The most effective ways of time management. Your daily routine is the key to your success Using time management gadgets

"Keep time: it is the fabric of which life is made."

S. Richardson

We are taught discipline from childhood, and one way or another, we are forced to adhere to certain restrictions all our lives. Eating and sleeping according to the daily routine, scheduled classes, work and rest in the allotted time. We easily obey someone else's rules of the game, in fact, helping someone else achieve his goal. But when it comes to self-discipline, many are not ready to give up even small weaknesses, like the habit of sleeping an extra 10 minutes in the morning.

Skill limit yourself to achieve certain goals- a valuable skill that not many people possess. But only they, in the end, succeed. Well-known politicians, businessmen, actors have gone their way to fame only thanks to daily work in the name of their goal. Ability, talent, even genius is only one percent of success, the other ninety-nine is hard work.

Time management is the main component of the personal effectiveness system for any ambitious person. It doesn’t matter what the goal is: lose weight, get a red diploma, start your own business ... none of these things is possible without self-organization skills. Time management is a practical guide to action, thanks to which you can determine your own life priorities, create your own vision of success. The development of effective motivations allows you not only to save time, but to develop as a person. Self-discipline - living by strict rules that a person sets for himself, in his own interests. Such rigid frameworks, oddly enough, do not limit the personality. Against, it is the only way to true freedom.

Time - management is the best tool for self-improvement. First of all, planning teaches control over external events, environment, time and space. The self-control skills gained as a result of working on oneself allow you to manage your own feelings, momentary desires, bad habits. And self-control is a sign of a strong, strong-willed nature. The development of concentration skills allows you to achieve better results at work, while spending less effort. Thus, time is freed up for the improvement of the intellectual and spiritual. Isn't that the meaning of human life?

Self-discipline skills are not acquired overnight. Moreover, you can develop them in yourself only by constant training of willpower. The same goes for the time management system. Anyone who wants to achieve success in life is simply obliged to treat time carefully.

The 7 Most Popular Time Management Techniques

“If I had 9 hours to chop down a pine, I would spend 6 hours sharpening my axe.”

Abraham Lincoln

There are many techniques for efficient use of time. We bring to your attention the most popular techniques, without which no time management system can do.

Eisenhower Matrix

The technique got its name in honor of US President D. Eisenhower, who divided all the tasks that he faced into 4 categories, guided by their urgency and importance.

Based on this, the cases were arranged in the cells of the simplest matrix as follows:

• Category A - urgent and important, which must be resolved immediately;
• Category B - their decision can be postponed for a certain period, but it is not worth delaying with them;
• Category B - tasks, the execution of which can be delegated to third parties;
• Category D - things that are better to send to the trash right away, because they are not worth the time and effort.

According to experts, the mistake of most people is the wrong prioritization. They are more willing to take on the tasks of the last two categories, since it is much easier to do these things. Rapid results contribute to the development of an incorrect assessment of personal effectiveness. It turns out that the man expends effort on secondary activities leaving behind what really matters.

Timing technique

Recording the time of employees in order to improve labor discipline has been used for more than a dozen years. Automation and accounting programs record the timely arrival and departure, the duration of the employee's working day. But modern technology has gone even further. Today you can not only find out if a person is present at the workplace, but also check what he is doing.

Hundreds of such control systems have been developed to date. Programs are able to automatically register: absence due to illness, business trips, vacations, time off, work on a flexible schedule. The system takes into account the duration of the lunch break, untimely leaving or being late, absenteeism.

For all their perfection, time tracking modules provide only superficial timing, while spyware like "Maxapt QuickEye" helps keep track of computer work. With their help, the manager will immediately understand that Maria Ivanovna from the accounting department is busy not working on the report, but communicating on the Odnoklassniki website. Of course, even with the help of such programs it will not be possible to compile a minute-by-minute timing, taking into account smoke breaks, tea parties, heartfelt chatter and other “garbage time”, but most often there is no need for this.

Pareto method

Vilfredo Pareto's Law states: “20% of your efforts provide 80% of the result, while the remaining 80% bring only 20% of the result.” You can interpret it in another way: "20% of employees bring the company 80% of the profits." Simply put, only 1/5 of the team works effectively. The efficiency of the vast majority of workers is very low. Their work is just an imitation of violent activity. If you direct this energy in the right direction, overall productivity will increase significantly.

The Pareto method is to isolate from the whole mass of 20% of the main cases and focus on them. The decision about what is considered important and what is secondary will be individual in each case. The Eisenhower matrix or the ABC analysis method, which is most often used in combination with the Pareto method, allows you to categorize cases. ABC analysis is the simplest way to rank cases according to their current importance.

ABC - analysis

This method is considered the most productive and visual way to sort cases. It allows you to weed out all unnecessary, focus on achieving the main goals. According to this method, all cases are divided into categories:

• Group A has the highest priority, these are important and urgent matters. Such issues must be resolved as soon as possible. The contribution of these cases to the achievement of the final goal is 65%, although it will take only 15% of the time to complete them. That is, more than half of all work will be completed in the shortest possible time.
• Group B includes cases that are not urgent, but necessary for execution. The solution of such tasks can be entrusted to third parties. It is important to control the time of their execution, since group B cases tend to move into category A if the deadlines are violated.
• Group C - tasks that are commonly called "office routine". It is on them that the lion's share of the working time of the staff and the manager is spent. Although a person with low qualifications can easily cope with reporting, purchasing stationery and other routine work.

