How I Mastered Time Management

Many of us end our days feeling unaccomplished, haunted by the tasks left undone. This widespread issue doesn't stem from a lack of effort but from a fundamental gap in our education: we're never taught how to efficiently manage time. But we did learn an awful lot about the Pythagorus theorem and photosynthesis. Helpful that.

I'm here to share a revelation. After trying probably every time management technique and principle that exists, here are 5 time management strategies that transcend the trap of toxic productivity, offering a pathway to a balanced and fulfilling existence.

1. Embrace a Strict Morning Routine

The cornerstone of effective time management begins with a structured morning routine in my opinion. A strict routine conserves our decision-making bandwidth for later and eliminates decision fatigue. For this reason alone, every morning starts with making my bed, brushing my teeth, chucking on the clothes I lay out the night before, going downstairs, making a coffee, and then beginning my first actual task of the day. That’s my routine, 365 days a year.

Simple but extremely effective, there’s zero deviation and it’s a quick win. After I do these very small things, I feel a sense of achievement and feel energised to crack on with my day.

2. Eat the Frog

Tackling the most daunting task first — eating the frog — can transform our day. After my strict morning routine, I always aim to tackle the most difficult task of the day. During the week, this is most often something work related but at the weekend, I’m thinking more along the lines of large tasks/projects that will take my life to the next stage.

This approach not only boosts dopamine levels, fostering a cycle of motivation but also ensures that the rest of our day feels more manageable in comparison.

3. The Four Ds of Time Management

The Four Ds — Do, Delay, Delegate, Delete — form a crucial framework for task prioritisation and daily time management. This method streamlines decision-making, reducing stress and enhancing efficiency by focusing on tasks that truly matter.

Do the tasks that are important and urgent. Delay the tasks that are important but non-urgent. Delegate any task that is not a valuable use of your time and you have the resources to do so. Finally, delete all nonsense tasks that feel like they’re important, useful, or relevant but in actuality have no bearing on the overall direction of your project or life.

4. Time Box 2 Key Outcomes

Limiting focus to two main outcomes daily can significantly enhance productivity. By time boxing, we avoid the pitfalls of multitasking and constant task shifting which can increase our cognitive load and decrease our decision-making ability.

This method not only maximises efficiency but also ensures high-quality results. Time-boxing allows us to achieve a flow state where we’re able to focus intensely, produce better outcomes, and do our best work. This is far better than constantly switching between tasks/projects every 30-minutes.

5. The 1-3-5 Rule as a Sunday Reset Strategy

Employing the 1-3-5 Rule in a weekly context rather than daily offers a structured approach to goal setting. Essentially, we set ourselves the goal of achieving 1 large, 3 medium, and 5 small tasks a week. This becomes our key performance indicators for the week and allows us to structure everything else around these such as our fitness routines, social life, and even meal plans etc.

This strategy emphasises clarity and minimalism, promoting a focused effort on tasks that significantly impact our lives while forming a habit of efficient task management. Employing it every week, it also becomes a habitual process in which time management as a whole becomes an autopilot kind of thing as opposed to something that requires our active thought.

Closing Thoughts

By integrating these strategies into our lives, we can move towards a more productive and balanced existence. Each strategy offers a unique lens through which to view time management, transforming our days and weeks from a daunting challenge into a fun and achievable target.

As we journey through self-improvement together, I invite you to experiment with these methods, adapting them to fit your unique lifestyle. Here’s to making the most of our most precious resource — time.

Back on YouTube

After 2 years of very ad-hoc (aka zero) content creation, I’m finally back on YouTube for good and I have published 5 videos thus far in 2024. The aim is to make 1 video a week sharing my journey towards healthier habits in life, career, and finance. Here are my favourite 3 videos since returning:

Quote 🧠

“Play iterated games. All the returns in life, whether in wealth, relationships, or knowledge, come from compound interest.” — Naval Ravikant.

As always be safe, and be happy.

Warm regards - Yath 🤟🏾

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