3 tips to manage your time efficiently
We all have busy lives, we have a lot to do and we try to do everything, to say yes to everything. But it's not about doing everything or solving every problem, it's about making sure you create results that make a difference. And to do that, we need to PRIORITIZE.
1. Prioritize
Knowing how to prioritize is an art in itself that is definitely not innate for everyone. However, priority management is a skill that can be learned, regardless of your professional position or personal situation.
Why prioritize?
It will allow you to :
- sort out what is not a priority by saying no to what is not a priority
- create quick results without working too hard
Prioritizing allows you to save time and energy, to find the motivation to move forward and to really concretize certain projects. And you, what will you prioritize?
2. The tool: the Eisenhower matrix
This prioritization matrix was originally created by the President of the United States (1953-1962), Dwight D. Eisenhower, to help him identify the tasks he really needed to focus on. Today, this matrix is a very powerful priority management, time management and planning tool. The activity is to mark ALL the tasks you have to do in the right quadrant.
I recommend that you do this on a weekly basis when you plan your week. However, if several unexpected things happen in one day and you suddenly feel overwhelmed, then it would be a good idea to apply it.
Quadrant 1: Urgent and important -> These tasks should be treated as a priority and you should give them your energy.
Quadrant 2: Important and not urgent -> You don't need to do them right away. Plan them and block time in your agenda to really do them and avoid putting them off forever!
Quadrant 3: Urgent and not important -> Delegate these tasks to someone else, you don't need to be the doer.
Quadrant 4: Not urgent and not important
-> This is probably a distraction, so drop the task.
For my part, I use the matrix when I feel like everything on my to-do list is urgent. It allows me to step back and really analyze the priority of things I have to do.
Pssst: It's a good idea to list a maximum of 10 tasks per quadrant to stay as productive as possible.
3. The tool: Pareto's principle (or law)
In the 1900's, Vilfredo Pareto observed that 20% of people own 80% of the wealth. Pareto's law, also known as the 80/20 law, describes a rule according to which about 20% of the causes produce 80% of the effects.
To summarize: if you concentrate your efforts on 20% of the time you have available, you will get 80% of satisfaction. And this is true in many situations of daily life or professional life.
Let's take the example of your dressing room: 80% of the time, you wear only 20% of your clothes (yes, yes, I promise!). In your kitchen it's the same, 80% of the time, you only use 20% of your appliances.
👉 Today's challenge: think about how this law applies to you specifically. What are the areas where you could do less? And where would you benefit from doing more?
👉 Evaluate your priorities and determine the 20% that will bring you 80% results! Let's go !
To conclude: getting organized is above all about making decisions ⚖️ and readjusting your priorities. 🎯
If time management is a real hindrance and if this tendency to procrastinate is preventing you from going through with your projects, why not get some coaching? In the coaching work together, we will explore what scares you, what blocks you, but also what resources you and what makes you strong. You will learn to know yourself better, your functioning, to put it at the service of what is important to you and finally take action!