Independent organization of working time

Self-management is perhaps the most effective of all time management tactics. It is applicable both to a single subject and to the collective as a whole. To ensure that the employee worked productively, the system of material incentives and punishments allows. In layman's terms, fines or bonuses well stimulate the individual to perform the task assigned to him. It should be noted that the employee himself should also be interested in the competent organization of the work process.

The most important goal of self-management is the maximum realization of the potential of each person in work, creativity, and personal life. Using this method provides the following benefits:

• Time and effort to complete work tasks is reduced;
• Increased productivity;
• Reasons for stress, emergency work, haste are eliminated;
• Moral satisfaction with work activity increases;
• Qualifications increase, there is an incentive for personal growth.

Self-management begins with a work style analysis that includes a complete inventory of time. It allows you to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the organization of the labor process, adjust them in the right direction. A description of all activities includes:

1. Main work tasks;
2. "Interference" or forced breaks, the so-called "garbage time".

The reasons for wasting time can be personal factors, such as disorganization, neglect of work duties, lack of self-discipline, the desire to do everything quickly, in a hurry. However, excessive zeal, the desire to take on all the cases at once, also rarely gives a positive result.

Well-known American business coach Dan Kennedy believes that phone calls, unscheduled visitors, protracted meetings are the most malicious time wasters for a leader. If possible, they should be eliminated or minimized.

The Pomodoro Method

This tactical technique with a funny name was invented in the 80s of the last century by the Italian Francesco Cirillo. Being one of the lagging students, the young man decided to start working on himself in order to improve his academic performance. After conducting a detailed "debriefing", he realized that he could not concentrate on his studies, being distracted by many small things. Then Francesco brought a timer in the form of a tomato from the kitchen, set it in front of him and timed the class.

Practically, it was revealed that he was able to study science with concentration for 25 minutes. During this period, the student was never distracted from the book. Subsequently, it was decided break all the time allotted for classes into blocks. The half-hour interval included the time of maximum concentration - 25 minutes, as well as the rest time, which is allotted just for those very small things. The "pomodoro" method has become widespread today, due to its simplicity, accessibility and effectiveness.

If you constantly do not have enough time, then, most likely, you simply waste it irrationally and do not pay due attention to its planning. Learn to manage your time correctly with the help of specialized computer programs and online services.

The pace of development of the modern world over the past hundred years has been accelerating... Accordingly, the rhythm of life of an ordinary person is increasing. Many of us work most of the day, then run home, somehow manage our daily household chores and go to bed, so that the next day we can do it all over again ...

It’s also good if on the weekends you manage to allocate at least some time for doing your favorite hobby or just a good rest. Many of us fail to do this either, because the weekend is devoted to solving everyday issues. That is, we are witnessing a total lack of time!

However, if you look from the other side and analyze at least a couple of your weekdays (or better weeks), it turns out that most of the time we spend not on the boss's tasks, not on the road from work / to work, and not even on household chores , but on various, meaningless in their essence, deeds!

Useless conversations in the "smoking room", browsing social networks or just aimlessly sitting still - that's all that takes away our precious time, which we could spend for the benefit of business or our body!

If you constantly feel a lack of time and have seriously decided to do something about it, I suggest you learn rational time management using modern computer technology!

A little about the theory of time management

The history of domestic time management begins in the 20s of the last century, when the concept of "scientific organization of labor" (SOT) appeared under the conditions of the new economic policy. Its main goal was to optimize the working day of workers with the maximum benefit for production and minimal stress on a person.

During the development of the NOT, many different schemes and principles have been developed, however, almost all of them boil down to the fact that all cases and the time spent on their implementation must be carefully planned. The general algorithm for such planning can be represented as a step-by-step scheme:

Based on this scheme, before taking on any business, you should first analyze all possible ways of its successful completion. Then define goals and break the whole process of implementing the plan into small tasks. Only after carefully planning everything and choosing the most successful algorithm of actions, you can begin to work.

An important point is also the final control of the implementation of the tasks. Thanks to the control, you can analyze your time costs and, possibly, in the future, when performing similar work, further optimize your labor costs.

Today, there are quite a few methods of time management. However, in fact, they all come down to one of the three main ones, which differ in the principles of the approach: the Eisenhower Matrix, the Timekeeping technique, or the Pomodoro method. I propose to consider each of the methods and choose programs for their implementation.

This planning technique got its name in honor of the American president and famous military figure Dwight Eisenhower, who was able to manage his time quite successfully.

