things gives us the right formula to make every minute count and productivity is simply a byproduct! Thank you for sharing!

As a medical writer, it is important to manage time effectively and prioritize tasks to make the most of every minute. Some helpful strategies: Set daily goals: Identify the most crucial tasks for the day and prioritize them. Plan your schedule: Utilize a planner or digital calendar to allocate specific time blocks for writing, editing, researching, and other essential activities. Minimize distractions: Identify and remove distractions that might hinder your focus, such as social media, emails, or phone alerts. Break tasks into smaller parts: When working on a large writing project, divide it into smaller, more manageable tasks. Take breaks: Remember to take short breaks during your workday to prevent burnout and maintain concentration.

If you are always running out of time and spending what little you have looking over every detail to why it is happening, you might lead yourself to a burn out. Try to take a step back, breathe and live the moment itself for a change. Later on reflect on that and see what you can learn from it.