There never seems to be enough hours in the day. We wake up, eat, work, work some more, wish there was more time to get things done, attempt to relax, fall asleep, then repeat. This never-ending cycle can be incredibly draining and stressful. Well, I have great news for you! There is an easier way! The answer? Understanding and using the best time management tips.

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What is Time Management?

Let’s first break it down and understand what time management truly is. TIme management by definition is an individual ability to use their time practically, successfully, and productively. For example, someone with great time management skills will be able to get more done in one day than most others. It is easy to see how and why this skill can be incredibly important and beneficial!

Related: 24 Amazing Stress Management Techniques to Try Right Now!

Top Time Management Tips:

Now that you know what time management actually is, let’s get into the top time management tips! These tips are spectacular at boosting your productivity. HERE is a great article with extra time management tips if you’re interested.

1. Utilize a Planner/Calendar

Finding the right planner and using it is the number one time management tip I can share. But again, the key here is to actually use it! There are several ways you can successfully use your planner and calendar (read more about my top planner tips and tricks here). Once you begin experimenting with different techniques on planning, you will find your groove and your productivity will skyrocket!

Related: 17 Top Tips to Successfully Use Your Planner and Explode Your Productivity

2. Take Frequent Breaks

Taking breaks is an essential part of having a productive day. It minimizes burn out, keeps your mind sharp, and encourages you to get more done over a longer period of time.

One great way to ensure you are taking frequent breaks is to follow the Pomodoro Technique. This is a popular time management technique that is increasing in popularity. To follow this technique, simply set a timer for 25 minutes and get to work! After the 25 minutes are over, take a quick 5-minute break and repeat. After 3-4 of these cycles, take a longer, 10-15 minutes break.

Related: Organize Your Life with the Only Student Printable Planner You’ll Ever Need in School

3. Decide When You’re Most Efficient and Energetic

Deciding when you are performing at your best will be a game changer! During this time, you can schedule out your most daunting tasks or the tasks that are going to take the most brain power.

How do you go about figuring out your peak times? Over the course of the next few days, set a timer for the top of the hour, every hour. Then, use these as check-ins and keep track of your energy. It is best to do this on a 1-10 scale. For example, you may find that at 7 am, you’re 8/10, 8 am 9/10, 10 am 10/10, 11 am 10/10, 12 pm 5/10, 1 pm 4/10, and so on. Then, you could be sure to always have your most difficult tasks completed in the mornings!

Kedra Bork has created a great YouTube video on this concept, check it out HERE.

Related: Discover 17 Surprising Ways to Avoid College Burnout

4. Delegate

Learn how to delegate tasks that you do not necessarily need to complete. This can either be to a friend, family member, coworker, classmate, or whoever! But, how do you know which tasks to delegate? One way is to categorize each task into four categories: important and urgent (do now/very soon), not important but urgent (delegate it or do second), important and not urgent (do third), not important and not urgent (delete or do fourth). Notice that all tasks that are not important but urgent can be delegated!

5. Learn How to Say No

Cutting out unnecessary tasks is one of the best ways in which you can cut down on your to-do list. One great way to do this is to learn how to say no. Don’t get me wrong, saying yes to new adventures and opportunities is a great way to live your life! But learn how to balance. Pick and choose which activities and responsibilities are worth your time and forget about the rest.

Related: How to Stop Wasting Time (Game Changing Time Management Tips!)

6. Utilize Time Blocking

Time Blocking is a simple time management technique that involved reserving a specific amount of time during your day to dedicate working on one given task. This can be done each and every day (for example, every day you answer emails from 8:00a – 9:00a), or it can be day specific (tomorrow, I am going to answer emails from 9:00a – 10:00a, work on project x from 10:00a – 12:00p, then attend a group meeting/lunch from 12:00p-1:00p.

Related: The Ultimate Guide to Monthly Planning

7. Create Themed Days and Weekly Tasks

Time blocking pairs nicely with themed days and weekly tasks. What do I mean by a “themed day”? Basically, this means that each day of the week, you assign one big task/project to be working on.

Examples of Themed Days:

1. College Students: Assigning different classes to each day, then work on homework, studying, etc. for that class on that given day. Example: Monday: physics, Tuesday: calculus, Wednesday: soil mechanics, Thursday: statistics, Friday: computer programming. You might work on other class work as well but really focus on one specific class per day.
2. Cleaning Tasks: Perhaps every morning you clean your house or apartment. Instead of cleaning the whole house every day, you could break it up and only do a small chunk every morning. Example: Monday: kitchen, Tuesday: bathroom, Wednesday: laundry, etc.
3. Work Tasks: Most professionals tend to have tasks they need to get done every day or every week. This could range from answering emails, attending meetings, preparing for meetings, working on projects, etc. You could combine time blocking with themed days to create a more structured work day. An example of this would be to dedicate every morning (8:00a – 9:00a) to emails, then the afternoon to project work (9:00a – 12:00p) but assign a different project for every day (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday = Project A and Wednesday, Friday = Project B).
4. Workouts: In order to avoid overworking specific muscle groups, many people theme their workouts based upon muscle groups. Example: Monday: back and abs, Tuesday: legs, Wednesday: shoulders and chest, Thursday: glutes and abs, Friday: arms.