The Matrix is ​​based on the principle formulated by the late 19th-century Italian sociologist Vilfredo Pareto that only 20% of all efforts give 80% of the result (also known as the 20/80 principle). Eisenhower slightly revised the Pareto principle and made it more utilitarian, sorting his tasks in the field of such a schedule according to their degree of urgency and importance:

The matrix is ​​a conventional coordinate system, where the importance of cases is displayed horizontally, and their urgency is displayed vertically. The intersection of these two axes divides the sheet plane into 4 parts, different in priority level:

1. Important and urgent matters. This category includes those tasks that require the fastest possible solution and are important in your field of activity. For example, this can include such things as calling clients, completing current projects, etc.
2. Important but not urgent matters. In this section, you will have cases that are important for your work in general, but their execution is not urgent. For example, it can be regularly recurring or planned for the near future tasks.
3. Not important but urgent matters. Here you may have matters of secondary importance that practically do not relate to your work or do not affect its result, but require our prompt response. For example, you need to congratulate a colleague on his birthday, meet an aunt from Bobruisk who suddenly came to visit, or buy bread on the way home.
4. Not important and not urgent matters. The most extensive section of activities that do not affect the results of our work in any way, are not urgent, but "devour" the lion's share of our time. These are meaningless conversations, and unsystematic browsing on the Internet, and useless computer games, and a lot of things that we really want to do, but there is little sense from them.

Thus, using the principle of Occam's Razor, you can identify only the most important and urgent tasks that will bring real value to the business you are doing. The rest of the activities that are not urgent and important, you will learn to limit over time, respectively, getting more time at your disposal for productive activities.

If you decide to use this planning method, then a program called Chronometer can help you with this:

This program does not require installation, so it can be run from any media, but on some systems (for example, on Windows XP) it cannot automatically create a database. If you run into this problem, just create an empty text document and rename it with the extension changed from txt to sqlite. Or just download the finished file from our website. Specify the downloaded file as the program database and everything will work.

When the program starts, you will be able to create your first to-do list and tasks for it. Please note that each task can be marked as important and / or urgent, as well as set deadlines for it. This is necessary so that the Chronometer can automatically sort all tasks in the form of an Eisenhower matrix:

As you can see, the representation of the matrix here is a little different from what we discussed above, but the principle is the same. Just swapped the coordinate axes. By looking at the matrix, you can quickly prioritize and complete important and urgent things as soon as possible in order to deal with the unimportant and not urgent :)

Timing

If you like to do everything in detail and consistently, perhaps a technique called "Timekeeping" will suit you. This technique gained fame in the USSR in the 70s thanks to the book by D. Granin "This Strange Life".

"Timekeeping" is based on the principle of fixing all actions performed by a person over a certain period of time (optimally - two weeks). At the end of each day, a person should conduct an ongoing analysis of the work done and identify those actions that take time, but are not of practical use.

At the end of the two-week observation, a general analysis is done. As a result, we have two benefits. Firstly, we get complete information about what our time is spent on, identify its main "devourers" and see what we can save it on. Secondly, over the period of observation, we learn self-discipline and develop the right sense of working rhythm.

You can record your actions in any way convenient for you: on paper, in a text document on a PC, in a phone notebook or even using a voice recorder. However, if you have access to the Internet, it is best to do this with the help of special services, like Time-Master.ru

This service is a kind of online organizer in which you can record any of your already completed actions and tasks that have yet to be completed.

By default, the "Working day" tab is open, where you can enter all current actions (according to the terminology of the service - "Events") and tasks. To enter, you can use the "Schedule" tab (all data is entered using a pop-up window as in the screenshot above) or use the simplified input type in the "Diary" tab.

In addition to the current day, you can also plan goals for longer periods of time using the Calendar tab (monthly or weekly). It is convenient to control the actions performed using the "Tasks" and "Diary" tabs:

The service is quite powerful and functional, so if you decide to use it, it is advisable to familiarize yourself with the presentation that will be shown to you after registration. Otherwise, you risk losing the opportunity to use many useful features!

The Pomodoro Method

For the most impatient and those who can't stand tedious planning, there is another time management technology - the Pomodoro method (or "pomodoro", to use the original terminology)!

The method got its name in honor of the kitchen timer in the form of a vegetable of the same name (these were popular in the 80s in Europe and America). And it was invented by Francesco Cirillo, then a student at the Italian university.

The essence of the method is that you formulate for yourself the current task ("pomodoro") and set a timer for 25 minutes. During this time, you must have time to complete the task. After doing one "pomodoro" you have a short break of 3 - 5 minutes, and after doing 4 - a long one of 15 - 30 minutes.

The Pomodoro Method, for all its simplicity, allows the one who uses it to be as self-disciplined as possible. After all, 25 minutes is not so much, but you must meet the deadline :)

Due to the ease of implementation, there are quite a few programs and services that use this method for time management. However, most of them are in English. However, there are also Russians. I propose to consider some of them.

Pomodoro for Windows

For PC, there is a small free program called Tomighty:

This is the development of Italian programmers, but it is almost completely Russified and quite easy to use.

After installing and launching it, a small icon in the form of a tomato appears in the tray, which can be left-clicked to start the timer or right-clicked to access the context menu with settings.

