Time Management

When asked to write a post for the blog I immediately thought, ‘I need to add that to my list.’ So with that came my topic: time management. 

Time management plays an important role in design (and life in general) that can often be overlooked. It is a skill that can be learnt and make balancing tasks and life a lot easier. So here are some things that come to mind when trying to be organised and efficient with your time.

The first thing I do to keep myself organised is making lists. Whether it is in a diary, notepad, stickies, phone or all of them, lists assist in keeping you on track. When I write lists I priorities tasks in order of there due date so I know which ones I need to get done first and how long I have until they are due.

Making use of free time will also help manage time. Do things straight away or as soon as you think of it. Or perhaps surround yourself with Nike; ‘Just do it!’ 

Reward yourself! When completing a task give yourself a reward so that you are motivated and continue getting through your tasks. 

Take breaks! To avoid feeling overwhelmed give yourself a few minutes between tasks to relax and get away from what you are doing. Have a cup of tea, go for a walk, stretch or have some chocolate. :)

As much as I love technology, diaries are a great way to keep on track. Physically writing down each task on their deadlines will help it to stick in your memory.

Have a weekly/monthly planner. Being able to see how many days/weeks you have until a task is due should help to get yourself into gear. 

Concentrate on one thing at a time. Do one task, complete it or work on parts of it, then move on to the next.  

Set personal deadlines and try to keep them. Having alarms on your phone for reminders really helps.

If you can, work in a team and delegate responsibilities. 

Make a place where you can go to work on tasks to get you in the zone. 

Avoid procrastinating and making excuses. Funnily enough if I am procrastinating I will tidy and organise things. Ill organise files on my computer, delete things I don’t need and re-organise my already organised lists. It’s a little obsessive but it distracts me from the task at hand. Once I’ve got nothing left to organise I get back to my work (or eat, have a tea then do my work). I guess its sort of win-win.

With all that in mind, we still need to have some sort of social life so delegate time for work and other activities to have an even balance. Make other activities your reward for working hard to meet deadlines.