Photo by Stella Mariz Abayhon on Unsplash
The work shift from office-base to home-base has never been easy for most of us. We are forced to make changes to our old habits or, if not, have it modified. This can go from setting up a work or study space, buying tools for online class, to managing the work-and-home time balance effectively.
Our effectiveness in managing our time for work in the office or classroom is completely different from working at home. Truth is, our home life is more prone to distractions. To help ensure that your time is spent productively, here are ways on how to manage it when especially when working at home.
TIP #1. Identify your GOALS and WRITE them down.
Our brain functions as a vehicle of our dreams, passions and goals. Whenever we set a specific goal, the brain is wired towards it. By way of identifying first the things that you want to accomplish within the day or so will increase your chances to finish them within your allotted time frame.
Enumerate your task in a planner or a notebook. Being certain with your action points will make it more doable. It’s better if you write it by hand as it activates the part of your brain responsible for thinking and retaining information. Another way is to post it on a wall or any area in your work or study space where you can always see it to keep you reminded.
Tip #2. Categorize the Tasks/Goals According to their Importance.
You are probably reading this material for time management because you want to effectively utilize your time systematically. We don’t want to be just dumped with tasks then work on it without realizing that each of them weighs differently in terms of importance and urgency. Accomplishing tasks could not be dependent on your mood or “the best time to work”. Deadlines will come inevitably. Hence, consider classifying your tasks by asking yourself with the following questions:
What are the tasks that are important and urgent?
What are the tasks that are important but not urgent?
What are the tasks that are urgent but not important?
What are the tasks that are not important and not urgent?
Take into account first the tasks which are under important and urgent. You can do the rest later. You can also delegate people that can work on the tasks under urgent but not important. Make sure to eliminate those tasks that are not important and not urgent. You will save more time out of it.
Tip #3. Make Use of the Time App or Have a Visible Clock Nearby.
Working from home is accompanied by inevitable distractions. Despite these it is vital to stay focused on our work.There are a lot of apps or software that are developed to help organize your time while adding some fun for you to totally commit to work. Another way is to have a visible clock on your desks or even on the wall where it’s easy for you to see. This will help you track your time and keep you posted.
Tip #4. Focus on One Task at a Time
Society makes us currently believe that the best way to accomplish tasks is to multitask. No matter how much we desire to accomplish ALL the tasks we have simultaneously, we can’t and if we do we may end up not delivering an excellent job. If we want to provide the best results at any task we do, we need to keep in mind to do good and focus on one specific task. This will generate great results, after all, we should always be after the quality NOT the quantity.
Tip #5. Track the Time you Spent After Working on a Specific Task
Tracking the time spent means also being mindful where you are spending your time most and assessing your progress and productivity. Observe which tasks consumed your time the most. Was it worth all that time spent? Or was it a waste of time? Was the time enough for you to make progress on more urgent tasks? Or should you add more time to it and lessen the time on other tasks next time? By tracking the time you spend, you are also evaluating how much time you consume on specific tasks whether important or not. This will give you an idea on what tasks you need to eliminate or delegate to others and which you need to prioritize.
Tip #6. Do not Forget to Have a Break Time in Between Tasks
After working for long hours on your screen, having a break time between intense work or study is a big time help for your health. Make sure to have a 5-minute break after doing easy tasks and a 25 to 30-minute break on hard tasks. This will help freshen not only your mind but also the muscles involved.
Tip #7. Delegate Tasks to other People
You can completely focus on the goals that you want to achieve by assigning some tasks that other people can accomplish for you. For example, you can ask other people to do the printing of the handouts you need for the class to give you more time to focus on more important tasks. This will help you decrease some workloads and allocate time on more pressing matters.
Tip #8. Devote Yourself to Develop Habits
Habit is the accumulation of repetitive actions that turned into discipline. Once you develop habits, these actions will turn automatic behaviors or responses to certain triggers. Identify which habit you need to develop to help you accomplish tasks on time.
Tip #9. Plan Ahead
One who prepares before a storm will be spared. By planning ahead, you can foresee some possible circumstances that will hinder you to do the tasks in the right time. Let’s say, for this month, list down all the tasks you need to accomplish and assign deadline dates.
Change is scary, but a smooth transition is less painful. Try to give those tips a shot, and cheers to the guaranteed changes in your performance. Surely, time will no longer be your greatest pressure.