By the way, about the settings. In the first tab, you can change the default time intervals, and in the second, I recommend unchecking the "Hide the window automatically" option and activate the ability to drag the timer window ("Allow dragging the window around"). Now everything is ready and you can open the main window and start the timer itself:

Tomighty will be displayed on top of all windows and notify you of the start and end of the task with sounds. During operation, the timer will tick. If this annoys you, just disable this option in the settings on the "Sounds" tab.

Upon completion of one "pomodoro", the program will offer you to take a break - agree :) Rest for 5 minutes and get back to work. When you have completed 4 tasks, take a long pause of half an hour, after which the timer will again start counting the next 4 "pomodoros".

Pomodoro for Android

Due to the mobility of the Android system, there are most of all different timers for it. Just go to Google.Play and enter the word "Pomodoro" in the search bar to verify this.

Alas, due to the fact that I have an old version of Android on my phone, I was able to test only two applications of this kind (and both in English). And the best of them I would call Simple Pomodoro:

After launching the application, we get to the screen with a timer. If you tap on it, your device will go into lock mode and a 25-minute countdown will be displayed on it in full screen. If you press the "Back" button, you can either turn off the timer or switch it to the background to perform other actions.

In addition to the main screen with a timer, Simple Pomodoro has two more screens: a task scheduler (swipe right from the default screen) and statistics (swipe left). In the scheduler mode, you can not only create tasks in the application, but also import them from Google Calendar!

Like all similar programs, Simple Pomodoro has settings that are available in the menu on the statistics screen or by pressing the "Menu" system button:

In these settings, you can change the time intervals for completing the task and rest, set sounds, blocking options, and other parameters.

Pomodoro Online

If your work is connected with a computer and you have constant access to the Internet, then the Russian-language Pomidorka service will be an ideal choice for tomato time management:

This service is not just a timer that you can turn on whenever you want, but a task-oriented tool! To use the "Pomodoro" after registration, you need to go to the "Tasks" section and set at least one goal for yourself, and then send it for execution and go to the "Timer" section:

The newly created task should appear in the list, and to start the timer for it, you just need to click on the "Play" button. In the running timer mode, you have the opportunity to pause or complete the current task ahead of schedule, which many analogues do not have. You can control your performance in the "Statistics" section.

If you need to change the default timer intervals, you can do so by clicking the "Customize Pomodoro" link in the bottom left corner of the page.

It should be said that the Pomodoro service is quite young and is actively developing, therefore, it may soon acquire some additional functions that large English-language counterparts have (for example, synchronization of tasks with Google Calendar or import / export of task lists and statistics).

So it is quite possible that we will get at our disposal a worthy domestic answer to "foreign tomatoes", which will be completely free (at least the author says so)!

conclusions

I would like to end our today's article with one anecdote:

How many psychologists does it take to change a light bulb?
- One is enough if the light bulb is ready to change!

The situation is similar with time management. If you seriously decide to start organizing the waste of your own time, then it doesn’t matter which method or program you choose for this - you will succeed anyway.

However, if there is no special desire to self-discipline, then no matter what you choose, there will be no sense in it. Therefore, before looking for a miracle program for time management, ask yourself if you are ready to change. If the answer is yes, then go ahead! I wish you the most rational and useful way to spend all your time!

P.S. It is allowed to freely copy and quote this article, provided that an open active link to the source is indicated and the authorship of Ruslan Tertyshny is preserved.

Without a doubt, working from home has its advantages. For example, you don't have to travel to work. They don't waste precious company time by gossiping around the cooler. And you only pay for the hours they actually work. And, studies show: than office workers. However, you may need some time management software to run your business successfully.

After all, despite all the benefits of hiring remote workers, if they do not live in the same region as you, it can be difficult to help them manage their work time efficiently.

So, remote workers don't waste time on the road, but at the same time, you would like to be sure that they are doing their job efficiently and for this you need the right management tools. Here are the besttime management program 2018:

Time management program

There are several important aspects in the art of time management, and in this article we would like to cover them all. But let's start with the most obvious - time tracking.

1 Time Doctor

If you need a program to track the working hours of remote employees, then Time Doctor just what you need.

With Time Doctor, you can get detailed reports on how your remote employees use their work time and how productive they are. This program takes into account both the working time of employees in general and the time spent on a specific project, on completing tasks, on working with clients.

In addition, this personnel management system includesmonitoring of activity on the Internet, tracking of visited sites, GPS tracking and much more.

Time Doctor has everything it should includetime management program.

2 Roadmap

10. Asana

asana - an ideologically simple application for project management. One of the best features in Asana is that you can add tasks to a list or calendar. Thus, you can see on the calendar when and what you need to do. When you have finished working on a task, you can click on it and mark it as completed.

Asana also allows you to sort tasks into categories such as completed, outstanding, due date, and by project. This gives the manager the ability to see current progress, and the remote worker to quickly sort through what has already been done and what needs to be done.

The application also sends an email notification before the due date of the assignment.

11.Float

Float is a project management software best suited for small teams.

