A Clock for Time Management

5 Time Management Methods To Help You

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5 Time Management Methods To Help You

A Clock for Time Management

Time management is also one of the trickiest soft skills to master.

Time management is the process of planning and managing time over the course of the day.

 

Companies use time management to segment the number of tasks completed and work to be done during a working day.

 

Time management is an essential skill, whether this be in the tallest offices or the smallest cafes.

 

Time management is also one of the trickiest soft skills to master.

 

It requires constant attention and planning to use effectively and can often feel exhausting to maintain.

 

Here at Phoenix Learning, understand the importance of time management and want to make it as easy as possible to find a method to help you manage your time effectively and efficiently whether it’s in your working day or personal life.

 

Here are 5 Time management methods, tried and tested by our team to make time management easy.

1. Lists

Lists were made popular by the famous Benjamin Franklin. He used a detailed list to help him keep to a strict schedule – he even included mealtimes, allocated sleeping hours and virtues (otherwise known as a morally good trait, e.g., cleanliness) for him to practice daily.

 

Whilst your list does not need to be as extensive as his, it is amongst the simplest and easiest method of time management.

 

The method can use bullet points, dashes, and other visual choices to personalise and style it to your preference.

 

 

We recommend the following for your lists…

 

  • Have one task per bullet point.
  • Make your list as short or as long as you need.
  • You can have a physical or a digital copy of your list.
  • You can categorise jobs through colour or by segmenting them.
  • You can erase or strikethrough tasks once you’re finished.
A list for time management method

If you want to try writing your own list, click the button below to download our list template.

2. Time Blocking

For those who love filling in calendars and planners but find themselves losing interest quickly in the blocks of texts, time blocking might be the method for you.

 

In a calendar, you would fill in each event, meeting, or task you need to do over the course of a day whereas this method gives the individual ‘blocks’ of time to complete certain tasks and keeps to a strict schedule.

Time Blocking is primarily meant to stop multitasking and allow the individual to focus on one task at a time – multitasking can feel like you’re getting tasks done quicker.

However, it means you are more likely to make mistakes or leave tasks unfinished.

 

To have your very own Time Blocking template then download our template below!

3. "Eisenhower Matrix" or the 4D's

The Eisenhower Matrix or the 4D’s is a decision-making tool that helps to separate tasks from the most urgent to the least, jobs that can be deleted or erased and jobs that need to be scheduled. The method is centred around the prioritisation of daily assignments, rather than listing what tasks need to be done.

 

For those who prefer a more segmented approach to organisation, this may suit you better. The method is reminiscent of the ‘Box Method’ used for multiplication in schools.

 

Tasks are first divided into urgency – do they need to be done today or can they be done tomorrow? If they are urgent, place them into the ‘Do’ section and if not, place them into the ‘Schedule’ section.

The other categories are ‘Delegate’ the task is urgent but can be done by someone else and ‘Delete’ tasks that are not necessary and are more of a hindrance than a help.

 

Not everyone has a ruler handy to draw the method out every time, so we’ve saved time by creating a template for you. 

4. "Eat The Frog"

Eat The Frog is the simplest and easiest method on this list, it targets those who struggle with procrastination or feel overwhelmed by long to-do lists.

 

The method has only 3 steps…

 

  • Identify your Frog

The frog will be the hardest or biggest task for the day.

 

  • Eat It

Complete this task first before you can put it off, leave yourself with the easy tasks for the rest of the day.

 

  • Repeat Every Day

By doing this every day, tasks will seem easier and more manageable.

 

The novelty of a frog may appeal to many learners as the tasks seem less overwhelming when it’s a small frog.

 

A frog for eat the frog time management methods

To help you manage your time better and we’ve created an Eat the Frog template for you.

5. "Pickle Jar Method"

The Pickle jar Method is a visual expression of the importance of tasks. It sorts tasks into three sections:

  • Rocks big, important tasks
  • Pebbles tasks of average importance
  • Sand small, less important tasks
 

This method help to keep a balance between your work-life and private life, which can be difficult at first. The smaller pebbles and sand could be the tasks in your personal life that need to be done such as putting the washing on or walking the dog.

 

Whilst this method benefits those who prefer a more visual approach, continually drawing a jar like this may find themselves losing time and becoming less efficient over time. 

So here is our template below!

There are multitude of methods for managing time which range from detailed drawings, mood boards and epically long lists. It is all about finding the right method for you which will help you keep time rather than waste it.

 

The top favourite for our team was…Eat the Frog.

 

Whilst this method can be scary as you tackle your hardest task of the day, we found it made the tasks for the rest of the day seem almost easy. We found ourselves feeling more positive and better throughout the day.

 

If you want to try out any of our methods listed, then click to download our free templates below!

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