Golden tricks for Time Management

Start with small tasks

When you’re just starting your career, you need all the help you can get managing your time. Even when you’re working hard, you could be wasting a tremendous amount of time either by trying to multitask or by focusing too much on minute details.

Montreal-based designer Étienne Garbugli has struggled with all of that. But as he’s gotten older, he’s learned how to manage his time and workload more effectively. Today, he’s a consultant and entrepreneur, and recently published his first book, Lean B2B: Build Products Businesses Want.

Last year, he collected some of his favorite lessons in the SlideSharepresentation “26 Time Management Hacks I Wish I’d Known At 20.” In December, SlideShare named it the “Most Liked” presentation of 2013.

Below, we’ve explained some of Garbugli‘s best time-management tips everyone should learn in their 20s.

1. There’s always time. Time is priorities

You never “run out of time.” If you didn’t finish something by the time it was due, it’s because you didn’t consider it urgent or enjoyable enough to prioritize ahead of whatever else you were doing.

2. Days always fill up faster than you’d expect

Build in some buffer time. As the founder of Ruby on Rails and Basecamp, David Heinemeier Hansson said, “Only plan on four to five hours of real work per day.”

3. Work more when you’re in the zone. Relax when you’re not

Some days you’ll be off your game, and other times you’ll be able to maintain your focus for 12 hours straight. Take advantage of those days.

4. Stop multitasking. It kills your focus

There have been academic studies that found the brain expends energy as it readjusts its focusfrom one item to the next. If you’re spending your day multitasking, you’re exhausting your brain.

5. We’re always more focused and productive with limited time

Work always seems to find a way of filling the space allotted for it, so set shorter time limits for each task.

6. Work is the best way to get working. Start with small tasks to get the ball rolling

The business plan you need to finish may be intimidating at 8 in the morning. Get your mind on the right path with easy tasks, such as answering important work emails.

7. Work iteratively. Expectations to do things perfectly are stifling

Gen. George S. Patton once said, “A good plan executed now is better than a perfect plan executed next week.”

8. More work hours doesn’t mean more productivity. Use constraints as opportunities

Don’t kid yourself into thinking that sitting at your desk will somehow extract work from you. Do whatever you can to finish your current task by the end of regular work hours instead of working into the night.

9. Separate brainless and strategic tasks to become more productive

Ideally, you can brainstorm your ideas and then execute them. If you’re constantly stopping your flow of work to rethink something, you’re slowing yourself down.

10. Organize important meetings early in the day. Time leading up to an event is often wasted