Time management

Time Management
10 Strategies for Better Time Management
Time Management
Time Management
Updated by:
Roxie Price
University of Georgia Extension
Dana Carney
University of Georgia Extension
Rachael Clews
K-State Research and Extension
Originally written by:
Sue W. Chapman
Michael Rupured

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UGA Cooperative Extension Circular 1042 | Time Management
1. Know How You Spend Your Time
A time log is a helpful way to determine how you use your
time. Record what you are doing in 15-minute intervals
for a week or two. Evaluate the results:
• Did everything you needed to do get done?
• Which tasks require the most time?
• What time of day when you are most
productive?
• Where is most of your time is devoted
(i.e. job, family, personal, recreation)?
Identifying your most time-consuming tasks
and determining whether you are investing
your time in the most important activities
can help you to determine a course of action.
Having a good sense of the time required for
routine tasks can help you be more realistic
in planning and estimating how much time is
available for other activities. Many apps exist to
help you keep track of your time, as mentioned in
Strategy 3.
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People who practice good time management techniques often find that they:
• Are more productive.
• Have more energy for things they need to accomplish.
• Feel less stressed.
• Have more free time to do the things they want.
• Get more things done.
• Relate more positively to others.
• Feel better about themselves. (Dodd and Subdheim, 2005)
Finding a time management strategy that works best for you depends on your personality, ability to self-
motivate, and level of self-discipline. By incorporating some, or all the ten strategies below, you can more
effectively manage your time.
Strategies for Better
Time Management
Strategies for Better
Time Management
You cannot manage time; you manage the events in your life in relation to time.
The term Time Management is a misnomer.
You may often wish for more time, but you only get 24 hours, 1,440
minutes, or 86,400 seconds each day. How you use that time depends on
skills learned through self-analysis, planning, evaluation, and self-control.
MUCH
LIKE MONEY,
TIME IS BOTH
VALUABLE AND LIMITED:
it must be protected,
used wisely, and
budgeted.

3. Use a Planning Tool
Time management experts recommend
using a personal planning tool to improve
your productivity. Personal planning tools
include planners, calendars, phone apps,
wall charts, index cards, pocket diaries,
and notebooks. Writing down your tasks,
schedules, and items to remember can
free your mind to focus on your priorities.
Auditory learners may prefer to dictate
their thoughts instead. The key is to find
one planning tool that works for you and
use that tool consistently.
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2. Set Priorities
Managing your time effectively requires a distinction between what is important and what is urgent (MacKenzie,
1990). Experts agree that the most important tasks usually aren’t the most urgent tasks. However, we tend to let
the urgent tasks dominate our lives. Covey, Merrill, and Merrill (1994) categorize activities into four quadrants in
their Time Management Matrix: urgent, not urgent, important, and not important. While activities that are both
urgent and important must be done, Covey et al. suggests spending less time on activities that are not important
(regardless of their urgency) to gain time for activities that are not urgent but important. Focusing on these
important activities allows you to gain greater control over your time and may reduce the number of important
tasks that become urgent.
Example Time Management Matrix
Urgent Not Urgent
Important
Do these tasks as soon as possible.
Examples:
• Submit job application by 5 p.m.
• Pick up sick child from school
• Call plumber to fix leaking toilet
Defer these tasks until all urgent and important
tasks have been completed.
Examples:
• Schedule dentist appointment
• Reply to coworker’s email regarding future event
• Plan family reunion
Not Important
Delegate these tasks to the appropriate
people who can manage them.
Examples:
• Help son with homework
• Pull weeds from flower beds
• Make dinner for family
Delete these tasks – they are often time wasters.
Examples:
• Respond to social media comments
• Online shopping
• Finish watching TV show
Creating a ‘to do” list is an easy way to prioritize. Whether you need a daily, weekly, or monthly list depends on
your lifestyle. Be careful to keep list-making from getting out of control. List manageable tasks rather than goals
or multi-step plans. Rank the items on your “to do” list in order of priority (both important and urgent). You
may choose to group items in categories such as high priority, medium priority, or low priority; number them
in order of priority; or use a color-coding system. The goal is not to mark off the most items, but to mark off the
highest priority items (MacKenzie, 1990). A prioritized “to do” list allows you to set boundaries so you can say
“no” to activities that may be interesting or provide a sense of achievement but do not fit your basic priorities.

