10 Keys To Successful Time Management

If you’re looking for new time management skills or hacks you might try to get you through your current semester or year altogether, there are many things you can try. If you are feeling run down, discouraged, and looking for new methods to bring you to your career and life goals more quickly, efficiently, and possibly even to a higher level of success than you had considered, these tips are for you. Many of these methodologies and ideas have worked really well for me and really helped see me through a lot of overwhelming, overbearing deadlines.

1. Time Needed

The first key to successful time management to consider is actually the time itself. When you first start a class, a new job, or life endeavor, you first want to take note of all of your deadlines in the long term. This initial awareness of what is expected of you can help you better determine how you need to approach accomplishment. Determine for yourself looking at each of the deadlines or individual aspects how long you think it would realistically take you to achieve them as well as how long you wish to give yourself, (or take), to achieve them.

2. Set Goals

The next key to successful time management is to set goals, and continually be aware of them for yourself. This includes envisioning all that you want to achieve through your current situation, job,or education. What are you working to achieve through your current job or field of study? Do you want to rise up the career ladder of your current job/company to higher positions? Envision your ultimate goal or goals. Make sure primarily that your current situation or field of study aligns with your goals. Be as specific as possible for best success.

3. No Excuses

Don’t allow yourself to make excuses. Excuses for why you are not or cannot achieve your individual aspects and their steps is a primary way out of their ultimate achievement. If you find yourself looking for excuses or not meeting your individual goals, remind yourself of what you are working toward and why. Continued envisioning and awareness are essential to success. Look for ways or environments which would provide you better focus.

4. Chunking

One of my top keys to successful time management has been chunking up the different aspects of the assignment. This involves looking at your ultimate goal and then breaking down the individual aspects of it, the steps toward it. These individual goals should be your primary, daily focus rather than the large goal. They will seem more doable, thus approachable, and their achievement will mean the achievement of the ultimate goal in the end.

5. Push Yourself

Continue to push yourself when you find that you are more lax toward your goals. If you find yourself at any point along the way feeling dissatisfied or complacent, remember what you are working toward. Continually reevaluate your situation as you work toward your goals. Ask yourself regularly how long you wish to be working on current goals. I have found the best way to envision and determine this is to answer the questions of where you would like to see yourself in a year. 5 years? When do you want to have reached your goals?

6. Personal Methods

Determine what methods of organization work best for you. For more visual learners, divisions and chunking involving colors will be most helpful. This can also include pictures or anything that comes to mind to make the learning more visual. This can include different colored markers, sections, or divisions. This adherence can help with memory. For a more physical learner, reading the materials involved in your goals combined with writing of important aspects or facts of the materials can be more impactful.

7. Supplies

Make sure you have all the supplies you need to achieve your goals. This includes any paper, pencils, pens, highlighters, computer, books, or organization supplies you may want. This involves prior determination of the type of learner you are, be you visual, auditory, reading/writing, or kinesthetic. If auditory, how can sound or music be involved in the learning or training? Determine this quickly once your goals have been determined and divided.

8. Knowledge Needed

Make sure you have all the mental supplies you need. Determine if you have any questions or concerns and voice them. Have them answered and remember these responses. The worst feeling when you are trying to achieve a goal is to realize at the last minute that you are unsure of something and missed opportunities of clarity toward them. This can have a great impact on your potential for achievement and success as you may find yourself wholly unable or ill-equipped to complete a portion.

9. Productive Times

Figure out what times of the day or days you are most productive. This, as the other steps, is best done as quickly as you are able. The best route to successful time management is giving yourself as much time as possible past what you may determine you need to achieve your goals, in order to be best able to determine the actions necessary to succeed. If you are more productive in the mornings, for example, give yourself the most morning time you can with alarms and scheduling.

Give yourself the most time you can in regard to the times and days which not only are you most productive and motivated, but also in regard to personal desires. When do you want to be working on your chunks? Plan when you need time for other necessary activities as well as recreational. If there is a holiday or social event you desire to attend, be aware of that in your planning and make time for it with how you spend and achieve in your other time.

10. Reward System

A great ultimate key to successful time management is a system of reward. Give yourself a literal recess from your work at regular intervals. This is systematically designed to produce more positivity, health, levels of achievement, and productivity. Figure out what reward systems would also work best for you to achieve high productivity and efficiency. You can reward yourself with snacks, dessert, tv, and/or social time for example. Positive rewards for accomplishments can serve as a great motivation to achieve your goals.