Are you the type who always delays your tasks? Do you find yourself deliberately putting off those urgent things that need to be done? Are you the typical crammer who waits until the last minute before beginning an important task?
Books and resources on time management tips and productivity define procrastination as the habit of putting off the things that you need to do despite their urgency. This usually leads to tasks being half-done or haphazardly done. More importantly if you delay or put off doing your tasks and consequently cram, it inevitably results to stress. Procrastination is the enemy of time management. Here are some time management tips to get rid of the procrastinator in you.
List down the things you need to do and number them according to their urgency. Try to determine how much time you will need to accomplish every single task that you have listed down so that you can budget the time that you have in your day. Know which of the tasks are similar or can be done simultaneously. Let say, you promised to bake brownies for the whole class while you’re also hosting a dinner for your bosses at home. Preparations for these two tasks need not be done separately. Prepare a grocery list that will cover everything that you need for both tasks. Make sure that you list everything down as extra trips to the supermarket can ruin your schedule.
Set deadlines. Most of the time people procrastinate on the tasks that they do not want to do in favor of those which are easy to accomplish or those that they are used to doing. Thus it is important to keep tab on when you need to have the tasks accomplished and write them down in a planner. Work your way through your calendar backwards, starting from the date of your deadline. Write down the things that you need to do to accomplish a particular task so that you can do the dreaded task slowly but surely and find yourself right at the finish line on time and even earlier than the deadline.
Post reminders of your tasks and things to do on your corkboards or even your dresser or your bathroom mirror or perhaps your refrigerator, especially if you are not the type who opens your diary of planner at the end of the day. Having these constant reminders of the things you need to do will stimulate you to include these tasks or at least parts of it, into the activities that you plan on doing for the next day. Before going to bed make a written, if not a mental assessment of how your day went and how time was spent.
After following all these time management tips, and you find yourself liberated from those dreaded tasks, reward yourself. If you find that you’ve had your tasks accomplished ahead of time, then this is good news and is definitely a reason to celebrate! Treat yourself to a good soak in the tub, a delicious meal or a good book. Relax! Accomplishing the work that you need to do ahead of time simply means that you now have extra time to waste in your hands.