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When using a planning tool:
• Always record your information on the tool itself. Jotting notes elsewhere that must be transferred later is
inefficient and wastes more time.
• Review your planning tool daily.
• Keep a list of your priorities in your planning tool and refer to it often.
• Keep planning tools synchronized. If you keep more than one, make sure your phone, computer, and
paper planning tools match.
• Keep a back-up system.
Apps on your phone can be great planning tools. Apps typically fall into one of the following categories:
• Time Trackers – Gain an awareness of how you spend your time.
• Time Savers – Increase productivity and break time-wasting habits.
• Task Managers – Prioritize and organize tasks to improve time management.
• Habit Developers – Create healthy habits to encourage time management.
4. Get Organized
Disorganization leads to poor time management.
Research has shown that clutter has a strong
negative impact on perceived well-being
(Roster, 2016). To improve our time
management, get organized.
Set up three boxes (or corners of a room)
labeled “Keep,” “Give Away,” and “Toss.”
Sort items into these boxes. Discard
items in your “Toss” box. Your “Give
Away” box may include items you
want to sell, donate, or discard.
The next step is to improve the time
you spend processing information.
For example, tasks such as email can
eat up your day. To combat wasted time,
implement an email organization system
that allows you to process the information in
each email as efficiently as possible. Use folders,
flagging, or a color-coded system to keep track of
what’s what.
keep
give
awa y
toss
5. Schedule Appropriately
Scheduling is more than just recording what must be done (e.g., meetings and appointments). Be sure to build in
time for the things you want to do. Effective scheduling requires you to know yourself. Your time log should help
you to identify times when you are most productive and alert. Plan your most challenging tasks for when you have
the most energy. Block out time for your high priority activities first and protect that time from interruptions.
Schedule small tasks such as drafting an email, creating a grocery shopping list, reading, watching webinars or listening
to podcasts for long commutes or when waiting for a call or appointment. Capitalize on what would otherwise be time
lost. Avoid nonproductive activities, such as playing games or scrolling through social media. Limit scheduled time to
about three-fourths of your day to allow for creative activities such as planning, dreaming, and thinking.

