Master your time – practical tips to increase productivity

Time management is perhaps the most crucial element of productivity and it is also what we get wrong most of the time. Either we get too aggressive about managing time that we stress ourselves beyond the limit or we slack off so much that all the work gets piled up for the last hour. Try to follow the tips below and it might be the last article you read about time management.

1 . Say no to micro and macro management

Do not think too ahead when managing time. In that way all what happens is building castles in the air until they all break down. Also do not think too rigorously i.e by every half an hour for what you have to do. Set an achievable target according to your potential and try to achieve it within the deadline set.

2. Write down the tasks

You can use simple note taking apps such as Google Keep to note down your goals. You can also use a Whatsapp group (where you are the sole member) to keep a note of the essential things. Writing down a task prevents you from forgetting it and acts as a push to complete it.

3. Year, month, week, day

Break your goal into the months needed to complete it. Then further reduce it into rough plans for weeks. From here you can set your daily targets and work on them. Before going to sleep, have your targets ready for the next day. It will take considerable effort to adhere in the first few days but once you start you will adapt to the target.

4. Rewards and buffer time

Micro-rewards for completing every task gives you one more reason to finish it. It can be anything from eating your favourite ice cream to watch that long awaited movie. Think that you would not do it until you finish your goal. Apart from this, keep some buffer time in the routine. It adds flexibility to the schedule and can be helpful if you miss the target due to some reason. Read this article on additional tips to improve yourself on a regular basis.

5. Prioritization and Cutoff tasks

Prioritise your tasks. Make sure you do the most important tasks first. People often fall into a trap of finishing the easier tasks first, thinking they had a productive time. But that is only fooling yourself. You know automatically which would be the most challenging task. So make sure that is finished first at any cost. Manage your tasks well. Apart from this, set a cutoff for every task. This means that even if the entire task is not finished, make sure to finish a decent amount of it.

Do not engage in activities that are toxic and unnecessary. They do not add to your growth in any manner and are nothing but wastage of your energy and time. Stay clear of all such things which prevent you from completing your tasks and decrease the overall productivity. 

Check out this link on how to avoid distractions and increase your productivity.