Time Task Management: 5 Strategies to Organize and Get Stuff Done
With 2021 quickly coming to an end, many of us are scurrying to finish last-minute goals before the clock strikes midnight on December 31st. With less than a month remaining, now is as great as any time to start learning new time management strategies to embark your new year on a smooth start. So keep reading to learn 5 of my most valuable systems of staying organized and ensuring that I make the most use of my time every day!
1. Calendar Blocking
Calendar Blocking is the literal blocking off time on your calendar to designate specific moments within your day or week to complete or work on particular tasks. This strategy is helpful for folks who find they are juggling many pieces and responsibilities, both at work and in their personal life. I utilize calendar blocking to allot appropriate time to fulfill my 9-5 work duties, Resume Tailor (my resume writing business), graduate advisor duties and other side projects and passions that I enjoy. I also use it to dedicate time to focus on more time-intensive tasks such as the end-of-month reporting and data analysis.
Pros
Allows you to visualize the breakdown of your day to determine your “free time.”
Enables you to designate specific times to work on significant or recurring tasks
It prevents you from overextending yourself during busy times during your workweek
It holds you accountable for going to the gym and other tasks that often are forgotten
Cons
Underestimating a task’s completion time can result in carrying out tasks to another day
Missing designated time can lead to missed deliverables or extra time lost rescheduling
It might be overwhelming if your calendar is inundated with tasks and meetings
It takes time on the front-end to plan what you need to do at least one week in advance
As a rule of thumb, try only to block time for tasks that take you longer than 30 minutes to complete or ones that happen every month. In addition, when utilizing the calendar blocking strategy, be realistic about your work habits and focus. For example, if you know that you are generally less concentrated in the afternoon, refrain from scheduling projects to complete in the afternoon, instead dedicate your mornings to project completion. Similarly, if the office is generally busy in the morning, block time in the afternoon so that you can complete tasks without distractions.
2. Scheduling Time to Rest
If you are like me, you might attach your self-worth to your level of productivity for the week (I’m working on it.) I even once believed in the saying that “I’ll sleep when I’m dead.” This toxic belief, coupled with my love for calendar blocking, often leaves me with very minimal downtime. However, COVID has taught me, and many others, the importance of rest. Since returning to the building, I have held myself accountable for dedicating at least one night each week to feel comfortable doing nothing. These days, I leave work on time and unapologetically sit on the couch and watch tv until it is time for bed. I used to feel guilty about these days, even though I spent days, nights, and weekends working on some venture. #GenerationalWealth But now I have learned the importance of working hard, playing hard, and resting hard. Therefore, in addition to my one night each week, I also dedicate at least one weekend each month where I am not responsible for going anywhere, do anything, or speak to anyone. These are weekends that I stay in bed late, scroll on Instagram, and drift in and out of sleep. It sounds trivial, but when working 11+ hour days…those weekends mean so much! My new approach to work-life balance grants me enough time to grind, spend time with friends, and recharge with me, myself, and I!
3. Weekly To-Do Lists
Creating a to-do list at the start of each week allows me to set my intentions and ensure that I am progressing across all areas of my life. My to-do list also serves as a sort of brain dump, reducing my anxiety about the tasks and things I must do and the anxiety associated with possibly forgetting something. While I create combined to-do lists for work, business, and personal, some people tend to keep their different buckets separate. It was challenging to maintain multiple lists, multiple places, compared to referring to one place to ensure that I remained on track. Depending on your preference, you can choose to utilize a notebook, planner, or application on your phone. Also, try to limit your daily lists to no more than 4-5 to-dos per section. For example, I might have five tasks for work, four tasks for resume tailor, and one personal task.
Pros
Allows you to transfer racing thoughts/to-dos from your brain to paper
It prevents you from taking on tasks beyond your capacity for a given day/week
It provides you with a glance of how busy your week might be and allows you to complete tasks in order of priority and importance
Helps fight procrastination and completion of small, annoying tasks
Cons
Not referring back to the list can lead to “out of sight, out of mind.”
Your productivity might be impeded if you leave your notebook home or technology dies
Putting too many things on your list and feeling defeated if everything isn’t completed
Whichever way you choose to keep track of your to-do list, ensure that you refer to it. Far too often, I find that people write a beautiful to-do list but then never refer back to it. You’d be surprised at the feeling of success you will feel when you can cross off tasks and see the progress you have made in one day! It might even incentivize you to be more diligent so that you can feel accomplished for the day early. Lastly, try to make the beginning of your week “heavier” than the last days of the week. This will allow you time to “make up” the tasks you could not complete or need time with.
4. Eisenhower’s Decision Matrix
When I first started working in a management position, I found that despite my organizational skills, I quickly became overwhelmed. Upon reflection, I learned that my overwhelming feelings stemmed from my inability to prioritize tasks as they presented themselves in meetings or daily occurrences. The Eisenhower Decision Matrix is a tool that many professionals use to manage their time and assignments. Straightforwardly, it shows four quadrants that you can apply your tasks to and ultimately tackle within a reasonable amount of time.
Tasks that are given to you that are both important and urgent are ones that you should tackle immediately. These are the tasks that you add to your to-do list to complete at your earliest convenience. An example of a “DO” task might be signing and approving payroll so that the staff can get paid. This task is time-sensitive and needs to be completed immediately to avoid further consequences or implications.
The next quadrant is not important but urgent. If you are a manager, this might be a task that you delegate to one of your team members or a task that you might ask a colleague to help you out with. For example, if I am swamped with tasks, I might ask my co-worker to help me print materials for our end-of-the-day meeting. In theory, these are tasks that anyone could complete because it does not require your expertise or attention-to-detail. Now we transition to the opposite side of the matrix, tasks that are not urgent.
Every week I meet with my leadership team to discuss upcoming events and deliverables. For example, when I am tasked with coordinating the Spring field trip, I know that my week is packed, and since it is a couple of months out, I decided to schedule time on my calendar at the end of the month. #CalendarBlocking At the moment, I can determine that this task is important but not urgent. I will let my team know when I have allotted time to complete the task and provide status updates after that. Not only does this allow me to protect my time, but it also shows that I am on top of my tasks.
The last quadrant is tasks that are both not urgent and important. Although the matrix says to delete it, I never delete it. Instead, I either move the task to be completed in the following week or assign it to complete on one of my lighter days to get it over with. So be wary of eliminating tasks instead of completing them. We never want small stuff to turn into big things!
5. Timers
My last time-task management strategy is the use of timers! Not only does it allow me to pace myself, but it also allows me to keep track of how much time is passing when working on a single task. Although I do not always intend to complete tasks in totality before the timer rings, it allows me to be mindful of my pacing and make the necessary adjustments. Using a timer also makes me feel more productive and feel deserving of taking a break when needed. My favorite times are 15 and 20 minutes, particularly for cleaning out my email and straightening up the house. You would be surprised how much you can accomplish when you set a designated time to complete it. The next time you have an undesirable task that you must accomplish, challenge yourself to get as much done as possible within 15 minutes and see how far you get. Even if you do not finish, you might be so far along that you might just see it through.
There are so many time-task management strategies out there; you just must find what works for you. If you find that none of my suggestions work, do not feel discouraged; instead, try to find and incorporate other strategies that can help you feel more productive. Also, don’t worry if what used to work doesn’t work anymore. Use a system for as long as it works, and don’t be afraid to try or incorporate something new! Finally, if you have a favorite organizing or productivity strategy that I did not mention, feel free to comment and share it below!
Diana Williams, Resume Tailor
