The Top Ways To Practice Time Management

The Key Components of Ending Procrastination

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One of the most important skills a person can learn is time management. Being able to efficiently and successfully perform and complete tasks in a timely manner is crucial to adulthood. One must learn to manage their time wisely for a variety of different experiences that they may endure in life including time management for classes, the workforce, personal lives and more. Regardless of age or job rank, it is imperative that people learn to use their time to their advantage to succeed.

The 4 D’s

The method of the 4 D’s consists of Do, Defer, Delegate and Delete. This method is used to manage time based on completing the most important tasks in the smallest amount of time. The first D is Do which is explained as working on tasks that do not take long to get done. The key is completing a series of small jobs in a small amount of time; for example, answering emails, returning a text or phone call or taking out trash. The second D is Defer which is pausing a task that isn't a priority at the moment and scheduling it again when you have more time. An example of this would be postponing a new project idea to focus all attention on a current project with an approaching deadline. The third D stands for delegate which is to reassign an important job to another person. There are several reasons to do this, one being that someone else’s expertise is stronger in that area than another person’s. Finally, the last D stands for Delete which is to remove tasks that are considered unnecessary from your schedule like answering spam emails and calls rather than doing something more important.

Reminder and Clock Apps

Another one of the most beneficial ways to keep track of your time, or in this case to have your phone do it for you, is downloading a reminder and clock app. On a reminder or clock app, you can set timers, alarms and reminders to notify you at any time of the day to complete a task. This is one of the most helpful ways to manage time because it allows users to spend as much time as they need completing other tasks before being reminded to complete another one.

Planner

The most widely used method of managing time is keeping track of your tasks on a planner. There are both online and hard copy planners that allow you to plan events monthly, daily or weekly and they also include a notes section for extra reminders. Planners are organized by month with a calendar at the beginning and each month of the week following. On each day of the week, there are typically a few lines or a space to plan out each day with times. Planners are one of the best ways to keep track of time because of how detailed they are to keep you on track.

Prioritizing

Lastly, a helpful way of practicing time management is prioritizing work and tasks based on importance. Prioritizing is a way to order different tasks and things to accomplish rather than insignificant tasks or ones that can wait until later. An example of this would be a student ensuring they have completed their homework before going to practice or hanging out with a friend. Prioritizing is a key way to stay on track and practice time management.