8. Eat the Frog

Ever heard of eating the frog? It is a famous saying by Mark Twain, made even more famous and meaningful by the author Brian Tracy. This saying is actually a life-changing and simple time management and productivity tip! Eating the frog means to get the worst or hardest task done first thing in the day. Once you get that done, it is all downhill from there!

Tip: Grab a copy of Brian Tracy’s Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time. You will find A TON more great time management and productivity tips that will change your world!

9. Refrain from Multitasking

Learn when to and when to not multitask. You will actually get more done if you focus on one thing at a time. In fact, scientists have proven time and time again that multitasking just doesn’t work. However, there are those perfect times multitasking will be more beneficial, such as listening to an Audiobook while cleaning or commuting!

Related: A Complete Guide to Bullet Journaling

10. Track your Time

Ever wonder where the day has gone? What did you actually spend your time doing? If these thoughts ever begin to enter your mind, tracking your time might be a good idea for a while. Sometimes it only takes one day, sometimes a few weeks to get back on track, but this technique is a great way to recommit to your priorities.

How do you track your time? Well, you could easily just sit down and mark out the hours of the day in your planner and begin filling in what you have done during what times. Another way to do this is to get the ATracker app (or similar) and let it do the work for you.

11. Break Down Large Tasks

Turn large tasks into a “project” and complete the entire project planning process for them. This involves breaking it into smaller chunks, creating a deadline, and a specific goal for the task.

Related: Master the Project Planning Process in These 10 Easy Steps

12. Don’t let your time rule you

Realize that you do have time for anything, you just need to make it a priority. Whatever you are spending your time doing is what your current priorities are (even if it is subconsciously). So with that, learn how to manage your time based on your priorities, instead of letting your time rule you.

13. Create a TA-DA List

During those days or weeks you are truly feeling unproductive, instead of creating a to-do list, just create a ta-da list. A ta-da list is a list of everything that you have DONE during the day, instead of everything you need to get done. Can be pretty satisfying!

Related: Complete Guide to Planning – Everything You Need to Know

Time-Management and Productivity Must-Read Books:

A great way to increase your productivity is to routinely change up your systems and learn new time-saving tips. I have found that the best way to do this is to read! I challenge myself once a month to read a book related to productivity and have seen some amazing results. Here are my top productivity reads:

1. Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen: If you read any book, read this one. Allen packs this best seller with countless productivity tips as well as an entire productivity system you can implement today. It truly is a must-read for everyone!
2. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey: This is another amazing and must-read book. In fact, this book paired with Allen’s Getting Things Done is often seen on popular career book lists, and for good reason! Covey covers the life-changing habits that you can incorporate into your everyday life that has been proven time and time again to increase productivity and better your overall wellbeing.
3. The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod: This book has been growing in popularity over the last year or so. It is a detailed account of how your morning routine can truly change the way you live your life, and what exact things you can do to start your day strong.
4. The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do In Life and Business by Charles Duhigg: This bestseller is another great read! It covers the science of habit formation, how to create new habits, how to cut out unhealthy ones, and what habits you should consider adding. He argues that the true key to productivity and living a healthy lifestyle is understanding how habits work.
5. Smarter, Faster, Better: The Transformative Power of Real Productivity by Charles Duhigg: Another bestseller and great book by Duhigg. It covers eight key productivity concepts including goal setting and decision making, that set productive individuals and companies apart from the pack. All of his arguments, like The Power of Habit, are backed by science-based evidence. Incredibly enlightening!
6. Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman: This book, written by a world-renowned psychologist, goes over the two main ways in which humans think: quickly and slowly. Our quicker instincts are more emotional and intuitive while our slower thoughts are more logical. Having a better understanding of the way we think makes it easier to understand processes, such as decision making, that are vital to productivity.
7. Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time by Brian Tracy: Eating the frog is a metaphor for taking care of your most challenging tasks first. This principle is the basis of this great book, exploring many ways in which you can learn how to not get everything done all at once, but instead getting the most important things done first. Learning how to prioritize is one of the best ways to master productivity and this book is a great way to explore this concept.

Related: 21 Life-Changing Books for 20-Something’s (that will teach you everything school didn’t!)

Well, there you have it! My top 13 time management tips that will explode your productivity (as well as my favorite books to learn more). I hope you have found some of these useful and are able to utilize them soon! Have fun!

Planners are the number one tools you can use to utilize your newly learned time management tips. Check out my post on the 17 Ways to Successfully Use Your Planner to learn more!