How to Organize Your Time

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This article was co-written by Alyssa Chang. Alyssa Chang is a registered dietitian based in the San Francisco Bay Area. She uses her expertise in neuroscience to help clients strengthen their brain and body connections, helping them recover, achieve goals, and move without pain. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology and Exercise, Nutrition and Health from California State University, East Bay, is certified in Personal Nutrition by Z-health Performance, and is Board Certified. National Strength & Health.

There are 12 references cited in this article that you can view at the bottom of the page.

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We often hear many people complain that there is not enough time to get the job done. A few basic time management skills can help you make the most of your time. Learn how to organize your time wisely to get more done.

Table of Contents

Know how to use your time

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Keep track of daily activities. Pay attention to the things you do every day and note the amount of time spent doing it. You will be surprised how much time you waste compared to the actual amount of work done. ^{[1] X Research Source}

Remember to include daily tasks such as preparing breakfast, cleaning the house, taking a shower, etc.

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Update all activities in one notebook. Once you know what you do each day and how much time you spend on it, you should write it down in a notebook. Putting all the information in one place and seeing it clearly on the page helps you see how and sometimes where you’re wasting your time. ^{[2] X Research Source}

Write completely and clearly. Don’t mix separate events in a row, don’t skip small tasks, and remember to detail your division of time for each task during the day.
Perhaps you should group activities. For example, write errands in the house with a blue pen, earn money with a red pen, and leisure activities with a black pen. That writing helps you figure out how to spend your time.

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Evaluate how time is distributed. For example, 1 hour of daydreaming? 2 hours deciding what to eat? 8 hours of surfing? Determine how you allocate your time and think about what needs to be done and what isn’t. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

Are you wasting time because you can’t control yourself? Do you have a disability or hesitation? Are you taking on too many responsibilities? These are all questions you should consider when evaluating how you spend your time. ^{[4] X Research Sources}
Many times you divide the activities of the day in an unreasonable way. For example, working for half an hour and then spending 10 minutes on errands, and then returning to work for another half hour, is not a smart division. If you work for a full hour, your concentration and efficiency will be higher, trivial problems to handle later.
Ideally you should do the task in “segments”. With this method you spend a set amount of time on a single task without letting yourself be distracted.

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Consider adjustments. Once you know exactly where your time is going, you can begin to tweak your schedule. You have to know what areas you can’t or shouldn’t cut down on just because you’re afraid of wasting time. Just because something takes a lot of time doesn’t mean you’re wasting your time. ^{[5] X Harvard Business Review Trusted Source Go to Source}

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If you spend 3 hours a day sending work-related emails, it’s clearly unlikely that you’ll be able to reduce your time spent on this activity. However, if you also send four or five personal emails between work emails, you can certainly reduce the amount of time you spend sending emails.

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Change work habits. No matter what your time management problem is, we have a solution. After figuring out why you waste your time or how to use it better, you have to work on changing your time management habits. ^{[6] X Trusted Source Harvard Business Review Go to Source}

If you spend too much time cleaning or cooking, consider hiring a maid or cook. For some people time is more valuable than money.
If your problem is spending too much time in the day surfing the web without purpose, you should limit your access to some sites or not log in to your social media accounts when the purpose is then to do something else.

Avoid distractions

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Identify distractions in your life. Distractions are the biggest challenge with time management. You have to figure out what types of activities or individuals are taking up the most of your time. Whether it’s because a talkative friend or a hobby keeps you from focusing on work, you can find ways to avoid these factors. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

If you spend a lot of time on something that doesn’t produce the expected results, it can be a distraction that should be avoided.
In an office environment, some co-workers are also likely to be distractions. You should not engage in useless talk or chatter during work hours. However, attitude in the office is just as important as time management skills, so you must not be rude if you want to advance in your career.

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Avoid long conversations on the phone. You need to readjust your phone habits if you find yourself spending too much time in conversations. Talking face-to-face is always more effective than talking over the phone, so it’s a good idea to end lengthy conversations by this means. ^{[8] X Research Sources}

Many phone calls are often accompanied by unnecessary conversation redundancy, especially at the beginning and end of the call. People tend to get distracted and rambling on the phone, which is something you should be aware of. Holding a face-to-face meeting creates a more formal atmosphere that encourages parties to focus on their work, because neither party in the meeting is affected by distractions.

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Don’t surf the web too much. Many people have to use the internet as their primary tool to get things done. However, there are also many people who let their time drift on news articles, sports news, celebrity pictures and pets. You always have to pay attention when you need to go to the internet. There are some software that can block unnecessary applications, websites or domains to reduce distractions when using the internet. ^{[9] X Research Source}

Avoid going to Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites when you need to deal with work online.
Searching for all sorts of problems on Google is also a waste of time. You originally planned to do a quick search for something, but before you knew it, you’d been browsing countless web pages for 3 hours.

