Does that sound familiar to you - an appointment with the tax office, then the meeting on the marketing concept and then the preparation of the pitch deck? Maybe at times you feel like you're getting lost in the midst of all those to-dos. No wonder, because there are countless tasks to be dealt with, especially in everyday life, which can quickly make your head dizzy. Staying on task and not getting distracted by a wide variety of things is not always easy - effective time management and self-management are required. In this article by THE ARTICLES you will find out exactly what this is all about, what methods there are for good time management and self-management and why they are so important.
WHAT IS TIME AND SELF MANAGEMENT?
When founding a company, there is a lot to plan and implement. This is where the advantages of well-timed management methods come into play . For example, the aim of personal time and self-management is to plan and carry out high-priority activities on the basis of a structured everyday life . If you internalize methods for effective time management and self-management, you will save time and nerves. Here are the terms and their respective definitions:
- Time management : Time management is about efficiently dividing up tasks and appointments into the available hours . The available working time can vary depending on the job area and project. In principle, it is not about generating more time, but about making good use of the available hours.
- Self -management : In comparison, the definition of self-management describes the ability to complete the respective tasks successfully in the time available . In addition to good time management, essential skills for self-management are organization, planning and motivation .
Thus, self-organization and time management are closely related . Without time management, the best self-organization will not help you, the same applies the other way round.
THIS IS WHY GOOD TIME AND SELF-MANAGEMENT IS SO IMPORTANT
Before we dive into time management and self-management methods , it's important to understand why they 're so important to running a business . As in almost all areas of life, you can only implement something successfully if you understand the meaning behind it . Here are some examples of what self-management and time management can do positively:
- Productivity : Good scheduling has the benefit of making you more productive while you work. Not wasting valuable time and staying focused will lead to faster and better results .
- More free time : If you avoid distractions and increase your productivity, you will have more time for your friends, family and free time as a result . Instead of being busy every free minute, you create a good work-life balance with your personal time management .
- Stress reduction : The combination of productivity and more free time reduces your stress level at the same time. Thanks to the improved self and time management, you can switch off more easily after work and thus promote your mental health . With less stress, you also prevent the development of diseases such as burnout, depression and cardiovascular problems.
- Motivation : Learning time management is essential, especially given the flood of responsibilities that you face as a founder: on the one hand to drive your success , on the other hand to keep your motivation high. The more relaxed you are and the more fun you have at work, the more motivated you are in the end. You will need this energy in your working life: There is actually a lot of truth behind the statement that working life is a marathon and not a sprint .
Be a role model when it comes to time management
Here's a tip for you: If you want to hire your own employees in the future, you should also have time management skills as a manager . This is the only way to ensure that the areas of responsibility are distributed sensibly in the team and that human resources are used well .
7 METHODS FOR BETTER TIME MANAGEMENT AND SELF-MANAGEMENT
In order to find the right method for effective time and self-management, you first have to experiment and understand what works best for you . If you want to manage your time better, you will definitely have to adjust your previous rhythm - that takes some time to get used to. We have put together seven of the best-known methods for time and self-management for you :
1. The proven Eisenhower principle
Do you sometimes find it difficult to decide where to start ? Then private time management based on the Eisenhower principle is just right for you. To do this, you form a coordinate system based on the axes of urgency and importance and divide your tasks into four quadrants:
- A-Tasks (Urgent, Important) : Tasks that are urgent and important should be done immediately to avoid problems and stress.
- B tasks (not urgent, important) : If something is important but not urgent, enter an appointment for it . On this date it becomes an A-task.
- C-Tasks (Urgent, Not Important) : Time wasters include things that are urgent but not particularly important, such as answering emails. It is optimal if you delegate them to employees or colleagues .
- D-Tasks (not urgent, not important) : You can ignore non-important and non-urgent tasks for your to-do list .
2. More structure with the Alps method
Well-structured time management can be easily implemented with the ALPEN method . You can use them wonderfully at the beginning of the day or after work to organize the next day. The term ALPEN is an acronym for the following terms:
- A - Write down tasks : Write down which to-dos are pending and which are buzzing around in your head.
- L - Estimate length : Now you provide each task with an estimated effort . If you have done this in the past, use your experience as a guide.
- P – Schedule buffer time : You schedule an hour and in the end you need two. Occasionally things not only take longer, but unforeseen calls, emails and other activities crop up during the day. To avoid overtime and stress, allow enough buffer time – around 40% of your working time .
- E - Make decisions : Now you decide what you want to do today . The Eisenhower principle can be applied well for this.
- N - Carry out follow-up check : After work you check what you have done. You prioritize the items that have not been completed for the following day and optimize your planning step by step . If necessary, you can create a weekly plan for effective time management so that you don't have to restructure every day.
3. Benefits of the smart method
Another popular time management method is the SMART method. It is often used in corporate areas such as project management. SMART is also an acronym and stands for Specific, Measurable, Doable, Realistic and Timely. A daily or weekly plan should meet these points to be effective. However, if you set unrealistic goals, you sabotage your own productivity and motivation.
4. Working according to the Pareto principle
The Pareto Principle doesn't give you precise time management tips. Rather, it wants to make it clear how important it is to correctly assess task prioritization. The Pareto principle states that 80% of the results are achieved 20% of the time . In contrast, the remaining 20% requires 80% of the effort. Therefore, you should identify the most profitable areas of your startup right from the start - be it in terms of sales, reach or growth.
5. Short and sweet – the Getting Things Done method
To put it simply, this time management model is about putting all to-dos on paper as a first step . The goal is to clear your head and eliminate ulterior motives. You then go through this list and decide what you need to do yourself, postpone or delegate . You then sort the reduced list into different categories such as “discuss”, “elaborate” and “answer”. Before you start work, look at the weekly overview again and decide whether the integrated points make sense.
6. Appreciated - the ABC analysis
One of the most popular time management tools is ABC analysis. Here you first write down all your to-dos and then provide them with the estimated hourly effort and the importance from A to C with decreasing relevance. Ideally, you use about 60% of your working time for the most important tasks (A) , about 25% for the less important ones (B) and finally 15% for the unimportant tasks (C). In reality, however, most of them spend a disproportionate amount of time on the C tasks . Ideally, you should delegate these tasks, such as making calls and processing e-mails.
7. How the Pomodoro Technique works
This self-management method can be excellently combined with other time management techniques. The aim is to include enough breaks in the work process to keep your concentration and productivity at a constant level. Once you've decided on a task, set a 25-minute timer and work on it without interruption or distraction. Then you take a five-minute break to catch your breath , get some exercise, or go to the bathroom. Then repeat these steps four times and then take a 30-minute break .