Float has a convenient "click-and-drop" scheduler that helps you visualize the current volume of the team's work, easily manage tasks, quickly make updates and find the employee you need thanks to the program's filters and search functions.

In Float, you can also distribute tasks between employees, break them down into stages, group projects, and add your own explanations to tasks.

Float helps you manage your team and allows you to create custom reports so you can be sure that you are reaching your goals.

Productivity Apps

You have probably heard the expression: “to be no worse than others”. And while this usually refers to social status, the same can be said about the situation with remote workers. In other words, it's great to see in a productivity app who's doing what and who's leading the race.

12.IDoneThis

IDoneThis - a rather interesting productivity app - in fact, it is a "pumped" to-do list. With IDoneThis, you can create to-do lists for remote workers and watch red Xs (failed tasks) turn into green ones (completed).

IDoneThis is a convenient way to keep track of work progress and check how employees are doing. Sometimes the best time management This is healthy friendly competition.

13.Todoist

Todoist - this is an excellent and conceptually simple application for creating a to-do list. No, really, you can add your personal affairs there. Like shopping lists, movies you want to watch, planning trips. However, the application can be completely reconfigured and used only for work tasks.

In your Todoist account, you can add tasks, mark them, assign a due date, sort tasks by filters: assigned to you, other employees, priority. You will also see the tasks for today and those that need to be completed within the next seven days.

The basic features of Todoist are free, but if you want to manage a large team, upgrade to a paid premium plan and use all the features.

File Sharing

It may seem strange that we have included cloud storage in an article that highlights the besttime management software, but there is a direct connection. Just imagine how much time would be wasted if your remote workers didn't have a file sharing app? And, God forbid, all files will be sent to you by e-mail?

Many of the apps mentioned include a file sharing option, but you may need a backup or want to use more reliable services like Dropbox or Google Drive.

14. Dropbox

dropbox - great cloud storage that you can use to share files. The service is intuitive and many remote workers are already familiar with how it works.

For the most value for money, use a Dropbox Business account with secure data access, sync, and collaboration.

15. Google Drive

If you manage a small team of remote employees, then Google Drive is a great choice. With Google Drive, you can share files, edit them, collaborate, add comments to text documents, and more.

In addition, as an additional measure of security and control, you have the ability to choose who has the right to access certain documents.

Time management
How to squeeze 100% efficiency out of 24 hours?

Time management is a time management technique that aims to increase the efficiency of its use. Initially, this science appeared in order to help people in work and business. But over time, the benefits of time management have become relevant to everyday life. Useful tips on this topic, read the articles: and

Why and who needs time management?

The latest trends in society do not pass without a trace - their influence is directly related to the free time of each of us. Over the past decades, human life has changed in such a way that new duties and new temptations have appeared in it.

Speaking of the latter, it is worth mentioning that the temptations to waste time are the first obstacle to time management. With the advent of the Internet in people's lives, there are many opportunities to “pass away” time, in other words, to spend it inefficiently. It was the same with television a few years ago, and so on.
Does this mean that time management is only for those who spend time on social networks or spend it watching TV? Of course not. You can lose a lot of time without use by working 24 hours a day, which at first glance seems to be useful. It is necessary to build your plans correctly in order to successfully complete several tasks at the same time. Therefore, time management will be useful for absolutely every person.

The Consequences of Lack of Time Management

The forces of several areas of activity are directed to the study and development of this area: psychologists, managers, businessmen and other specialists in their field. Thanks to this, today we can say with confidence that the lack of time management is the cause of the following problems:
⦁ Insomnia
⦁ Stress
⦁ Depression
⦁ Loss of energy
⦁ Reduced performance
This list is endless. After all, improper planning of the day prevents you from achieving your plans, causes excessive fatigue, which entails stress, and then depression. How to deal with it? We will talk about this below.

How to properly plan your time?

Studies of psychologists and managers have shown that too much free time affects a person just as badly as too much work. Therefore, the very first rule of time management is a commensurate time for work, rest and sleep. The best duration of sleep should not be less than 7 and more than 8 hours.
As for the remaining 16 hours, which are allotted for work and rest, an individual approach is important here. In order to maintain productivity at the right level, you can not spend all the remaining time on work. But the rest time should be minimal, sufficient to maintain tone.

You have to do your own planning for your day. It is important to understand that time management is not about making plans for the day. This is a much longer and more serious process, which consists of:
⦁ Analysis of goals, formation of tasks based on analysis
⦁ Determining the degree of importance of each of the tasks
⦁ Making a plan
⦁ Execution of the plan
⦁ Analysis of the work done
⦁ Forming conclusions and adjusting the plan in accordance with real facts

Formation of tasks according to the technique "Tree of goals"

For the analysis and formation of tasks, the goal tree technology will help. This technique is used in various areas of business and everyday life. For clarity, it is drawn in any convenient way, starting with the most important goal.
For example, you need to create your own business. At the initial stage, for this you will need 3,000,000 rubles (this comes on the basis of analysis). You plan to receive this money in three ways: your savings + investor deposits + subsidies from the state. So your tasks for the near future will consist of three branches of the "tree". An illustrative method for constructing a goal tree is shown below.

