Time management has always been paramount, in the workplace, but also in the quality of everyone's personal life. Even though we all have exactly the same number of hours a day, the big difference is in the options we have about what to do with them.

Since the beginning of 2020, we have been experiencing a situation caused by the pandemic, which has brought us new working models based on the use of the home office and with it new conflicts regarding the time we allocate for each activity and how we manage it.

Here we will understand a little more about what time management is and some methods that can be applied to help in your daily life. Follow along! 

The burning question: what is time management?

We can say that time management is a process that prioritizes and organizes daily tasks and then enters into a plan, so that they are carried out with better use of time. 

Conceptually, it can be defined as a project whose fundamental strategy is the goal, deadline and completion. To achieve this, it is necessary to establish clear objectives with real time specifications for them to be met. We can say then, that there is always a scope and a result with a pre-determined time to be completed.

Currently, in this digital age, hundreds of external stimuli require our attention practically 24 hours a day. In addition to daily personal and work tasks, we need to manage social networks and various WhatsApp groups, ranging from work groups to friends and family. This requirement can give the feeling that we have finished the day without having done anything, and perhaps this is more than just a sensation. 

It is likely that the fatigue resulting from so much and constant information leaves us frustrated and with the need to manage our time better. And this disrupts both your personal life and your professional life.

Right now, time management is essential. This management must conduct daily activities to produce results within the company, but also to have free time for personal enjoyment. This means, in practice, time management.

Time management and productivity go hand in hand!

It is not the time dedicated to work that will guarantee its quality, but rather the way it is managed. 

This maxim can be used perfectly when we talk about time management and productivity. For organizations, it has always been important for employees to manage their own time. But, as we mentioned previously, a series of structural changes in the behavior of our society, this management has become even more important. 

Time management and productivity should always go hand in hand. They complement each other, as being productive is not counted in the number of hours, but in the quality of the results generated in this time. 

In addition to planning, you must work on optimizing the time that will be used on each project. This is what will develop productivity. 

But how to plan your time efficiently and productively? 

1. Always prioritize – Carefully evaluate tasks and prioritize them. What are the most urgent deadline goals? Ask yourself and organize the activities from there.
2. Be careful with your focus – As we know, social networks take away our concentration even in work environments. Maintaining discipline and establishing a specific time of day for online interaction can help.
3. Carpe Diem - Finish one task and only then start thinking about the next one. When you live in tomorrow it becomes very difficult to concentrate on what is being done.
4. Say no - Understand and respect your ability. There's no point in wanting to embrace the world when time says otherwise. Learn to say no.
5. Know yourself - Self-knowledge will allow you to identify what is important and beneficial. This will allow you to set short, medium and long-term goals in your professional and personal life.
6. Allow yourself to stop – Stopping the body so that the mind can produce new ideas and concepts is very important for your life. So enjoy the time you deserve.
7. Take advantage of new knowledge – With advancements in digital media, access to knowledge is available quickly and to everyone. Expand your skills, stay updated, informed and focused.

Discover some methods and techniques to apply in your company

Putting time management into practice can count on a little extra help with the use of some practical and effective methods. You will meet some:

GTD Method – “Getting Things Done” - or “making it happen”. The method is divided into 5 steps:

1. Collect - list everything that needs to be done;
2. Process - prioritize goals;
3. Organize - separate tasks;
4. To execute - do;
5. Review – review the original list.

Pomodoro Method – Tomato in Italian - Divides the workflow into cyclical intervals of 25 minutes of work with 5 minutes of rest. After 4 cycles, it is ideal to pause for 15 minutes and then start all over again. All of this timed.

GUT method – Severity, Urgency and Trend – Assign grades from 1 to 5 for each task. Start with the one with the highest score. These grades must follow the G, U and T criteria.

Kanban Method – Group tasks on a board (wall or digital application) separating and classifying them into lists according to what needs to be done, what has already been done and how each of them is progressing. This way it is possible to have a general and broad view of what needs to be carried out and what amounts are due.

There are several ways to develop time management practices. Furthermore, being able to manage your time will help make your life much happier.

Integrating processes, making the workflow more efficient, planning to optimize time, defining goals and deadlines, managing demands, using technologies that help with time management are your great allies. 

Learn a little more about the subject and discover all the benefits that this attitude can bring, if you need help talk to the Take 5! 

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