Have you heard of the man who never slept? I am talking about Al Herpin, who lived until 94 years. There are more such people. Remember Ngoc Thai, another man who also suffered from insomnia. Although these people had 24 hours a day, they didn’t do more work than Elon Musk or Richard Branson. This proves that financial success does not depend on how much time you have but on using it wisely. This idea would be supported by Charles Richards, who once said:
“Don’t be fooled by the calendar. There are only as many days in the year as you make use of. One man gets only a week’s value out of a year, while another man gets a full year’s value out of a week. ”
The question is, how do you squeeze more benefits out of a week or a day? If we were to ask Elon Musk or Richard Brandson, they would suggest setting a daily schedule and following time management rules.
The mentioned entrepreneurs themselves use different methodologies. Brandson, for example, has many rules. He gets up at 5 a.m.; replies to his emails only at a specified time; otherwise, the emails would distract him. Elon Musk has repeatedly mentioned in his interviews that he divides the work into 5-minute short chunks.
In fact, there are many different time management techniques. Some are suitable for some people and some for others. I suggest that you get interested in them and choose the one that suits you best.
1. Do It Now
The “Do it now” technique was developed by a self-help author, an entrepreneur, and motivational speaker, Steve Pavlina, who charged people to ensure that they perform their tasks even when they feel lazy or not up to it. The “Do it now” method helps eliminate procrastination of tasks, enabling you to perform tasks before it becomes too late. I find the “Do it now” method very helpful because it helped me perform more tasks than usual.
Stephen Pavlina also loves the 60-second principle. She uses it for making decisions. When you use this principle, you don’t have to waste time overthinking things. Try “Do it now.” Say to yourself: just do it now!
2. The Pomodoro Technique
This time management technique was developed by Francesco Cirillo in the 1980s. According to this technique, you must divide your work or tasks into smaller sections to effectively manage time. For example, you can take 5 minutes to break after working for 25 to 30 minutes on each section. Each section’s breakdown is referred to as Pomodoro, an Italian word that translates to tomato.
The kitchen timer Cirillo used in analyzing the technique was shaped like a tomato, hence the name Pomodoro. According to Cirillo, you should take an extended break of ten to fifteen minutes after four successive Pomodoro sessions. While performing each task in the sections, you should avoid any forms of distraction.
After experiencing this technique’s effects firsthand, I realized that it changed my view of how things should be done. That’s not all. This technique also leaves me refreshed and mentally ready to take on the next set of tasks. Magic, right? Lastly, the technique also serves as a tool to help improve discipline to avoid distractions while performing a task. This technique made a tremendous impact on my life. It helped to improve my level of productivity over the years.
3. The Get Things Done Method (GTD)
This time management method was developed by David Allen. The technique involves writing down every task that needs to be done, then breaking them down into smaller batches. It offers a user the most straightforward tasks on the list, while the more challenging tasks will be further broken down into smaller fractions.
My experience using this method has helped me effectively organize my tasks. It wasn’t clear how to finish big tasks either, but this method helped me. It helped me deal with the anxiety and exhaustion of handling too many tasks; I simply had too much work. I avoided it because I didn’t know how to accomplish all that fell upon me, but I solved this problem. Nowadays, I don’t have tasks in my head; I write them all down. So I don’t have to remember if I have forgotten something. It really reduces anxiety! Try it, you will see—it works!
4. The Important-Urgent Matrix
This time management tool became popular after Stephen Covey’s book “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” was launched. The technique is based on a two-by-two matrix method, which allows users to write down important and urgent tasks in one section, and write unimportant and not urgent tasks in the other section. The write-up will result in four quadrants which will
display and help the user identify the urgent and not so urgent tasks and also the essential and
not-so-important tasks.
The matrix system is one of my favorite time management techniques because it helped me recognize and handle essential and urgent tasks that need to be executed immediately. With this system, I did a lot more work and started looking at tasks differently. I was afraid and avoided spending time categorizing and planning work. But if you don’t, your day will melt like ice, you won’t even notice how, and the work done will be irrelevant because you didn’t accomplish what was necessary…
5. Pareto Analysis
The Pareto Analysis, or the 80-20 rule as it is popularly called, is based on a particular theory. That theory says 80% of tasks can be completed within 20% of the time. And it says the other
20% of tasks will consume 80% of the time needed.
That implies that we need 80% of the available time to achieve 20% of the work that needs to be done when the other 80% of the work will only take up 20% of the total time. As a result of this, the technique encourages users to prioritize the more essential tasks.
Over time, this rule has helped me analyze what tasks take up the most of my time, And how best to allocate the time to maximize productivity. The technique also allows me to achieve or execute each task in a less stressful manner.
6. 168 Hours (Manage your week better)
Laura Vanderkam popularized the 168 hours technique. Because there are 168 hours in a week, this technique helped me Maximize my productivity level throughout the week. With this technique, I prioritized my tasks and scheduled them to be done throughout the week.
According to the 168 hours theory, people have more time than they think, and when properly managed, they can achieve much more than they thought possible within the space of a week. I love this particular technique because it helped me go beyond my limits every week.
7. Anthony Robbins Rapid Planning Method (RPM)
Everybody knows who is Anthony Robbins, but who heard about his technique?
The method’s principal aim was to help people focus their thoughts on life’s mission and understand the values of tasks. Without this, it is hard to be motivated because tasks can look meaningless. But when you realize which tasks will help you to achieve better results in relationships, finance, or even health, you will be more motivated than ever!
Take a look at this and other time management techniques; I hope they will help you!