To build such graphs, there are many programs with which you can draw your goal tree in two clicks.

Drawing up a plan using the ABC methodology

To plan your time, you can use a notepad or notebook, a gadget program or a service. Based on the compiled tree of goals, you need to draw up a detailed plan of actions and tasks, on the basis of which you plan your time in advance. For example, the date for the defense of the business plan and the conference is already known. Therefore, you can pre-set this task for the appointed day.
As for the daily tasks: work, household chores, meeting with the family, here you will need to form a schedule. In order to make the right plan for each day, it will take a lot of time. Start by planning for the coming days. To do this, write down a chaotic to-do list with an approximate amount of time each item will take.

Next, use the ABC sorting system. Her methodology is simple: divide all tasks into three groups according to their importance. Group A - tasks that will take 20% of the time, but will bring 80% of the result. Group B - tasks that will take 30% of the time, but bring 15% of the result. And group C - things that require 50% of the time and bring 5% of the result.
This technique helps to visually see how important your affairs are and how much time is commensurate with their benefits. After sorting the plans using the ABC methodology, distribute your tasks for the coming days so that you have to complete plans from three groups at once every day. This is done in order not to overload one of the days with too much work.
By differentiating work by complexity and duration, you will be able to achieve the best efficiency.

Analysis of the correctness of the plan

When making a plan of affairs for the coming days according to the ABC principle, you are guided by intuition and rely on logic. But the best adviser in time management is a fact. Therefore, when carrying out the drawn up plan, adjust the time that actually took the implementation of each item. Take notes several times, then analyze.
When analyzing, do not forget to make notes about what caused your breakdown during the day, and what caused the tide. This is extremely important, because no plan will improve the efficiency of your time if you are doing it in a state of fatigue. You also need to work on creating a cheerful mood.
You will notice that your day consists of two kinds of tasks: recurring and one-time. The first you do daily, and the second - only once. Analyzing already completed plans, try to deduce the ideal formula for the implementation of the first. Since these things are constantly present in your life, you can schedule them for years to come and develop the most effective system for their implementation.

Pareto principle

You have already met with the Pareto Principle earlier, at the stage of drawing up a plan. Its essence is that 20% of the effort brings 80% of the result. When planning your day, week, month and even year, be sure to consider this law. Analyze your plans, compare tasks with each other and identify the most productive ones.

Conversely, think twice about the importance of the tasks that take up 80% of your time and produce only 20% of your results. Perhaps they can be abandoned or another way to solve them can be found.

Unplanned Tasks and the Eisenhower Matrix

After a while, you will notice that it is not always possible to fulfill the plan. Sometimes something unpredictable can happen that will take time. And since your day was scheduled, you won’t have time to do something from the to-do list.
In order for unplanned tasks to bring the least damage to your daily routine and performance, you need to determine the degree of importance of a sudden task and the time it will require. You should not do it, sacrificing time for sleep or rest. It is better to revise the to-do list and move the item that is equivalent to the task that has arisen in terms of time, but is less important.
In order to find this item, which you can transfer to later, make an Eisenhower matrix. Its principle is based on two intersecting vectors (as well as the X and Y axes). The y-axis determines the degree of urgency of the case, and the x - importance. Distribute plans on this plane and find both the least important and the least urgent thing. Move it over to the next day.

Rest time

The optimal time that should be spent on rest should not exceed 8 hours. Of course, in the conditions of modern life, one can call the lucky person who has the opportunity to spend 8 hours on vacation. And sleep has nothing to do with it. These are the 8 hours that you can spend meeting with your family, walking in the park, visiting the opera, etc.

When planning your day, it's important to be completely honest with yourself and get your body right. At first, you will need to experiment and rest for a different amount of time, and then write down the results and describe your well-being during the day. With this method, you will be able to find the only right amount of time for you, which will allow you to not overwork, but at the same time not relax to a state of laziness.

Conclusion

The usual pace of life for most people on a five-day work schedule is not correct. We are used to spending Saturday and Sunday on entertainment, that is, all 48 hours. After a hard working week, such a long break for the body is commensurate with a sharp drop in temperature or oxygen levels in the air. And weekdays, often, do not leave even half an hour to rest. All this negatively affects the body, well-being and human performance.
In this regard, it is extremely important to properly allocate your time. This is where the science called "Time Management" helps.

They would be no more than elements of a coherent theory, if they were not supplemented by specially developed general methodological and practical tools within the framework of individual techniques. Following them, applying them in their daily lives, everyone will be able to acquire not only useful knowledge, but also create their own system for setting, evaluating and implementing strategic goals. The recommendations, tips, tricks, techniques, as well as time management services and programs collected in this lesson are taken from various sources, but are universal tools and are equally useful both in terms of time management and personal development in general: self-discipline training , character, attitude to life priorities and goals.

Advice from leading experts in the field of time management

If you turn to someone for advice, then to a person who understands these matters. And even then, you can fully understand the system of views of an author only by reading and understanding his works. We have set ourselves the ambitious task of highlighting and briefly presenting the cornerstones of individual methods and techniques.

