Time management techniques can help us increase our productivity and prioritise tasks.
WE OFTEN find ourselves struggling with deadlines or unable to carry out our daily tasks. We experience a continuous time pressure and a feeling of not being able to meet the expectations demanded from us.
Adding to these external pressures, our distractions have grown exponentially over the years with Facebook, Twitter, Whatsapp and other social media. Luckily there are a number of time management techniques to increase the efficiency of our work hours and help us have everything done by the end of day.
Dr. Alec Mackenzie, author of The Time Trap, a bestselling book on time management, states, “A daily plan, in writing, is the single most effective time management strategy.” According to Mackenzie, the absence of a plan is likely to result in unproductive time use and mentally wandering around all our tasks. Mackenzie recommends writing a daily plan to guide you, prioritising your tasks and having a backup in case of interruptions. Even though time management might seem like common sense at work, it still requires self-discipline and practice.
| Sayings about time management • 20% of the average workday is spent on important things, while 80% of the average workday is spent on things that have little value. • One hour of planning will save 10 hours of doing. • The average person gets one interruption every eight minutes, or approximately seven an hour. • It almost always takes twice as long to complete a task as what we originally thought it would take. • 9 out of 10 people daydream in meetings. Source: Productivity Institute |
25 min. of pure work
A technique to efficiently manage time while studying or working is Francesco Cirillo’s Pomodoro Technique. During his first year in university Cirillo found himself struggling with exam deadlines and distractions while studying. He got a kitchen timer in a shape of a pomodoro (Italian for tomato) and bet himself to study non-stop for 10 minutes, and that is how he came up with his technique. It later evolved into setting the kitchen timer for 25 minutes of pure work (a Pomodoro), with no interruptions or splitting of time allowed. After the first Pomodoro we take a 3-5 minute break and after four Pomodoros Carillo recommends taking a 15-30 minute break to reorganise our minds. This technique enhances concentration by cutting down interruptions and improves the work and study process.
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ALVARO SOTOMAYOR
HELSINKI TIMES
PHOTOS: ALVARO SOTOMAYOR
