Popular time management techniques

By Yelyzaveta basharova

Time management is a very useful skill to have.

Time management is a set of techniques that help to properly allocate energy and time for greater efficiency in work and personal life.

 Pomodoro technique

1.      Select the task you want to perform.

2.      Set the Pomodoro (timer) for 25 minutes.

3.      Work until the timer rings.

4.      Then take a short break (up to 5 minutes).

5.      Repeat this 4 times, and after the last one, take a break for 15-30 minutes. And so on throughout the working day or until you have completed all the tasks.

The tomato method is suitable for those who want to concentrate on the task at hand as much as possible, rather than sitting on an open project and dreaming about the impossible. The main thing to remember is that it is imperative to take breaks because, without them, the meaning of the technique is lost. And it's important to relax at these moments, without mental stress: make some tea, get some fresh air, have a snack, or just lie down.

Tomato-shaped kitchen timers are a fun and useful kitchen item

 PS, The technique got its name in honour of the tomato-shaped kitchen timer that the creator of this method, Francesco Cirillo, had in his kitchen.

 Planning 1-3-5

 The point of the method is that you need to complete one large task, three medium tasks, and five small ones in a day. A technique that helps you prioritise tasks. It is convenient to use for planning a day, week, month, or a longer time.

 Kanban method

 A Japanese visualisation system which was invented by Toyota. Everything works very simply: you can use a notebook or any application where you can create a table with three columns and distribute all tasks to them:

- To do

- In progress / in progress

- Done

You can add more columns if you have more processes in the task. The main idea is to see where you are in each task. And in the process, you will move from "to do" to "in progress" - and as a result, see progress and get inspired!

 The Eisenhower Matrix

 A planning method developed by the 34th President of the United States, Dwight Eisenhower. He developed an approach to help you figure out what needs to be done right now and what can be postponed.

 To try this planning method, you need to divide your tasks into four subgroups:

- urgent and important at the same time

- urgent but not important

- not urgent but important

- neither urgent nor important

 This method will help you prioritise your tasks and focus your energy on the important things right now.

Planning using the Pareto principle

It is one of the most common ways to assess the effectiveness of any activity. It is used to focus on those actions that bring results and abandon ineffective ones.

 Pareto was the first to discover the pattern, believing that 80% of all Italian wealth belongs to 20% of people. Later, the American J. Juran came across Pareto's work and, comparing the data with his practice, he was convinced of the principle's effectiveness and named it after the Italian scientist. The name became popular thanks to the book The 20/80 Principle: The Secrets to Achieving More with Less by Richard Koch. 

 Its essence lies in the fact that 20% of effort yields 80% of the result. For example, in business: Analyse your activities and their results. Discard what brings less profit.