Stephen Covey

S. Covey can be called a specialist in the field of time management only with the adjustment that time management for him is an element of self-improvement, which in a complex leads a person to success. But in this global direction, he is a guru, so below are some recommendations from the section of his book "", dedicated to skill 3 - setting priorities.

1. The essence of the skill: first do what needs to be done first. In other words, you should never put off important things for later, no matter how difficult and unpleasant they may be. Remember, each such case brings you closer to the goal, so make your feelings work for the result. Everyone, even the most successful people, are forced to do what they do not always like. This is an inevitability.
2. You must "depend on your values, not on fleeting impulses and desires." Moving towards a goal requires motivation and perseverance, so the goal itself should be a priority and important, because you can’t deceive yourself.
3. The best time management advice, according to the author: "Organize and act based on priorities."
4. The term "time management" is not entirely correct. You need to learn to manage not time, but yourself.
5. Follow the principle of P / PC balance (result / resources + means). Balance means that none of these directions outweighs the other. Simply put, the goal should be commensurate with the efforts expended to achieve it. And vice versa: do not spend great effort for the sake of success in an insignificant business.
6. Use the Time Management Matrix to identify the really important things and focus on them, because the achievement of your global goals depends on it.
7. Look for opportunities and ways to make your personal and professional life easier. Try, apply, among them there may be those that will contribute to positive changes in your life.

GTD by David Allen

The D. Allen method is useful primarily for its advice on the physical organization of the workspace, as well as recommendations for using various stationery and other means to “free” the brain from unnecessary information. About what the workplace should be according to the author of GTD, . Let's look at some more recommendations:

Maintaining a filing cabinet. Most minor time delays can be avoided by extensive use of inexpensive office supplies. When working with a large number of projects or incoming information at the same time, organize a file cabinet. To do this, you can use the usual folders in which you need to put all the documentation and other materials on the project. They should be started even for cases where there is only 1 document.

"43 folders". A simple and effective method for organizing cases. You will need 43 folders: 12 for each month and 31 for each day. Their function is to remind you of any global or minor things planned for every day. Suppose, in early May, as a result of negotiations, you agreed to submit a report to the client at the end of June and call him in advance, a week in advance. For this purpose, a “reminder” document about the event planned for this month is placed in the “June” folder. In addition, records about the call and the delivery of the report are also placed in the folders corresponding to the 20th and 27th. Each day begins with familiarization with the contents of the folder. Unlike a diary or an electronic organizer, they are “insured” against failure, they cannot be lost or forgotten.

4 types of to-do lists. D. Allen also offers an improved model. The essence of the idea is the differentiation of tasks, the allocation of priority areas and a convenient structure. In total, you need to maintain 4 lists:

1. The following actions. In this list, you write down the things that you need to do in the short term. You need to edit it, making new entries, daily.
2. Projects. Those businesses that are multiple related sub-actions that require more than one action to complete. Projects need to be monitored weekly to be able to judge the progress of their implementation.
3. Postponed. This list stores projects whose execution is delegated to someone or requires the influence of external factors. They also need to be checked systematically (at least once a week).
4. Someday/maybe. From the name of the list it is clear that this is a list of uncertain things for the future (run a marathon or start a blog).

Julia Morgenstern

J. Morgenstern began her career as an administrator and it was there that she acquired the necessary planning and organization skills. Therefore, she believes that time management lies largely in the proper organization of activities. And in order for it to be correct, it offers the following tools:

1. Evaluation. You should start not with the use of any methods, but with an assessment of the time spent and your actions. What's stopping you from prioritizing things? There can be several reasons: technical (distraction on social networks, mail, making calls during unassigned time), external circumstances (tight deadlines, unrealistic schedules, additional responsibilities), psychological obstacles (unwillingness to wait and related chronic delays, specially created crisis terms).

2. Time frame. According to Julia, 90% of her clients, using to-do lists, do not write down the time required to complete them next to the items. This is a mistake: time frames must be set for any task.

3. 4D technique. If, for any reason, you are unable to complete the task, you must take one of the following actions:

• Delete (delete). “If something is not worth doing now, then maybe it is not worth doing later.” This applies primarily to unskilled activities. Avoid such things.
• Postpone (delay). Use sorting: lower priority tasks can be postponed, freeing up time for more important ones.
• Delegate (delegate). To perform certain tasks, you can involve others: colleagues, friends, family.
• Reduce (diminish). In some companies, productivity has improved significantly since weekly one-hour meetings were replaced with 15-minute meetings. This made it possible to “kill two birds with one stone”: to save time for direct work, and it became easier for employees over a shorter period of time.

4. Priorities. J. Morgenstern talks about the need to develop a big "picture of life" - your goals, global plans. It consists of 3 stages. First: the selection of "categories" - the main thing, what is important to you. There should be no more than six of them (for example, "finance", "health", "family"). Second: goals for each "category". For example, in financial terms, this may be a certain amount in the bank account at the time of retirement. Third: 2-3 types of activities that lead to the goal (salary, passive income from investment, deposit).

