The Evils Of Unstructured Time: How To Improve Your Time Management Skills


4 Ways To Improve Your Time Management Skills

How many times have you thought "I've got so many tasks to do, I don't know where to start"? The truth is that whether you like it or not, time management isn’t everyone’s forte.

Below you can find 4 easy ways to avoid wasting time and be in control of it instead:

1. May the To-Do list be your bestfriend


I realise I should probably find more hobbies when the best part of my day becomes adding a "tick" in my task list. But in all honesty, it is extremely rewarding to write down the activities you will be doing for the rest of the day and gradually mark them as complete. It is shown that it only takes about ten to twelve minutes for someone to plan out their day, saving at least two hours in diffused effort and wasted time later on (Brian, 2013).

2. That's a No for me!

As simple as it might sound, saying NO is never quite so easy. Often we find ourselves overwhelmed by tasks and responsibilities thinking "how on earth did I get here?" The answer is simple: you didn't say no! Obviously you won't always be able to decide, but whenever you have the chance, saying no can sometimes help you gain that extra hour!

3. Social Media everywhere



Facebook has the highest level of engagement with people spending over 50 minutes per day (ComScore Media Metrix, 2015). If you add this to the daily use of other Social Media platforms, you will notice an outstanding waste of time that could be invested in other activities. I won’t lie: I am fascinated by Social Media, but I’ve learnt how time-consuming and distracting it can be.

4. I promise I'll do it tomorrow


The art of procrastination- my weak spot. I am the first to leave the hardest tasks for the next day, especially as I strongly (and falsely) believe it's quicker to leave the worst for last- i.e. when you are tired and know you won't do it anyway. However, I am gradually learning how satisfying it is to discover that the task you're dreading the most will probably be the hardest thing you'll do all day!


Good time management enables you to work smarter – not harder – so that you get more done in less time- Mindtools, 2017 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

4 Bizarre Myths Of Being Bilingual

Image
As an English and Italian Bilingual, I often receive some absurd questions about being fluent in two languages that always make me smile.  Fascinated by the topic, I started researching some fun myths about being bilingual and thought it would be interesting to discuss and dispel a few of these. "Bilinguals translate from their weaker to their stronger language" Born in England but raised in Italy until the age of 18, I feel more comfortable speaking in Italian. As such, I remember being asked quite often whether I translate phrases into Italian first, think of an answer and then retranslate it back to English. Although this would make me seem slightly problematic and long to reply, it’s not the case as the overwhelming majority of bilinguals can think in either of their two languages immediately. "Bilinguals dream in different languages” This one I believe is actually true! Since I moved to Glasgow I’ve noticed I started dreaming in English more often than ...
Read more

Struggles Overly-Competitive People Will Have Experienced At Least Once

Image
Being overly-competitive has often been associated with negative connotations in our society, becoming in some ways synonymous with greed or envy. Overall, competition may not always be as healthy as it should be, but I believe it has a strong influence in pushing people to take on new, challenging opportunities and achieving success in doing so.  As an overly and ridiculously competitive person- i.e. please let me win or I’ll be grumpy all day, I wanted to share 4 struggles most competitive people will have experienced at least once in their life.  1.      Total stranger? Even better! To all those unaware people who simply carry on with their daily routines, I sincerely apologise! As weird as it might sound, competing with total strangers who don’t know they are in competition with you is rather rewarding. Don’t lie: I know you started walking faster and speeding up at least once when someone walking on the same sidewalk as y...
Read more

Sleeping Fun Facts: How Many Do You Know?

Image
 “If people were meant to pop out of bed in the morning, they would sleep in toasters"   As much as I enjoy this quote, I cannot fully relate to it as I consider myself to be one of those pop out of bed (annoying) type of people.   However, as jealous as I can be of all those night owls who sleep until midday, I decided to write a list of sleeping  fun facts  from both viewpoints. 1. Sleep deprivation record   Since 1964, the longest period without sleeping is 11 days . Would you dare challenging it?  2.  Weird animal habits Brown bats need 19.9 hours of sleep per day whereas giraffes (so jealous) only need 1.9 hours. 3. Sex differences Women tend to experience more nightmares than men and have more emotional dreams - and we thought we could escape from being considered emotional at least while sleeping!  4.  The weight traitor Not sleeping enough can cause weight gains of 2 pounds (0.9...
Read more

4 Shades Of Flatmates

Image
It doesn’t matter whether you are still at University, already working or living away from home. At least once in your lifetime you will experience the thrilling adventure of living with complete weird strangers, with an overly-tidy partner or with friends who steal your cereals.  Any of this sounds familiar? Continue reading to find out about 4 different types of flatmates you will encounter at least once: The “I’m hungry, let’s all go out (again)” Every time it's the same story: as if you have starved for days and can barely move as you feel weaker and weaker from the lack of sugar in your body, you can’t say no to eating out (again). But don’t worry, you’re not alone: your flatmate will always be there to sustain your unpredictable food cravings! The Obsessive-Compulsive Cleaner The gods of the house, the ones who have full power over the main household decisions and the best friends of the messy flatmates… until you forget to clean the inside of the...
Read more

Dissertation Survey

Image
Have you been shopping on Amazon lately? If so, it would be amazing if you could spare 4 minutes (even less if you're a quick reader) to complete this survey anonymously for my dissertation! Link:  https://strathbusiness.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_afVgnDlk3SaPtxX A HUGE thank you to you all! x
Read more