Must-Have Time Management Techniques and Tools

When it comes to time management, it feels like every page you turn has a different answer. There are thousands of different techniques and tools out there, and we could spend half of the work day talking about them. 

Instead, we have compiled what we think are the 9 best techniques and tools you can use to be more effective, decisive, and overall more efficient with your time each and every day. If you have a tool or technique that has been working for you, please let us know in the comments below !

Eisenhower Matrix

The Eisenhower Matrix is one of the best tools around for managing your time and your tasks. As seen in the photo above, you need to take one task for your self, schedule a task out, delegate one task and then delete the least important task. Although this method is nearly flawless, you may find yourself in a situation that needs more tasks done by you, or even more tasks deleted. It doesn’t have to be a perfect 2×2 square every time you make this, but following these guidelines when you have one or more jobs to complete is imperative to a successful day.

Pomodoro Technique

The Pomodoro Technique is one of the newer techniques when it comes to job and task management. From the start it may seem a little more complex, the method and timing of work and breaks has been calculated and proven time and time again. This method is widely adopted around the world, but mostly popular in the software development and design world. With a job that could be done without many breaks, researches have found its much more efficient to take short, and sometimes long, breaks.

1. Decide on the task to be done.
2. Set the pomodoro timer, usually 25 minutes
3. Work on the task.
4. End work when the timer rings and take a short break (traditionally 5 to 10 minutes).
5. If you have fewer than three pomodoros, go back to Step 2 and repeat until you go through all three pomodoros.
6. After three pomodoros are done, take the fourth pomodoro and then take a long break (up to 30 minutes). Once the long break is finished, repeat to step 2.

The Ivy Lee Method

One day, back in 1918, a productivity consultant named Ivy Lee was interviewing Charles M. Schwab, President of the Betheleim Steel Corporation. It was during this interview that Lee presented Schwab with the following working framework:

1. Write down the six most important tasks you need to do tomorrow. 
2. Now number them in order of their importance.
3. The first thing tomorrow morning look at item one and start working on it, until it is finished. Then, move on to the second task. 
4. Approach the rest of your list in the same fashion. At the end of the day, move any unfinished items to a new list of six tasks for the following day.
5. Repeat this process every working day

Lee asked Schwab to use this framework and to pay him whatever he believed was worth after getting convinced of the effectiveness of this method.   

In a few weeks after the interview, Schwab sent Lee a check for $25,000 (equivalent to approximately $450,000 today)

In five years after the interview, by using this method, it helped Schwab to make $100 Million dollars (equivalent to app $1.06 Billion dollars today). So if it worked for one of the wealthiest man of his time, it can help you too.  

Time Blocking

Time Blocking is something that many people do on their own without knowing it. But there’s a small fraction of us that simply struggle so bad with this idea without knowing it, that it eats away our day. Time blocking is a simple idea where you break your work day into a block of time dedicated for each specific task. For example, from 9-11:30 everyday you’re focusing on writing, from 12-4 you focus on finding new clients, and from 4-5:30 you game plan for the next day. It seems simple, and if you are able to master this practice, you days will be more and more effective.

Getting Things Done (GTD)

Gettings Things Done is a very popular and effective task management method developed by productivity expert David Allen. In his book, Getting Things Done, David Allen describes in detail the theory and psychological principles behind the method as well as how to put these principles into practice. The method consists of the following steps:

Getting Things Done® is a very popular and effective task management method developed by productivity expert David Allen. In his book, Getting Things Done, David Allen describes in detail the theory and psychological principles behind the method as well as how to put these principles into practice. The method consists of the following steps:

1. Capture: Identify EVERYTHING that is currently on your mind and write it down using any method you prefer (journal, word document, excel spreadsheet, etc). 

2. Clarify: Process all the items on your inbox and define what they are. Is it actionable or not? If it is, is it a single task or a project? If it’s not, is it still needed? Is it reference material? 

3. Organize: Once you clarify your items, you can organize your tasks and projects where they belong (do it now, delegate, schedule it, etc)

4. Reflect: frequently review and update your plans and lists. You can do a daily review and a more broad one on a weekly basis. 5. Engage: Get to work! Use your plans as a map to know what to do. 

Write Your Goals 

Writing down your goals has been preached since you were a kid, but it is a habit most adults don’t practice. If there is something you want, putting pen to paper is always the first step in materializing it. Writing down your long-term goals is a key to success, but we’re talking time management. Every morning, write down the five most important tasks for the day. If you have more than five, prioritize the ones that align with your other daily, weekly, and monthly goals. Using the Eisenhower matrix for this exercise is a great tool to use as well. 

Eat The Frog 

Starting your day with your hardest task is often the best thing that you can do each and every day. That one task that you absolutely hate doing is usually the one task that is going to help you progress more than anything else. And doing it at the start of each days makes everything else seem pretty simple when it comes across your desk. Whether it be starting your day with working out, going on an inbox purge, or even just making your bed, make sure to do something hard to start each day. To quote Brain Tracy from his book “Eat That Frog,” 

Use a Planning App

Using a planning app on a mobile device is one of the worlds greatest gifts. With Game Plan, you are not only going to have a perfectly planned day, but with its new Assistive Engine, your task creation and completions have never been so easy. Having an app on your phone keeping track of your day for you with tasks that need attention is one of the best to stay responsible in your crazy day-to-day life. Using an app will also help you write down what your top five objectives are for each day.

 Take Care of Your Health 

A good health is defined by three important factors: your exercise habits, your eating habits, and your sleeping habits. This is one of the best hidden secrets of productive and successful people. How often do you see incredibly successful people not taking care of themselves? They’ll be in the gym, reading books, taking personal time to decompress, and most importantly, eating healthy foods. You won’t see the most successful people in your life getting Wendy’s for each meal, but you will see them listening to self-help podcasts and books in the car. Make sure you are right outside of work to be right inside of work. Getting a good 8 hours of sleep each night is also a key to success. Caffeine can only take you so far. 

Stay Organized

If you have a routine or a schedule for your day and you mess it up, it is going to be a lot easier to mess up the rest of your day. The best course of action is to keep your schedule the same, don’t change your goals midway through the day, and keep everything written either inside of an app or inside of a planner. This will keep you focused and productive for all hours of the day, even when your work is done. 

Reduce Meetings

Whether you are a two-man team or an office full of 30 workers, meetings can be a problem each day. Not only are you wasting your own time, but you are wasting that time plus everyone else’s in the room. Make sure you have and keep an agenda for each meeting, and never start one unless its crucial. The worst habit to have as a group is to have meetings just to have meetings. 

Learn to Say No

Everyone loves the guy that can take care of the teams slack, but it often is more counter-productive than anything else. It’s okay to say no at work, especially if you have a certain amount of time to spend on a focused task. If you have a couple spare minutes, sure. Unless your boss is commanding it or a customer is begging for some help, there are few things you should say yes to when you have finally reached your flow state. Unless its a quick game of ping pong for 10 minutes, take a pass on it. 

Understand the 80/20 Rule

Also known as Pareto’s Principle, the 80/20 Rule says that 80 percent of all of your results come from 20 percent of your actions. This is an eye-opening way to look at time usage and the results you are producing each day. Are you focusing enough on your 20 percent of tasks that are going to shape the majority of the life that lies ahead of you? Focused work during the right time is the best way to ensure you have a great future ahead of you.