Many people around the world struggle daily with meeting deadlines. Poor
time management skills and postponement often leads to last minute rush which
produces substandard work. The good news is that even professional
procrastinators can learn effective time management. Below are 5 time
management tips to help you meet
your goals and realize your dreams.
1. Divide the work into smaller units: The lesson that we all need to learn is that, a large task can always be more easily accomplished when broken down into small units over a long period of time. If you are given assignment to complete in the next fortnight, the right time to get started is immediately. When you first receive a project, you should make a calendar and break it into four or more evenly spaced parts. Don’t wait until the final deadline date. Give yourself mini-deadline dates per piece and meet them, whatever the cost. Failing to meet one of your own mini-deadlines should not be taken lightly.
2. Plan work days ahead: Focus on events several days ahead of time to improve capacity to handle any potential crises that may come up. It also allows you to set aside a day or two before the final date to polish your project and add finishing touches. Don’t just focus on today but focus on the whole week, the whole month or even the whole year.
3. Work should be organized: Many people fail to meet deadlines because they are people are simply not organized. In the era of technology of smart phones and cloud computing, there’s simply no excuse to be disorganized. Technology is your Friend in getting organized. Simply enter your events in your calendar to help you keep aware of all current deadlines. Calendars and documents can also be shared and edited by collaborators, which makes working with a team easier. File documents neatly in your computer or other storage. People often waste time searching pieces of their work when they are not organized. Searching poorly organized documents is time wasting .Good self-discipline is a reflection of good organizational skills.
4. Reward yourself for every achievement you attain: Procrastinating work leads to panic and last minute rush and stress as the deadline approaches. A simple way to strengthen meeting your own mini-deadlines is to reward yourself for every achievement. If you completed the first phase of the project ahead of time, reward yourself with a nice dinner, a night out or any good gifts are examples of rewards. If necessary, note this down under each deadline. If you lack the necessary self-discipline you will need a partner who oversees your day-to-day activities to ensure you never depart from your course.
5. Ensure you prepare to meet short notice deadlines: Short-notice deadlines are a common occurrence and you should be ready to meet them. These occur at every workplace, displeasing employees and managers alike. Effective time management strategies discussed in this article will be of great help.