How you manage your time is, in effect, how you manage your life. Time management is an important skill, and learning how to do it well can benefit your work, school, and personal life. In this article, we’ll look at tips, strategies, and how-tos for working adults who want to more effectively manage their time to accomplish their goals.
Time management and productivity methods for working adults
Time management is a skill that holds value not only for schoolwork but for your entire life. The better you can manage your schedule, the more you can get done in less time — without burning out.
Like any other skill, time management takes practice. But if you’re intentional and use the right strategies, you can quickly learn how to improve your productivity and focus, avoid procrastination and distraction, and as a result, keep stress levels in check.
Read on for productivity techniques tailored to working adults who are juggling jobs, education, and personal commitments.
Take frequent breaks using the Pomodoro Technique
Did you know taking breaks can make you more productive? It’s true, according to research!
Taking breaks isn’t a new time management strategy. While in college in the 1980s, Francesco Cirillo needed to find a way to improve his productivity — so he came up with the Pomodoro Technique.
Cirillo soon found that taking timed breaks helped to alleviate stress, enhance focus, and boost motivation. Since then, over 2 million people have used his popular technique to get more done in less time.
Here’s how it works:
Set a timer for 25 minutes and focus solely on work during that time
Once the timer goes off, take a break for three to five minutes (Together, these two steps are called a Pomodoro — “tomato” in Italian.)
After four Pomodoros, take a 15- to 30-minute break
Repeat the first three steps as needed
Make sure to do something relaxing or simple during your breaks. For short breaks, you could drink a glass of water, text a loved one, or do quick work tasks that don’t require much mental effort. Longer breaks are a good opportunity to make a snack, chat with a friend, tidy your workspace, or take a walk.
The Pomodoro Technique works well for studying and writing essays, but you could also use it for other activities that require concentration, like creating a monthly budget or doing your taxes.
Ready to give the Pomodoro Technique a try? If you like using keyboard shortcuts, the minimalist Tomato Timer is worth a look. Or, if you need more flexibility, use the Marinara Timer to create your own work-break intervals.
Reflect: Effective time management is all about establishing new patterns and building strong habits. Try tracking how you spend the hours in your day today, then ask yourself what patterns you see emerging. What new habits could you introduce into your daily routine to feel more productive and in control of your time?
Schedule your time with a planner
Leaving your schedule to chance can lead to missed deadlines, overlooked meetings, and forgotten to-do items. Using a planner can solve those problems by helping you:
Visualize and organize your schedule
Keep track of to-do lists, assignment deadlines, exam dates, appointments and meetings, birthdays, grocery lists, and more
Schedule time for your tasks
Write down short-term and long-term goals
How do you know which planner is right for you? It all depends on which style you prefer. Here are a few to consider:
Physical planners
You might visualize your schedule better with a physical planner. Plus, research shows that writing things down by hand may help you remember better later. If that’s the route you want to go, you can purchase a planner from your local office supplies store or create and print your own using Canva’s free templates.
Digital planners
Or maybe you prefer a planner you can easily check throughout the day on your smartphone or tablet. There are many digital planners available, like Google calendar. Many companies sell digital calendar subscriptions as well.
Minimalist vs. customized planners
When choosing a planner, think about whether you want something simple (perhaps a small pocketbook planner) or something more elaborate that has space for to-dos, appointments, notes, and goal setting.
Minimalist academic planners work well if you only use it for school. If you want to keep track of work, school, and personal responsibilities, consider getting a more robust or customizable planner. For instance, goal-setting planners also have room for monthly or weekly goals and self-reflection.
Identify your “big rocks” and prioritize them
Time management will be a struggle if you’re not clear on your priorities. That’s where identifying your “big rocks” can help. You’ve probably heard this story before. Here’s one version:
A professor shows her students an empty jar. She then fills the jar with rocks and asks her students if the jar is full. They say yes. The professor then pours pebbles into the jar and asks the same question. The students say, “Yes, the jar is full now.”
But the professor isn’t done. She then pours sand into the jar, asking if it’s now full. The students laugh and say yes. Lastly, the professor pours water into the jar and the students agree the jar is finally — and completely — full.
The professor tells her students that if she had first filled the jar with water, sand, or pebbles, there wouldn’t have been any room for the big rocks. By filling the jar with big rocks first, she could then fill in the empty spaces with smaller items.
The same is true with life. The big rocks represent the key priorities in our lives. The pebbles, sand, and water represent the less important aspects of life that tend to take up our time.
How to prioritize your “big rocks”
Start by asking yourself:
What are the “big rocks” in my life? In other words, what’s most important to me?
What’s less essential that’s taking up a lot of my time?
How can I prioritize my “big rocks”?
For example, let’s say two of your biggest priorities right now are time with family and getting a degree to reach your career goals. In that case, prioritizing your “big rocks” might look like:
Eating dinner as a family at least three times a week
Setting aside time each day for studying after work
Calling your sister every Sunday
Finding a mentor and meeting with them regularly
Once you’ve set aside time in your schedule for your “big rocks,” you can fit in less important activities that you enjoy or need to get done.
Ready to try this exercise?
Download Guild’s time management guide to get started.