In 2020, my procrastination had a substantial increase in the summer. I was extremely burnt out and I needed to figure out how to manage my time. There were methods that did work and did not work. In this article, I will be discussing the most effective time management strategy.
In this article, I rate the different time management strategies out of 10. 1 being this is such a terrible way of time management I highly do not recommend this and 10 being it was amazingly for me.
1. Time Blocking
You probably heard of time blocking, it is when you take your calendar and schedule to do something every hour or so.
If you decide to use time blocking I suggest using Google Calendar. I find it helpful as I can color code similar events such as going on a walk in green and math class in orange.
The amazing things about time blocking were:
- if you planned not too many events and followed the calendar then you would have a lot of extra time
- helps see all the events & tasks as an overview
The problems with time blocking were:
- planning tasks/events that were too rigorous or too much (biting more than you take)
- sometimes you get lazy & forget to plan breakfast, breaks, lunch, dinner
- it is too precise & sometimes tasks take longer or shorter than expected
For me, time blocking was only good for a while. I found it frustrating when I could not complete everything that I planned and overall felt very overwhelmed. I would rate time blocking 8/10, because many people love time blocking. Everyone has different preferences.
2. To Do Lists
To Do Lists are lists that contain tasks/events that need to be done by the day.
These lists go all the way back and have been used for generations.
The Pros about To Do Lists:
- No specific deadline except completing by the end of the day (can be a good thing or bad thing)
- focuses on three major tasks to get done
- a lot of wiggle room to move events around
The Cons about To Do Lists:
- No specific deadline → can affect sleep schedule if you procrastinate and start working at midnight.
Overall, I would give To Do Lists a good 8/10, because this is basically the opposite of time blocking. To Do Lists are general and broad which make them less overwhelming and you still get tasks done. However, it can waste extra that could be used for other activities.
3. TGD
To get done method is a combination of a To Do List and time blocking.
Every day there is a list of to dos & timed events.
The Pros about the TGD:
- Displays a weekly overview of events
- Contains a To Do list daily
- Can enter times & dates
The Cons about the TGD:
- no cons
I personally love this method of time management. I rate this time management 10/10. This is the perfect combination of the two and I am currently using this method.
How do you implement these time management strategies into your life?
First try using the methods one by one for a whole week. From the three, figure out which one you prefer. If you like time blocking, that’s great then continue using it. If time blocking does not work for you, try out the To Do List and TDF.
Figure out what works for you and what you prefer.
Hopefully this helps you manage your time more effectively.
Thank you for reading this article see you next Wednesday at 2:00 PM PST