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Use “Do Not Disturb” signs. You are probably familiar with this sign on the front door of a hotel room. It is also very effective when used in the office. You can type and print such a sign yourself to hang in front of the office door when needed. People passing by will talk less so as not to disturb you. ^{[10] X Research Source}

If you work from home, you must have your own workspace. Do not work in the common area of the family because the TV, phone, and video game console easily distract you. ^{[11] X Research Source}

Use your time effectively

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Write everything down. Do not rely entirely on memory to do everyday tasks. Write down everything you need to do on paper and refer back to that list regularly to complete your goals. ^{[13] X Research Source}

Even a very small and trivial task needs to be written down. However, you should only write briefly on this list, for example “Call Tuan”, “Look up profit margin”, “Email your boss”.
Remember to keep a notebook with you at all times so you’re ready to write down tasks as they come up. You think you’ll remember to write it down later, but you’ll forget anyway.

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Use calendar. Just adding a calendar to your time management toolkit can make you more productive. Write down deadlines, tasks, and meetings on your agenda. Every morning you take the time to look at those dates on your calendar to see what’s coming up. ^{[14] X Research Source}

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Avoid scheduling duplicates. Arrange the work schedule so that it does not overlap and does not take on too many tasks at once. Check your calendar before agreeing to do anything to make sure it’s free. This way your time is better organized and helps to monitor time closely.

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Eliminate distractions. Use your time effectively by eliminating distractions or derailing your progress. Place the television and any entertainment outside of work or study, so you can focus on getting the job done before entertaining. ^{[15] X Research Source}

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Sort by priority. Smart time management is about planning important or urgent tasks in advance. Make notes of these points in your calendar with a highlighter or crayon. Schedule these things first to make sure you have enough time, then do the less urgent things. ^{[16] X Research Source}

Be prepared to change priorities as needed. There are many things that are close to the last minute that appear and require you to do it right away. Then you have to stop what you’re doing and focus your time and energy on this last-minute work, but you shouldn’t let such a situation happen too often.
If you often have to re-prioritize, that indicates something is wrong. Small adjustments are acceptable, but if you have to do this continuously, it means you are not getting it right in the first place.

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Realistic thinking. Allocate a reasonable amount of time to get the job done. If you think something takes half an hour to an hour to complete, give yourself an hour. Thinking realistically about how long it can take to complete a task will help you avoid being overwhelmed or behind schedule. ^{[17] X Research Source}

Things will be safer if you stay cautious and always give yourself more time than necessary. If you finish a task early, you are free to move on to the next, and ultimately ensure productivity.

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Schedule basic tasks. Remember to make time for basic daily activities, like eating and bathing. These may seem like secondary tasks, but you still have to spend time on them parallel to the main work, to make sure you don’t skip it and possibly lead to schedule delays.

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Use the reminder system. Besides the daily work schedule, you should use additional support tools so as not to forget important tasks or deadlines. Using sticky notes, set text or sound notifications to your phone to remind you of a scheduled task. ^{[18] X Research Sources}

Avoid asking people around you to remind you of your schedule, because they can forget as well as you.
If there’s something particularly important to you, it’s a good idea to organize multiple reminders, as you’re likely not paying attention to the sticky notes or notifications on your phone.

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Help me. Ask others to assist or pass some small tasks to them if possible. In general, this helps with the schedule if you can reduce the dignity of asking them to intervene, to handle some household chores or to cook dinner if you are too busy that day. ^{[19] X Research Source}

Make sure to find the right person to delegate the task to. If it’s not enough just to find someone to get the job done, you have to ask someone who can get the job done.
Do not shift your responsibility to others. It’s not a good time management skill, it just makes you look lazy and unmotivated in the eyes of others.

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Measure work productivity. From time to time you should stop and analyze what has been achieved, work efficiency and determine the amount of time spent on the last task. Keeping these statistics at work and in your life will help you find the changes you need to improve your work efficiency and the way you live your day-to-day life.

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Self-awarded. Working too hard can lead to burnout and inability to concentrate, even the most mundane tasks. So sometimes it’s a good idea to celebrate your past achievements and reward yourself with something really fun. ^{[20] X Research Source}

Spend all of that self-rewarding time relaxing. Turn off your phone and don’t reply to work emails. If you mix work into playtime, it’s no longer a reward for recovery.
If you work from Monday to Friday, you should take the weekend off. After a three-month project is over, treat yourself to a short break.

Warning

Don’t let your mind wander or daydream while performing daily tasks.

Steps

Know how to use your time

Avoid distractions

Use your time effectively

Warning

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