Effective time management equates to higher productivity and efficiency. And increased efficiency and productivity can help boost your chances of career success. The concept of time management isn’t new to us but if you have always been struggling with staying on top of your tasks and meeting deadlines, here are some tips you might find useful to effectively manage your time.

Increase awareness
The first step to proper time management is being aware of the things that eat up your time. You can’t fix a problem when you’re unsure of its cause. Know exactly how you spend your time. Which tasks take up a huge chunk of your time? Are these high priority or low priority tasks? Knowing exactly where your time is spent will help you plan out and set priorities to accomplish what’s needed by the end of the day.

Set priorities
Another important step to learning how to effectively manage your time is knowing how to set your priorities. Create a list of the things that you need to get done. Include all the tasks, big and small. Then, sort these tasks according to urgency and importance. Make it a habit to start your day tackling the tasks under high priority. Not only will this help you meet your deadlines but it will also ease you of the stress and burden as you go on with your day.

Create a list and plan ahead
A list goes together with planning. When you plan ahead, you think about the things that you need to get done and you need visibility over these things for better focus and direction. Creating a list of tasks can help you save a lot of time. Your list will serve as your guide so you don’t have to go back and forth and wonder which task to tackle next. It also helps you stay focused and motivated especially when you get the items ticked off your list one at a time.

Set a time limit
Effective time management requires awareness of time. It requires knowing how to split the time you have working in a day to ensure you accomplish what needs to be accomplished. This is where setting a time limit comes in.

Set specific time limits for each of your tasks for the day. Dedicate an hour or two for the most challenging tasks, for instance, or 30minutes for checking and replying to emails as you start your day. By being conscious of how your time is spent and working on finishing a task within the allocated time, you’ll find yourself more productive and efficient.

Time is indeed a precious commodity and though it’s difficult to monitor and control, there are ways to effectively manage your time.