6. Delegate: Get Help from Others
Delegating means assigning responsibility for
a task to someone else, freeing up your time
for tasks that require your expertise. Identify
tasks others can do and select the appropriate
person(s) to do them. Select someone with the
appropriate skills, experience, interest, and
authority needed to accomplish the task. Be
specific. Define the task and your expectations
while allowing the person some freedom to
personalize the task. Check how well the person is
progressing periodically and provide any assistance,
being careful not to take over the responsibility. Finally,
reward the person for a job well done or make suggestions
for improvements if needed. (Dodd and Sundheim, 2005).
Another way to get help is to “buy” time by obtaining goods
or services that save time. For example, paying someone to
mow your lawn or clean your house, or joining a carpool for
your children’s extracurricular activities frees time for other
activities. The time-savings from hiring someone for
specialized projects is often worth the cost.
7. Stop Procrastinating
People put off tasks for a variety of reasons.
Perhaps the task seems overwhelming or
unpleasant. To help stop procrastination,
consider “eating the big frog first.” A quote
commonly attributed to Mark Twain says,
“If it’s your job to eat a frog today, it’s best
to do it first thing in the morning. And
if it’s your job to eat two frogs, it’s best
to eat the big frog first.” Unpleasant
tasks we procrastinate completing
are “big frogs.” Complete these
tasks as your first action of the
day to get them out of the way.
Another option is to “snowball”
your tasks by breaking them down
into smaller segments, completing
preparatory tasks, and eventually
completing the larger task at hand.
Whether you choose the “big frog first”
or “snowball” method, try building in a
reward system for completed tasks to
help stay motivated.
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8. Manage Time Wasters
Reduce or eliminate time spent in these activities by implementing some simple tips.
Handheld Devices
• Take advantage of voice-to-text features such as transcribed voicemails or to
make notes or draft emails and text messages when you are on the go.
• Avoid small talk. Stay focused.
• Take any necessary action immediately following a call.
• Impose screen time limits and regularly monitor your digital wellness (see Strategy 10).
• Schedule breaks from your devices.
Email
• Set aside a specific time to view and respond to email, but don’t let it accumulate
to the point it becomes overwhelming to sort.
• Turn off notifications for email.
• Handle each item only once if possible.
• Immediately delete or unsubscribe from junk emails.
• Keep address books up-to-date and organized.
• Utilize built-in shortcuts to sort email.
Unexpected Visitors
• Schedule time for face-to-face visits.
• Inform visitors of your time constraints and politely offer to reschedule.
• Set a mutually agreeable time limit for the visit.
• When someone comes to the door, stand up and have your meeting standing
to help keep it brief.
In-Person and Virtual Meetings
• Know the purpose of the meeting in advance.
• Arrive early.
• Start and end the meeting on time.
• Prepare an agenda and stick to it.
Use a timed agenda, if necessary.
• Don’t schedule meetings unless
they are necessary and have a
specific purpose or agenda.
• Use recording software or
designate a note-taker.
Family Obligations
• Use and sync virtual calendars
for easy sharing between busy
family members.
• Make each family member
responsible for consulting the master
calendar for potential conflicts.
• Create a central area or
agreed upon app for posting
communications such as
appointment reminders,
announcements, and
messages.
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9.Avoid Multi-tasking
Psychological studies have shown that multi-tasking does not save time. In fact, the opposite is often true. You
lose time when switching from one task to another, resulting in a loss of productivity (Rubinsteim, Meyer, and
Evans, 2001). Routine multi-tasking may lead to difficulty in concentrating and maintaining focus. Do your best
to focus on just one task at a time by keeping your area clear of distractions, including turning off notifications
on your devices, and set aside dedicated time for specific tasks.
10.Stay Healthy
The care and attention you give yourself is an important investment of time. Scheduling time to relax or do
nothing helps you rejuvenate physically and mentally, enabling you to accomplish tasks more quickly and easily.
Be sure to monitor your screen time as a part of your digital wellbeing,
setting boundaries to stay healthy. A study conducted by
Google showed that four out of five study participants
who took steps to improve their digital wellbeing
believe their overall wellbeing was positively
impacted as well (Google, 2019). To improve
your digital wellbeing, set time limits or
utilizing built-in software on electronic
devices such as phones and tablets to
help maintain your digital wellness.
Blue light blockers and grayscale
mode may also help you improve
your digital wellbeing. Set a time
each night to shut off all digital
devices to give your mind time
to relax; this can also help
improve your sleep schedule.
Unfortunately, poor time
management and too much
screen time can result in fatigue,
moodiness, and more frequent
illness. To reduce stress, reward
yourself for time management
successes. Take time to recognize
that you have accomplished a major
task or challenge before moving on to
the next activity.
Conclusion
Whatever time management strategies you use, take
time to evaluate how they have worked for you. Do you have
a healthy balance between work and home life? Are you accomplishing the
tasks that are most important in your life? Are you investing enough time in your own personal wellbeing? If
the answer is “no” to any of these questions, then reevaluate your time management strategies and transition
to ones that will work better for you. Successful time management leads to greater personal happiness, more
accomplishments at home and at work, and a more satisfying future.

Circular 1042 Revised August 2020
extension.uga.edu
Published by the University of Georgia in cooperation with Fort Valley State University, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and counties of the state. For more information, contact your local UGA Cooperative Extension office.
The University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (working cooperatively with Fort Valley State University, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the counties of Georgia) offers its educational programs,
assistance, and materials to all people without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation or protected veteran status and is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action organization.
References:
Covey, S. R., Merrill, A. R., & Merrill, R. R. (1994). First Things First: To Live, to Love, to Learn, to Leave a
Legacy. New York: Simon & Schuster.
Dodd, P., & Sundheim, D. (2005). The 25 Best Time Management Tools and Techniques: How to Get More Done
Without Driving Yourself Crazy. Ann Arbor, MI: Peak Performance Press, Inc.
Google, Global (DE, ES, FR, IT, PL, U.K., U.S.), “Digital Wellbeing Survey,” General population, 18+ years,
n=97–1,401, 2019. https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/feature/digital-wellbeing-statistics
MacKenzie, A. (1990). The Time Trap (3rd ed.). New York: American Management Association.
Roster, C., Ferrari, J., & Jurkat, M. (2016, March 16). The dark side of home: Assessing possession ‘clutter’ on
subjective well-being. Journal of Environmental Psychology.
Rubinsteim, J., Meyer, D. & Evans, J. (2001). Executive control of cognitive processes in task switching. Journal of
Experimental Psychology – Human Perception and Performance, 27(4), 763-797

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