How do you manage your time better now the busy Christmas period is here? Being good at time management is critical, for all aspects of life; you’ll be able to complete work quicker, lower any stress levels and improve your career prospects.
So how can you ensure your time management is top-notch?
Setting yourself the correct goals…
Breaking down a big assignment, or task, are setting yourself small goals over a time period can really help you get the work done, and to a high standard. However, sometimes the goals you set can get you off track so it’s important to make sure your goals are in line with the overall task.
I’m sure we’re all aware of SMART goals; as a marketer, I don’t think there’s been an assignment they haven’t been needed; and while they’re good for marketing, they’re good for any big tasks at hand. Remember: Smart, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Timely.
Take a Break, have a KitKat?
After you’ve decided on your SMART goals and you’re looking to take one section at a time, you’re still vulnerable to burnout. Make sure you’re taking breaks in between sessions of work. Not only does this give you a well-deserved break but it also means when you return to work you can check over what's already been done with a set of refreshed eyes.
We’ve all done it, rushed a project, sent it in and then once you have the time to re-read realise your spelling is shocking and grammar ceases to exist. You should give yourself enough time to take a break and come back to look over and make the relevant edits; there’s been plenty of time where I’ve even re-wrote entire sections after reading back on them.
Give yourself time limits.
It doesn’t sound right to completely stop what you're doing while you’re in the middle of a paragraph or halfway through a project, but sometimes, leaving it is the best outcome. By setting yourself time limits, it gets your work done (I have a time limit set for this very blog post).
By having time limits you also keep track of the breaks you give yourself and ensure that you’re always refreshing your mind either to continue with the work or edit that which you’ve already completed.
Giving yourself a specific amount of time can also help you foresee any problems you might have; say you could see a problem arise halfway through the project- allocate yourself more time! That way, should the problem barrel in, you have enough time to fix it and finish the section.
Be wise in prioritising…
When listing your to-do list; prioritise in order of urgency and importance. Start off with the most urgent pieces of work, they’re the most important so you should complete them first.
Any tasks that you can say aren’t currently needed, or you deem to have a longer deadline, you might think about discarding those until your list is a little smaller. The projects in the middle will be a mix of both!
However you decide to prioritise, so long as the work leads into one another, and keeps you on track- you should be good to go!
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