The first step is to define your goals and desired outcomes for each project or task. What are you trying to achieve, and why is it important? How does it align with your personal or professional vision and values? Having a clear sense of direction and purpose will help you filter out the tasks that are not relevant or valuable to your goals.
The next step is to list all the tasks that you need to do or that are assigned to you. Then, analyze each task based on two criteria: impact and effort. Impact is how much the task contributes to your goals and results. Effort is how much time, energy, and resources the task requires. You can use a simple matrix or a spreadsheet to rank your tasks according to these criteria.
The third step is to prioritize your tasks based on the Pareto principle. The idea is to focus on the 20% of tasks that have the highest impact and the lowest effort, and to eliminate or delegate the 80% of tasks that have the lowest impact and the highest effort. These are the tasks that are not essential, urgent, or rewarding, and that only consume your time and energy. You can use a tool like the Eisenhower matrix or the ABCDE method to categorize your tasks and decide what to do, delegate, defer, or delete.
Approximately 80% of your results come from 20% of your tasks. One should also consider tasks that indirectly supports the main goal. It's also important to be aware of tasks that are time-consuming but not particularly productive - these are tasks you might want to delegate, defer, or even drop.
The fourth step is to schedule your tasks according to your priorities and preferences. You can use a calendar, a planner, or a project management software to plan your daily, weekly, and monthly tasks. Make sure to allocate enough time for each task, and to consider your peak productivity hours, deadlines, and potential interruptions. You can also use a technique like time blocking or the Pomodoro method to break down your tasks into manageable chunks and focus on one task at a time.
The fifth step is to execute your tasks with focus and discipline. You can use a timer, a tracker, or a reminder to keep yourself accountable and motivated. You can also use a checklist, a progress report, or a feedback system to monitor your performance and results. Avoid multitasking, procrastination, and perfectionism, and reward yourself for completing your tasks.
Tools like time-blocking, pomodoro technique, or task-batching can be very helpful in managing your time and maintaining focus.
The final step is to review your tasks and evaluate your outcomes. You can use a journal, a dashboard, or a survey to reflect on your achievements, challenges, and learnings. You can also use a metric, a scorecard, or a benchmark to measure your impact, efficiency, and satisfaction. Review your goals and priorities regularly, and adjust your tasks accordingly.
Before you even consider applying techniques to your time, shine a light on HOW and WHERE you spend it (waste it!) now, being aware of what happens to our time and then being intentional with our planning, having boundaries and being able to say no to pointless meetings or things that hold no value are a great place to start. Additionally, place a focus on you, taking care of your emotional, physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing as a priority - place these into your calendar BEFORE anything else - by being more intentional with your time, by aligning it and your goals to your values, you will be more motivated and connected to the outcomes that you are desiring making any time management process far more likely to succeed!