Poor time management is a problem in many organizations and personal lives. In fact, if time were managed better, many organizations would see more than an increase in productivity. People would see improvement in their home lives. There would be more space for work-life balance and effective breaks throughout the day. By examining all of the mistakes employees make in their management of time, it is easier to make changes to enhance performance and effectiveness.
What is Poor Time Management?
Many people feel as though there are not enough hours in a day. In truth, this is a sign that you’re either a) too busy or b) have poor time management skills. Fortunately, both of these things are fixable with some improved habits.
Habits are a major component of managing time because they are often what fill your time, whether they are good or bad. For instance, scrolling social media for three hours is a bad habit resulting in poor workload management. Taking control of bad habits can improve how you manage your time.
What Causes Poor Time Management?
While distractions like social media result in poor time management, they may not be the primary cause. According to science, the human brain is designed to cycle attention, which is critical to survival. It allows humans to be aware of their surroundings while focused on a task, like keeping an eye on children and being aware of street traffic simultaneously. However, the modern world offers more stimulation than ever before, thus resulting in more challenges in managing time.
Over the years, the human attention span has gotten shorter and shorter. In 2012, it was estimated to be about 75 seconds. Within the last several years, that time has shrunk to 47 seconds. Fixing the problem may begin with a complete grasp of why it needs fixing.
Why Do I Need to Fix Poor Time Management?
If it’s the brain’s natural cycle, why do humans require improvement in this area? Although distractions are many, it is not necessary to always give in to them. If we allow distractions to rule, productivity tanks. Fortunately, there are numerous strategies for improving how you use your time. Finding a strategy that works for you is vital to beating the issues at hand.
Strategies to Avoid Poor Time Management
Many methods for improving your time management have been proven to work. Choosing the right strategy is based on personal preference and habits.
1. Pomodoro Technique
The Pomodoro Technique is a popular strategy for remaining focused for a short time and then taking a short break. Set a timer for 25 minutes and focus on a single task until time is up. Then, take a five-minute break. Working in this way allows the mind to focus and rest at an interval.
2. Time Blocking
Time blocking is a scheduling method that only requires one tool: a calendar. By grouping like tasks together into chunks and assigning them a block of time, you can be more productive. Consider using 30-minute to an hour chunks to get started.
3. Pickle Jar
This method requires imagining filling a jar with rocks, pebbles, and sand. The sand represents the little distractions throughout the day, the pebbles are tasks that need to get done but are not a priority, and the rocks are the vital tasks that need to be completed. By organizing your task list with the rocks at the top, then the pebbles, and then the sand, you can ensure the most important items get checked off first.
4. Eat that Frog
The Eat That Frog method sounds odd, but it does make sense. By tackling the hardest task first, the rest of the day will go more easily. Eat That Frog begins with listing all tasks and identifying the one you least want to do. Every other task will feel simple after completing something truly challenging.
5. Eisenhower Matrix
Finally, the Eisenhower Matrix is a strategy meant to define each task and its priority using four categories: do, decide, delegate, and delete. Categorize “do” items as the most urgent tasks, “decide” as those that have importance but no urgency, “delegate” as those that are lacking importance but have urgency and can be passed to someone else, and “delete” should be reserved for the tasks that have no importance and no urgency.
Conclusion
Defeating the beast that is poor time management doesn’t have to be an overwhelming task on top of all the others. In fact, by simply leaning into the options available in the world of task management, it is possible to tackle more items on your to-do list. Even better, you don’t have to do it alone. If you need a little extra help, Right Fit Communications LLC is ready to give you the boost you need.