10 Time Management Hacks To Improve Your Life

You've heard it before: "Time is money." But the reality is that time is so much more than just money. It's also a finite resource that we can never get back once it's gone. We all have 24 hours in a day, and if we don't manage our time well, we'll wake up one morning and realize that we're running out of both. That said, there are many ways to become more productive at work—and beyond—so let's dive right into some hacks for managing your time better!

1. Understand Time Management and Productivity

Time management is the process of planning and exercising conscious control over the amount of time spent on specific activities, especially to increase efficiency, productivity and effectiveness.

Productivity is the rate at which useful output is produced. Productivity can be measured as work produced per time period. In general productivity in terms of labour refers to a total measure of output divided by number of input units (hours worked), usually expressed as index numbers.

2. Create a Master List

The second thing you can do is create a master list of all your tasks. This will help you stay on track and make sure that you’re not wasting time on unnecessary things. You should start by writing down every task that needs to get done, then prioritize them based on their importance and urgency. Next come the deadlines—make sure you have enough time to complete each task before its deadline date (and if not, reshuffle accordingly). Finally, put a deadline on each task so that they won’t be floating around in your head forever!

Once this is done, keep track of your progress by constantly updating and reviewing this master list whenever something comes up during the day or week. This helps with getting organized so that no matter what life throws at us there will always be some kind of game plan ready for when things go wrong again!

3. Prioritize Your Tasks

Don't start with the biggest task and work your way down. Starting with the smallest tasks gives you more energy, which can help you tackle bigger things later on.

If you're having trouble prioritizing all of your tasks, ask yourself one simple question: "Which one of these would I be most disappointed if I didn't get to do?" Then do that first!

4. Create a Daily Schedule

The next hack is to create a daily schedule, and stick to it. You can do this by using a calendar or taking advantage of the Task Manager app on your phone. If you use a calendar for your schedules, it's best if you have one dedicated specifically for work, school and other activities so that everything is in one place and easy to access.

If you're using an online calendar like Google Calendar or Microsoft Outlook then setting up tasks will be easier than if you're using paper planners because there are mobile apps available which allow users to sync with their devices so they can see what appointments they have made as well as any pending tasks at any given time even when they don't have internet access via 3G/4G networks but only Wi-Fi since most people nowadays use smartphones instead of laptops anyway!

To help make sure that everyone involved knows what their responsibilities are during projects such as meetings we recommend making sure everyone has their own personal planner so they know exactly how much time needs allocated toward completing certain tasks."

5. Use the 50-minute Rule

The 50-minute rule is a good way to manage your time. It’s based on the fact that it takes about 50 minutes for your brain to go into the “flow state,” where you are completely focused on the task at hand. The idea is to set a timer for 50 minutes and work until it goes off. This helps you avoid distractions, as well as procrastination, which can often lead to getting more done in less time.

6. Avoid Time Wasters

You can avoid time wasters by:

• Identifying which activities are wasting your time. For example, if you find yourself spending an inordinate amount of time on social media or watching TV, ask yourself why. Is it because these activities give you a sense of enjoyment? Or are they just merely a distraction from the more important things in life? Once you have identified what's causing you to waste time, do something about it. If a particular activity is hindering your productivity and goals for the day, then consider getting rid of it altogether.

• Setting aside specific times for certain tasks or working on projects that require more thought and attention than others (such as reading). This will help prevent procrastination.

7. Learn to Delegate and Outsource

Learning to delegate and outsource is a great way to free up time, but it’s important to do it effectively.

If you want to delegate effectively, ask yourself:

• What does this task require? Is it something I can or should do myself? Or would someone else be better at doing it for me?

• Who is the best person for this task? Could there be other people who could do it better or just as well as me? If so, what are their strengths and weaknesses compared with mine (e.g., knowledge of the subject matter)?

Once you identify an appropriate person who could take on a task internally or externally, get them involved right away so they have enough time and information to complete their assignments effectively. Be clear about what's expected from them—when they’re expected back with results; if they need any other resources—and check in periodically throughout the process until completion.

8. Use Technology to your Advantage

Use technology to your advantage. There are a number of apps that are designed specifically for time management and organization, so you don't have to spend all day trying to figure out how to keep track of everything that needs done.

• Calendar Apps - A calendar app is the best way to keep track of appointments, meetings and deadlines all in one place. Most people have their schedule on their phone already, but sometimes it's hard to access immediately because it's not always right there on your desktop screen like Outlook or Google Calendar would be (which is why these two options aren't included). If you're someone who uses multiple calendars like I do (work calendar + personal calendars), I'd recommend an app like Fantastical which has multiple views and daily reminders built right into it making it easy for me not only set my own appointments but also be reminded about any upcoming ones when they arrive!

• Task Management Apps - Task management apps will help keep track of smaller tasks that need completing over longer periods such as "clean bedroom" or "get haircut". Most task management apps allow users create different lists within them allowing them categorize their tasks by context i.e., home vs work vs errands etc... My favorite task manager atm is Todoist because not only does it integrate seamlessly with other platforms like Gmail & Slack but allows me set due dates/times for each individual task as well!

9. Be Flexible and Adaptable, Especially When Things Go Wrong

An important part of time management is being flexible and adaptable to the unexpected. You never know when you’re going to have to deal with a last minute project, a meeting that gets pushed back, or an emergency phone call from home.

Being flexible means not having too rigid of expectations about how things should go—and being prepared for when they don’t.

It also means being willing to ask for help from others who might be able to do something faster, better or cheaper than you can do by yourself. And it means letting go of tasks that aren’t getting done as quickly as you want them too—and delegating them instead!

10. Find an Accountability Partner

Accountability partners are your secret weapon to achieving all of your time management goals. They’re the people who will hold you accountable and help you stay motivated, even when you don’t want to do it. Having a trusted friend or family member who is willing to help push you forward can be the difference between success and failure in the long run.

Takeaway:

Here are the main ideas of this article:

• Take a break before you start working. This is important because it gives you time to clear your head and get into a good state of mind. It also helps you keep up with your pace throughout the day when you're not burnt out from all that work.

• Don't multitask, ever! All of us have tried this numerous times, but it's actually counter-productive in most cases. If you can focus on one task at a time and be fully immersed in what you're doing, then go ahead and do that rather than switching between different tasks constantly or even worse: having multiple tabs open at once which makes everything take longer than necessary because there's too much information being processed at once (and yes I'm guilty).

• Set aside specific times for different types of tasks like calls/email/etc., so that nothing overlaps each other unnecessarily causing confusion amongst ourselves as well as others involved (which would lead back again into point number one). This also helps avoid burnouts by giving ourselves small breaks between big projects instead of trying singlehandedly finish everything within 24 hours which rarely ever happens anyway since life never works out like this anyway (unless maybe if someone else was responsible for making sure we got sleep).

If you’re looking for a way to improve your life and become more productive, these time management hacks are a great place to start. No matter what kind of job or lifestyle you have, they can help you get more done in less time while also enjoying yourself more!