1. Plan your tasks for the week on Sunday night<\/strong><\/h5>\nYou don\u2019t want to wake up on Monday and start the day planning out your tasks. It\u2019s always better to start your week with one of your more important tasks for the week.<\/p>\n
So, to ensure your week starts off productive, create your task week the night prior. Take half an hour out of your relaxed Sunday night to list down your work for the week ahead. This way, you wake up on Monday ready to jump into work!<\/p>\n
Time management for millennials is critical.<\/p>\n
2. Use the Ivy Lee method for peak productivity<\/strong><\/h5>\nWhen you\u2019re self-managed, you tend to over assign tasks to yourself. We\u2019ve all been there; when planning, we assume we can complete more tasks than impossible. This also means that you end up shuffling between different tasks, ending up not finishing any of them.<\/p>\n
A great way to ensure you are crossing off tasks without overwhelming yourself is by using the \u2018Ivy Lee method\u2019.<\/p>\n
![\"ivy](\"https:\/\/blog.attendancebot.com\/wp-content\/themes\/veen\/assets\/images\/transparent.gif\")
<\/p>\n
source<\/em><\/a><\/p>\nHere’s how this simple routine works:<\/p>\n
\n- Write down the six most important things you need to accomplish the next day. Refer to the weekly to-do list you already have in place. Do not write down more than six tasks.<\/li>\n
- Prioritize those six items in order of their importance.<\/li>\n
- The next day, start only on the first task. Start on the second task only once you’ve done the first task.<\/li>\n
- Approach the rest of your list in the same way. At the end of the day, move any unfinished items to a new list of six tasks for the following day.<\/li>\n
- Repeat this process every working day.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
This disciplined routine allows you to focus on one thing at a time and your mind isn\u2019t wandering off thinking about pending tasks.<\/p>\n
3. Use your high energy hours for deep work<\/strong><\/h5>\nThe most undervalued time management tactic is prioritization. For most people, their energy levels are high at the beginning of the day, making it the best time to start with some heavy lifting. Instead of sitting down on your inbox or a meeting within your first work hour, start by writing that blog you need to send out or a design project you\u2019ve just started working on.<\/p>\n
Figure out your productive hours so that you can block those hours out in your calendar, mute all calls and notifications and maximize those hours to get more done. Time management<\/a> is essentially being able to manage your energy in a way that you get the most out of your workday.<\/p>\n4. Schedule meetings and inboxes in low energy hours<\/strong><\/h5>\nIf you\u2019re a morning person, you would have completed the bulk of your tasks for the day. This means, your evenings are a little less hectic. But, you still have mundane tasks on your plate like clearing your inbox, attending meetings, and sharing your work on social media. For you, evenings are the best time to tackle these smaller items on your to-do list.<\/p>\n
However, if you function slower in the morning, don\u2019t hesitate to use those hours to complete these smaller tasks so you can use your evening energy to sprint through your big projects.<\/p>\n
5. Set a fixed schedule<\/strong><\/h5>\nTraditional work schedules allow employees to keep their work hours in check, ensuring that they’ve finished their tasks for the day when they leave the office. As a freelancer, you can even work from your bed at 8pm on a Saturday (but you shouldn’t!). Since there is no concept of office timings, many freelancers tend to use their personal hours to work and end up with a messy schedule.<\/p>\n
The most important time management routine that every freelancer needs is a fixed schedule. Set down a rough time schedule\u2014 wake up, work out, start working, switch off your laptop.<\/p>\n
You could go with the usual 9-to-5 work timing or slot your active hours into two 4-hour slots, with a quick afternoon nap and a workout in between. With a schedule in place, you can ensure you aren’t overworking on the daily and have enough time for yourself to unwind.<\/p>\n
6. Track your time based on the project you are working on<\/strong><\/h5>\nTime tracking is an essential, but often overlooked, part of time management. By tracking the time you put into specific tasks or projects, you can understand how long you take for certain projects and plan smarter in the future.<\/p>\n
Use time tracking apps like AttendanceBot<\/a> to quickly track your hours and understand your work trends. You may find out that you spend less time writing one client\u2019s article when compared to another.<\/p>\nThis is especially important if you\u2019re charging your clients by the hour. AttendanceBot helps you track your billable hours<\/a>. The timesheet calculator also takeaway having to do this manually!<\/p>\nCreate clients within the smart bot, set your hourly rates and instantly check-in when you start working on their project. You can retrieve this data later on when you\u2019re sending out your invoice.<\/p>\n
7. Work in short bursts<\/strong><\/h5>\nWorking for 3 or 4 hours straight isn\u2019t a sustainable way to function. You\u2019ll notice by hour 2 that you\u2019re drained and aren\u2019t putting out quality work. That\u2019s where time management techniques like Pomodoro can help.<\/p>\n
