Time Management Tips (时间管理法则)
Whether you're working on a project alone or in a team, good time management habits will help you stay organized, prioritized, and productive. The following time management tips will be valuable in your personal life as well as in the workplace:
-
Define the goals of your project.
Ask yourself questions to help define your goals: What needs to be accomplished? What is the deadline for accomplishing these goals?
-
Create and organize your to-do lists.
List each task that needs to be accomplished. Once you've written down everything you can think of, organize the list in order of priority.
-
Prioritize your workday.
Start each day by analyzing proper priority of completion—in other words, you should figure out which tasks need to be completed and in what order. What should be taken care of right away, and what can wait until later? This way, you won't be scrambling to meet a deadline at the last minute.
-
Utilize technology, but don't let it become a time-wasting distraction.
It's easy to go on the Internet while conducting research for a paper and find yourself getting distracted. If necessary, turn off your phone and avoid social networking sites to increase your productivity.
-
Don't procrastinate.
Procrastinating can increase stress and make the final draft of a project appear sloppy. On the other hand, if your task isn't a priority, it's acceptable to let it wait for a few days while you tackle more pressing deadlines. If procrastination is a major issue for you, you may have to refine your work habits until you learn what routines allow you to tackle your goals in the most efficient way.
-
Follow a schedule.
Try scheduling each task on a calendar, along with the amount of time you are going to work on that task per day. If you follow a schedule, you will be amazed at how quickly you're able to finish your work.
-
Clear your clutter.
Sometimes staying focused is difficult when there are piles of paper and to-dos covering your desk. Put away everything that is unrelated to your current goal. That way, it's easier to focus on just one task at a time.
-
Consolidate tasks.
Multitasking has become routine in the workplace, but sometimes your brain struggles to switch between activities. Try to complete all of one type of to-do before switching to another. For instance, if you have to reply to several emails and you also have to write a report, finish the emails first rather than going back and forth.
Time management skills mean that you tend to your goal-related activities in a way that uses time wisely and optimizes efficiency and results. In other words, you not only plan how you will accomplish your tasks, but you give yourself enough time to do a good job. In school, this will help you improve your grades, and in a job, it will make you a dependable team player who stands out from the crowd. Time management is a vital skill in the workplace, and improving your habits now will give you an advantage over the competition once you enter the working world.