According to the Pareto principle or 80/20 rule, 80 per cent of results come from 20 per cent of effort. That means that of all the things you do, 20 per cent are vital and 80 per cent don’t contribute much. Just think of how much you would achieve if you focused more effort on the 20 per cent that really matters!
So for the? workaholics ?out there, we've put together 11 tips to help you maximise your time!
1. Set clear goals
It’s important that you know what your short-term and long-term goals are – this will enable you to differentiate between what’s important and what’s not. It’s only when you know where you want to go and what you want to achieve that you can figure out exactly what needs to be done, and in what order. Once you are clear about your goals, you can plan and prepare a sequence of action steps to achieve them.
2. Make a to-do list
To-do lists are your best friend. They can increase your productivity by 20 per cent, help to clear your mind, and save you energy and stress.?
Start your day by spending five to ten minutes planning your activities for the day – or, better still, prepare your list the evening before. Write out your tasks either on paper or on your computer. Break down large or complex tasks into smaller pieces – chunk them down into do-able, manageable units that don’t feel too big or daunting, and focus on one at a time. As you complete your tasks, cross them off – it’s a very satisfying feeling!
3. Prioritise
There’s a good chance you won’t get everything on your to-do list done, but make sure you get the most important things done. That means you have to prioritise the tasks on your list and figure out what is actually most important, as well as most urgent (not necessarily the same thing). It’s helpful to number your tasks or assign them ABC status by giving the most important tasks an ‘A’, the next most important ones a ‘B’, and so on.
4. Make a schedule
Using your to-do list and prioritisation as a base, make a schedule for the day and for the week, including time for breaks and contingencies. The schedule needs to be realistic, with padding for interruptions and unscheduled events. How much contingency time you need to build in will depend on the nature of your work.?
Having a schedule means you won’t have to waste time and energy thinking about what you have to do next – just follow your schedule.
5. Stop procrastinating and just do it
Everyone is guilty of procrastinating, but for some it’s a chronic problem that is a major obstacle to success. You know that looming report or assignment isn’t going to go away, so you just have to bite the bullet and get stuck in.?
It’s important to? look at the causes of your procrastination ?– is it because you’re waiting for the ‘right’ time or mood, underestimating the time required or difficulty of the task, fear failure (or success), or? have just developed a very bad habit ? The only way to break a habit is to consistently act in other ways – so stop putting things off and? just do it .
6. Manage your emails and phone calls
For many, emails and phone calls constitute the single biggest obstacle to effective time management. Unless you need to be constantly available and accessible, avoid continuous email notification and let your phone go to voice mail – these things can suck up untold minutes and hours, and make you repeatedly lose focus.?
You need to give yourself solid chunks of time to concentrate on your work. Read and respond to emails in blocks only a few times a day so you’re not constantly chopping and changing what you’re doing. This may necessitate reconditioning others and their expectations of you, so they won’t expect immediate responses but will know that you will respond at specified times.
7. Keep a time log
It’s useful to track your daily activities and how much time each takes. This will give you a realistic view of how you spend your time, as well as what interruptions there are, and you might be surprised by how much time certain tasks actually take or how much time is wasted in ways you don’t even realise.?
Also note what your energy levels and focus are like at different times of the day. This will enable you to figure out which activities you should be doing at what time of day – you should schedule your most challenging tasks for when your energy level is greatest. For example, if you’re most focused and creative in the morning, then use that time to do your writing or brainstorming, and don’t waste that time responding to emails.
8. Take regular breaks
Breaks will keep your mind fresh and you will be able to return to your work with better focus. If you work straight through, you will put in more hours but work less productively.
Stick to allotted break times. You might want to try the Pomodoro technique to see if it? increases your productivity . In this time management technique, you work in 25-minute segments (Pomodoros) with 5-minute breaks between each period, and a longer break every four Pomodoros. Some people swear by this technique as a way of increasing their focus and efficiency.
9. Put good systems in place
Being organised and having good systems for filing emails, computer documents and papers will save you many valuable hours in the long run – so spend some time initially setting up your systems, then you won’t have to worry about it.
10. Delegate
You probably don’t have time to do everything yourself, so if you can, delegate less important tasks, or tasks that would be better performed by someone else.
11. Learn how to say no
This is extremely important; your time and resources are limited, so you can’t say yes to everything and accede to every request. You have to stick to what’s important and? know when to just say, ‘No’ .?
