Before getting into managing time well and being more productive, I would like to show some
interesting facts that might surprise you.

On average, employees work the hardest from 9 AM to 12 PM. Productivity tends to drop
significantly.

If you spend 10-12 minutes planning your day, you could save up to 2 hours.

A 2012 study done by the New Economics Foundation, London, found that employees who
are satisfied with their jobs are more productive.

Harvard University did a study and found that American companies lose roughly $65B. This is
because their employees are suffering from a lack of sleep.

Workers receive, on average, 7-8 disruptions per hour. This equals 50-60 per day.

The above facts clearly show how important it is to manage time effectively. Both Individuals and companies suffer from poor time management techniques, resulting in loss of productivity, poor performance, loss of revenue, and health issues among employees.

Here are some quick tips and hacks on how to manage time effectively and make your life easy.

Prioritize: Focus on Important task first

On average, employees are more productive at the start of the day, and productivity drops
significantly after that. That is why you should always start early and complete the important task
first.

One of the biggest challenges for people is accurately prioritizing the important tasks first daily.
Below are some tips that will help in prioritizing your tasks:-

• Collect all your tasks
• Identify urgent vs Important
• Assess value
• Order tasks by estimated effort
• Be realistic

They seem very daunting and look very time-consuming, but it would take only 10-15 minutes and
help save 2-3 hours of your time. Try.

Try Different Time Management Techniques

There are several time management techniques out there. There could be more than 50 techniques
for different personality types, productivity, and business needs. Some are simple, while some are a
little complicated, but almost all can be implemented daily.

Below are some of the popular time management techniques:-

• SMART Goals
• The Eisenhower Matrix / The Eisenhower box
• The Pomodoro Technique
• SCRUM – the most popular agile management framework
• Kanban Board
• Do Deep Work / Avoid Half-Work or Shallow Work
• GTD – Getting things done
• OKR – Objectives and key results

The Eisenhower Matrix / The Eisenhower box

The Eisenhower Matrix is the most popular framework for prioritizing tasks. Once you’ve written down your goals and tasks, you can use this matrix to prioritize tasks.

The Eisenhower Matrix is named after Dwight David Eisenhower – an American army general and statesman who served as the 34th President of the United States from 1953 to 1961. His matrix recommends arranging tasks in one of the four quadrants.

• Urgent + Important (Do First)
• Not urgent + Important (Schedule)
• Urgent + Not Important (Delegate)
• Not urgent + Not Important (Eliminate)

You have probably got an idea of how these techniques work. To know more, you can learn about these techniques; you can search online and read about them.

Avoid Distractions and Interruption

From phone calls to ambient noise, distractions and Interruptions are inevitable. On average, a worker gets 50-70 distractions during the day.

Cold calls, visitors, and workers stopping by your desk to chat are some of the Interruptions. People face a lot more Interruptions while working from home.

Below are few tips that will help you stay focused:-

• Eliminate self distractions
• Silence all your nonessential notifications
• Wear headphones to prevent ambient noise
• Handle email efficiently
• Try the Pomodoro technique

Stay Healthy

Last but not least, stay healthy. If you are not fit, you will not be hundred per cent effective, and all the techniques will be of no use. A good night’s sleep, eat healthily, and exercise will give you the stamina, energy, and focus on getting the most out of your work.