5 Time Management Techniques to Help You Get More Done

Do you feel like you never have enough time in the day to get everything done? You're not alone.

Time is our most precious asset and the pursuit of trying to find ways to use it more wisely is never ending, especially when it comes to running a business.

It’s true - if you do not run your day, your day will run you. Over the last few months I have trialled with some time management techniques that have helped me not only get more done, but to do it more efficiently.

In this blog post, I’ll discuss five time management techniques that could boost your productivity and help you get more done. These techniques are Pomodoro, Eat the frog, 80-20 rule, ABC method and the Eisenhower Matrix.

Let’s dive right in!

1. Pomodoro technique

The Pomodoro technique is a time management technique that was created by Francesco Cirillo in the 1980s. The basic premise of this technique is to break down work into manageable chunks and to take breaks in between these chunks.

For example, you would work for 25 minutes and then take a five-minute break. This break allows you to clear your head and come back to your work refreshed and focused.

For me this looks like 30 minutes of deep focus work and a 15 minute break to stretch or go on my phone to respond to messages.

You could use a timer on your phone, use this online timer or use this Pomodoro extension on your browser.

2. Eat the frog technique

The Eat the frog technique is based on the idea that if you eat a live frog first thing in the morning, nothing worse will happen to you for the rest of the day! In other words, start your day by tackling your most difficult task. This will get it out of the way and leave you with a sense of accomplishment for the rest of the day.

Personally this one has worked like a dream for me. The dreaded tasks is out of the way, which not only leaves my mind free to concentrate on other things but also to do them feeling more motivated.

3. 80-20 rule (the Pareto Principle)

The 80-20 rule, also known as the Pareto Principle, is a time management technique that states that 80% of your results come from 20% of your efforts. In other words, you should focus your time and energy on the tasks that will give you the most return on investment.

For example, if you're working on a project with a deadline, spend 80% of your time working on the most important tasks and only 20% of your time on less important tasks. This will help you get the most important things done while still making progress on the other tasks.

4. ABC method

The ABC method is a prioritisation technique that can be used to help you manage your time more effectively. This technique involves assigning a priority to each task on your to-do list.

Tasks are the most important and should be done first, B tasks are less important and can be done after A tasks are completed, and C tasks are the least important and can be done last. This technique helps you to get a general overview of everything that you need to do and focus your time and energy on the most important tasks first.

5. Eisenhower Matrix

The Eisenhower Matrix is a time management technique that was created by former U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower. This technique is based on the idea that there are four types of tasks: urgent and important, not urgent but important, urgent but not important, and not urgent and not important.

The key is to focus your time and energy on the tasks that are both urgent AND important. This will help you get the most important things done and avoid wasting time on tasks that are not as important.

The wrap up

These are just a few of the many time management techniques that I have personally tried that can help you to get more done. As you can see most are based on the idea of prioritisation of the most important tasks. That’s what works best for me and that’s where I like to start :)

The most important thing is to find a system that works for YOU and stick with it!

Have you tried any of these techniques? What other time management techniques have you used to stay productive and get more done?