Time Management Tactics
Time management is made up of several skills – depending on which ones you are good at and which are a struggle, different strategies can be helpful. Review this short list to see which feel like the one(s) that causes you the most challenges for completing an online course.
- Planning: Identifying and organizing tasks and determining how long a task will take.
- Prioritization: Deciding which tasks are most important and should be done first.
- Goal Setting: Defining clear objectives and deadlines for tasks.
- Delegation: Assigning tasks to others when appropriate to ensure everything gets done efficiently.
- Time Allocation: Distributing time effectively across various activities.
- Time Awareness: Perceiving and understanding the passage of time.
[Excerpt from the Hub’s Time Management Course]
Let’s see how you actually manage your time.
What kind of “Time Manager” are you?
Take this Time Management Test. You’ll need to enter only your zip code at the end to get your results.
Read through your tailored results and explore the “What You Can Do” suggestions.
‼️ IMPORTANT: This test is offered through Psychology Today. You can ignore Step #3 of your results (the suggestion to contact your PCP or one of the listed therapists).
Time Management in Practice
Then look at your time management in practice by choosing and complete at least one of the following tasks for a week to get a sense of how you manage time in practice.
1 – Daily Time Log
Goal: Track how time is spent throughout the day.
How to: Log all daily activities, noting the start and end times. Be honest and detailed! After completing one of the activities, take a few moments to review your notes. What do you notice?
2 – Task Duration Estimation
Goal: Check the accuracy of time estimation skills.
How to: Estimate how long it will take before starting a task and write it down. After completing the task, compare the estimated time with the actual time. Record any discrepancies.
3 – Routine Analysis
Goal: Identify patterns in time management.
How to: Reflect on daily routines and note any challenges in keeping to a schedule or transitioning between tasks.
Pick One Strategy to Try
Choose one of these strategies to try — there are many more in the Time Management course as well.
Planning (Identifying and organizing tasks and determining how long a task will take.)
Create a schedule or to-do list
Work in small chunks, such as the Pomodoro Technique.
Prioritization (Deciding which tasks are most important and should be done first.)
Try the 80/20 approach (Here’s a podcast from Jeremy Doran on the method)
Organize a task list into importance and urgency, such as the Eisenhower Matrix,
Goal Setting (Defining clear objectives and deadlines for tasks.)
Break up big tasks into smaller steps
Set up a reward system tied to tasks and milestones
Delegation (Assigning tasks to others when appropriate to ensure everything gets done efficiently.)
Review tasks and identify those others can handle, matching to their skills, abilities, and capacity.
Provide clear instructions that include purpose, expectations, and deadlines to enable independence (and reduce coming back to you with questions)
Time Allocation (Distributing time effectively across various activities.)
Try Time Blocking where tasks are categorized by the amount of time they require and are assigned time blocks in your schedule.
Time Awareness (Perceiving and understanding the passage of time.)
Track how long tasks take (did it match your expectations?)
Assign time limits to tasks, particularly less urgent ones to minimize unintended loss of time