5. SPACE technique. The organization of time and the organization of space are the same, so the author proposes a special technique for planning SPACE (from the English space):

• Sort - sort things and things around you.
• Purge - clear time and space from everything you can manage without.
• Assign - assign a place for each thing, and a time for each task.
• Containerize - define the parameters of each significant activity.
• Equalize - Reevaluate your system from time to time.

"Eat a frog for breakfast"

B. Tracy refers to some unpleasant but important matter as a "frog". He is sure that it cannot be postponed, because in this way thoughts will still return to him, in addition, the delay will only exacerbate emotional stress. It is worth starting your day with doing this business - this way you will be freed from the burden of necessity and focus on more pleasant things.

"Elephant Steak"

It happens that we are faced with the need to solve some global problem - a complex multi-stage project. And it is not clear exactly how and what should be done, especially if the sequence is not specified. In this case, you need to divide the work into parts and do them separately (figuratively speaking, it is much more difficult to eat a whole elephant than divided into steaks). This will not only allow you to start implementing the task, but will also contribute to a better understanding of it.

Learn to say "no"

You can get carried away with the movie "Always Say Yes" with Jim Carrey in the title role, but in terms of time management, he is a bad adviser. This does not mean at all that you need to avoid new opportunities, on the contrary, but it is wrong to take on too much, even in one area. Sooner or later a person "burns out". Let us remind you once again that time management is needed not in order to have time to do more, but in order to do what is needed correctly.

Strive for automation

Always look for opportunities to make routine work easier. For example, if you work with e-mail and have to constantly check your inbox, set up notification of new letters on your smartphone or computer using special services.

Do similar things in a row

If you have to do 2-3 almost identical things throughout the day, do them in a row. The brain “gets used” to such tasks and copes with them faster the next time than if there was a break between them.

The biological clock

In time management, it is worth paying attention not only to time as a physical unit. In accordance with yours, determine the hours of the most active and the least, and do business or give yourself a rest, taking them into account. You may have to sacrifice the traditional cup of coffee immediately upon arrival at work, but you will spend a much more productive day.

7 services and programs for planning and time management

Google Keep

Google Keep is an electronic notepad with the ability to create regular entries and numbered lists, the simplest program that supports all mobile platforms, as well as having a browser and offline version. This service is useful in the sense that from any device where you are logged into your Google account, you can access all available records; in addition, you can start working on a document from a smartphone while still in transport on the way to work, and continue already in the office from a PC.

Maniac Time

This program, like a maniac, haunts you all day. In a good way, of course. From the moment the program is launched, it collects information about open applications and the time spent working with them, which at the end of the working day can be used to analyze the time spent on various activities (percentage and real time). These statistics show how much per day you worked in a text editor, how much in a browser, how much you were distracted by other applications. If you do not perform any actions on the computer for a certain time, and then return for it, Maniac Time will meet you with a question, where were you and why did you not work?

LeaderTask

This program combines several useful functions at once - calendar, planner, organizer, file manager. Wide functionality is complemented by the ability to customize (prioritization), the ability to visualize the presentation or progress of projects, synchronize your data between devices on different platforms and with Outlook. To evaluate all the advantages of the program before buying, the developers offer 45 days of free use.

Microsoft Outlook

Many people know this product as an email client, but this is only one of the functions. In fact, Outlook also provides the ability to work with a calendar and scheduler - quite convenient and understandable for all users of the Office package. Read about the use of this program as a time management tool in the article by Gleb Arkhangelsky http://www.improvement.ru/bibliot/outlook/01.shtm.

Microsoft OneNote

Another service from the Microsoft Office package, which has recently been distributed free of charge. The program is not something revolutionary, although it offers a fairly strong toolkit: the ability to display a tree-like list of tasks, add audio and media files to tasks. Feature - support for handwriting for tablets.

Miniplane

This is a personal service created by the authors of Megaplan, a successful corporate planning tool. One of the most famous and functional Russian products. More details about the program in short presentation.

Remember the Milk

One of the most famous GTD programs. In addition to the to-do list / planner, this service is equipped with a number of modern technical solutions designed to relieve memory. Among them: setting up E-mail and SMS notifications about upcoming events, managing Evernote notes (which, by the way, can also be used for time management purposes), working with the application in the absence of the Internet, the ability to synchronize with the calendar Google(another independent practical tool, made by analogy with the diary).

And finally, the main piece of advice, based on the logic of the training subject: you cannot learn to manage time and at the same time not value your own and other people's time. Planning should begin with the realization of how important it is specifically for you, how ready you are for discipline and control. Without this, a one-time reading and an attempt to apply individual recommendations or tools in your life will not give a tangible effect. Therefore, we wish you patience, perseverance and, of course, measurable results. Good luck!

Test your knowledge

If you want to test your knowledge on the topic of this lesson, you can take a short test consisting of several questions. Only 1 option can be correct for each question. After you select one of the options, the system automatically moves on to the next question. The points you receive are affected by the correctness of your answers and the time spent on passing. Please note that the questions are different each time, and the options are shuffled.