The Pomodoro technique<\/a> encourages people to work with the time you have. It breaks your workday into 25 minutes of deep work with 5-minute breaks in between. Once you’ve completed 4 slots of deep work, you take a 15-minute break. You may be wondering, how does this technique improve your productivity?<\/p>\nThese 25-minute slots instill urgency and you’re pushed to focus more so that you can make the most progress within that time period. What\u2019s more, those forced breaks ensure you don\u2019t burn out.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
When you\u2019re self-managed, you tend to over assign tasks to yourself. We\u2019ve all been there; when planning, we assume we can complete more tasks than impossible. This also means that you end up shuffling between different tasks, ending up not finishing any of them.<\/p>\n
A great way to ensure you are crossing off tasks without overwhelming yourself is by using the \u2018Ivy Lee method\u2019.<\/p>\n
![\"ivy](\"https:\/\/blog.attendancebot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/ivy-lee-method-time-management.png\")
<\/p>\n
source<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n Here’s how this simple routine works:<\/p>\n This disciplined routine allows you to focus on one thing at a time and your mind isn\u2019t wandering off thinking about pending tasks.<\/p>\n The most undervalued time management tactic is prioritization. For most people, their energy levels are high at the beginning of the day, making it the best time to start with some heavy lifting. Instead of sitting down on your inbox or a meeting within your first work hour, start by writing that blog you need to send out or a design project you\u2019ve just started working on.<\/p>\n Figure out your productive hours so that you can block those hours out in your calendar, mute all calls and notifications and maximize those hours to get more done. Time management<\/a> is essentially being able to manage your energy in a way that you get the most out of your workday.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re a morning person, you would have completed the bulk of your tasks for the day. This means, your evenings are a little less hectic. But, you still have mundane tasks on your plate like clearing your inbox, attending meetings, and sharing your work on social media. For you, evenings are the best time to tackle these smaller items on your to-do list.<\/p>\n However, if you function slower in the morning, don\u2019t hesitate to use those hours to complete these smaller tasks so you can use your evening energy to sprint through your big projects.<\/p>\n Traditional work schedules allow employees to keep their work hours in check, ensuring that they’ve finished their tasks for the day when they leave the office. As a freelancer, you can even work from your bed at 8pm on a Saturday (but you shouldn’t!). Since there is no concept of office timings, many freelancers tend to use their personal hours to work and end up with a messy schedule.<\/p>\n The most important time management routine that every freelancer needs is a fixed schedule. Set down a rough time schedule\u2014 wake up, work out, start working, switch off your laptop.<\/p>\n You could go with the usual 9-to-5 work timing or slot your active hours into two 4-hour slots, with a quick afternoon nap and a workout in between. With a schedule in place, you can ensure you aren’t overworking on the daily and have enough time for yourself to unwind.<\/p>\n Time tracking is an essential, but often overlooked, part of time management. By tracking the time you put into specific tasks or projects, you can understand how long you take for certain projects and plan smarter in the future.<\/p>\n Use time tracking apps like AttendanceBot<\/a> to quickly track your hours and understand your work trends. You may find out that you spend less time writing one client\u2019s article when compared to another.<\/p>\n This is especially important if you\u2019re charging your clients by the hour. AttendanceBot helps you track your billable hours<\/a>. The timesheet calculator also takeaway having to do this manually!<\/p>\n Create clients within the smart bot, set your hourly rates and instantly check-in when you start working on their project. You can retrieve this data later on when you\u2019re sending out your invoice.<\/p>\n Working for 3 or 4 hours straight isn\u2019t a sustainable way to function. You\u2019ll notice by hour 2 that you\u2019re drained and aren\u2019t putting out quality work. That\u2019s where time management techniques like Pomodoro can help.<\/p>\n The Pomodoro technique<\/a> encourages people to work with the time you have. It breaks your workday into 25 minutes of deep work with 5-minute breaks in between. Once you’ve completed 4 slots of deep work, you take a 15-minute break. You may be wondering, how does this technique improve your productivity?<\/p>\n These 25-minute slots instill urgency and you’re pushed to focus more so that you can make the most progress within that time period. What\u2019s more, those forced breaks ensure you don\u2019t burn out.<\/p>\n\n
3. Use your high energy hours for deep work<\/strong><\/h5>\n
4. Schedule meetings and inboxes in low energy hours<\/strong><\/h5>\n
5. Set a fixed schedule<\/strong><\/h5>\n
6. Track your time based on the project you are working on<\/strong><\/h5>\n
7. Work in short bursts<\/strong><\/h5>\n
![\"What-is-Pomodoro-Technique-and-How-to-Utilize-it-to-Maximize-Productivity_-1024x538\"](\"https:\/\/blog.attendancebot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/What-is-Pomodoro-Technique-and-How-to-Utilize-it-to-Maximize-Productivity_-1024x538.jpg\")
<\/p>\n