Learning how to squeeze more into your day, and knowing how to make the most of your time is essential to your career and? work/life balance ! So put our tips to use and see your productivity soar!?
時間非常重要，因為這個世界上唯獨時間，它對每個人都是公平的。每個人壹天都只有24個小時，但是每個人利用時間的方式都不同，有的人每天堅持長跑、寫作，最終成就了小說家的身份；而有的人則在懶癌、拖延癥的路上越走越遠，什麽事情也沒有做好。這是因為他們沒有做好時間管理。
時間管理
時間管理的意義在於讓我們掌握高效工作的技巧，通過對於時間的靈活應用，幫助我們完成既定的目標。在商業管理教育中，時間管理能力是對企業管理者的壹項基本要求。同時，時間管理對於每壹個追求高效生活的人都有著積極的影響。
我們應該從哪些方面做好時間管理呢？
1.要有明確的人生目標
如果妳沒有明確的人生目標，那麽妳是無法做好時間管理的。因為時間管理本來就是要克服阻礙的，沒有目標很容易讓人迷茫，難以克服自己拖沓的習慣。
忘情投入時會產生“心流”
所以，妳要做的是找到妳的興趣，發現妳擅長做的事情，確立出壹個人生目標。找到自己的興趣點是很有必要的。面對妳沒有興趣的事情，妳可能會花掉40%的時間，卻只有20%的效果。而面對妳感興趣的事情，妳可能花100%的時間，得到了200%的效果。興趣能夠給予我們全身心投入到工作中的力量。
在妳進行時間管理之前，寫出妳的人生目標清單，它可以是考研的目標大學、升到管理層、攢錢買壹套自己的房、環遊世界等等。
2.記錄時間
“只有對時間流逝的高度敏感，妳才能成為壹個高效的時間管理者。”大家不妨回憶自己過去的72小時是怎麽度過的。我想，大部分人根本記不清自己大概花了多長時間做了什麽事情。妳可以在接下來的三天，記錄自己在每壹件事上大概所花的時間，比如妳在睡覺、吃飯、看視頻、刷朋友圈等這些項目上花了多長時間。
時間的流逝
為什麽要在這裏強調要記錄時間？因為我們其實被壹群爭奪我們時間與精力的“小偷”包圍著，比如路經街邊，每個商店都在用大大的廣告牌吸引著我們的註意，企圖把手伸進我們的錢袋。而我們的手機裏的軟件也在想盡辦法搶走我們的時間和註意力。如果妳選擇被周圍的環境控制，那麽不僅妳的錢財會散盡，妳的時間也會不翼而飛。
記錄時間讓妳知道妳的時間究竟去了哪裏，而這個行為本身也是壹種驚醒，當妳意識到自己消耗了大量的時間在無意義的事情上時，妳還會心安理得嗎？妳的時間記錄也是研究自己如何高效利用時間的壹項參考數據，妳可以看到自己在哪些事情上花的時間過多，接下來進行逐步調整，以停止止損。
3.優先做重要的事情
當妳手頭攢了大量的待辦事務時，把它們分成緊急且重要、重要不緊急、緊急不重要、既不重要也不緊急，按輕重緩急排好事情的優先級別。在每天工作之前，把各個待辦事項有序排列，能大大提高妳壹天的工作效率，減少失誤。
時間管理優先矩陣
最重要且緊急的事情，壹出現妳就要及時處理，但是妳可以思考如何將事情精簡。這裏要強調的是最重要但不緊急的事情，它是妳每天都要做的，盡管短期內妳看不到它對妳生活帶來的變化。但從哲學的觀點來看，量的積累達到壹定程度必然會發生質變，就比如妳每天堅持有效率的學習英語，壹年後妳的能力自然會得到顯著提升。不重要但緊急的事情，要學會適當放棄，或是請求他人幫忙。對於不重要也不緊急的事情，盡量就不要做了。
總而言之，在我們所要做的事情中，首先做最有價值的事情。人的價值壹般是通過他所做的事情的價值來體現出來的。?
研究顯示，我們每天都壹個2-2.5小時的效率高峰期，它通常在醒後幾個小時。這段時間適合做壹些富有挑戰性的工作，而這個時間妳在做什麽呢？歡迎妳在評論區留言交流！