Task trackers like Mogu make managing responsibilities simple with intuitive dashboards and templates designed for ease of use, offering insight into project progress and improving collaboration among team members.
Time Well Spent” has had an eventful week. Following Google design ethicist Tristan Harris’ slides, which quickly went viral, tech companies began offering features that track app usage.
1. Focus on one task at a time
Focusing on one task at a time will save time and energy when working on proposals or marketing campaigns. Instead of responding immediately to emails and messages that arrive, set aside a specific period for answering emails so that your focus session won’t get disrupted by unexpected interruptions from life outside your work space.
Are your most productive days spent multitasking at once? Consider using time management techniques such as Pomodoro or day-themeing to break your work into manageable chunks that align with your goals, like the Pomodoro method or day-themeing. Over time, this approach should allow you to get more done while better estimating how long various tasks take you to complete.
2. Prioritize your tasks
Prioritize tasks when working on a project. Everything can seem equally essential and to maximize productivity, knowing how to effectively prioritize is essential in getting the most from your time and resources.
Start by compiling an extensive list of all your tasks – both personal and work related – which must be accomplished. When complete, organize it according to priority.
Use the ABCDE method or “Eat the Frog” technique to identify your top priorities. Prioritizing tasks that, if completed, will have the biggest effect on your goals should be completed first; doing this may provide motivation and momentum throughout your day.
3. Set a deadline
Some tasks have their own natural deadlines, but for those that don’t, setting an explicit date will help break the cycle of procrastination and provide you with a clear sense of what needs to be completed when.
Use Clockly’s time tracking feature to make deadlines even more achievable, and estimate how long each task will take you to finish. This will give a much more accurate assessment of how productive you are during different parts of the day – and help you schedule faster tasks during times that suit you best.
Improve productivity by breaking down complex projects into manageable tasks and milestones, making each one seem less daunting and providing you with a sense of achievement as each item gets crossed off your list!
4. Schedule a break
Work can be tiring and exhausting; taking regular breaks can restore energy and help alleviate symptoms such as afternoon fatigue. But prioritizing and planning these breaks are crucial; whether that involves checking social media, taking a walk, or procrastinating; setting aside some time to rest and relax should not be overlooked.
No wonder “time well spent” has become such a cultural movement. Even Facebook, which capitalizes on user attention through ads, adopted this phrase to outline their mission for 2018.
5. Track your progress
One effective strategy for optimizing your time is tracking your progress. Doing this will allow you to identify both strengths and weaknesses and make data-driven decisions about how to improve productivity.
RescueTime can help you easily track your progress automatically by setting daily goals and receiving notifications when they have been met.
Visual roadmaps can also help you assess how far along you are with your project and serve as motivation to continue working toward your goal. Use an app, sticky note or physical list to create this visual roadmap; make sure to update it as you go so you can check off completed tasks and gain a sense of achievement as you move along your journey.