(ThyBlackMan.com) To help you break away from the need to master time management practices that don’t work as expected, here’s a list. For better productivity, it’s wise to be mindful of what you’re doing with the time you have in hand. The goal of this post is to help you stay away from the most common time management myths and use these effective time management techniques instead.
- Planning every minute of the day
Perfectionists or those pretending to be perfectionists often rush to fill every space on their day planner. You want to avoid distractions and trying to utilize every single minute of the day; that’s great. But you should know that there’s one thing in life we all have to deal with, and it is called change. No matter how amazing your time management skills are, don’t plan for every moment of your day. There’s no use of struggling to make things happen when a situation is out of control.
Nobody can predict when their close friends or guests will call them. When something like this happens, they have to give up their plans. You don’t expect the laptop to stop working but it can. When you 
don’t have even a single empty field on your day planner, you’re going to get panicked when your full day will be taken away from you. Those who do so are forced to make last minute changes and go to bed with a guilt feeling about not getting things done.
You don’t have to waste time if some fields on your planner are empty. You can utilize that time for something else, or you can finish some projects early. With enough time in hand, you’ll have the flexibility to make changes in your plans. If your child gets sick, or your parents need you to be with them, you can easily find time for people and things that matter the most to you.
- Trying to reach the end-goal
If you want to manage your time in the best way, stop thinking that all your work will be over. It is a continuous process and you have to change the way you look at reaching the finish line. You are never going to have time after completing a work, there will be something on the task list waiting to be ticked off.
For better productivity and time management, make sure you are prioritizing the work smartly. What needs to be done today, don’t delay it for tomorrow. Make smart choices and do things while you can. Always focus on the quality of the tasks you have accomplished. Measure the productivity, the quality of work, and end-result on different scales.
- Creating to-do lists
To-do lists won’t help you accomplish your goals. In fact, they can lead you to frustration and failure. These task lists make you feel that you have accomplished so much, but in reality, you will end-up ticking off the small, useless tasks. To-do lists are simple wishes you put on a paper, your laptop or mobile phone. These lists don’t help you get any closer to your goals as they are just intentions with no actual plan.
Instead of creating to-do lists, you should create a day planner where you can actually schedule your commitments. Whatever you’ve added to your to-do list, write it down on a paper, add the time you think you’ll need to complete those tasks and schedule your day accordingly. Don’t forget to leave time for adjustments and empty fields to avoid stress.
- Trying to eliminate interruptions
When people talk about time management practices and skills, they often talk about the quiet hour and distraction-free environment. In reality, there’s no such thing as distraction-free space. By disconnecting yourself from visitors, phone calls, and emails, you are only reducing interruptions but you will never be able to completely eliminate them. Deal with it and don’t waste time on creating a special place for distraction-free work. Don’t think that everything you consider a distraction is a time waster.
At work, you meet people, you have to take phone calls, customers will come, your team members will speak to you often and many other things will require your time. If you look carefully, these are not distractions, they are a part of your work. What distracts you from work is your self-imposed style of work. Your habit to procrastinate or spend time on unnecessary tasks, and your tendency of running away from your duties, are your worst enemies. Time management practices should reflect your personality, and placing the blame on distractions is not a good choice.
- Always looking for new time management practices
There’s no standard system for time management, and sadly, they don’t teach time management in schools. It’s an art and you’ll have to learn it. Many people think about managing time, but in reality, no one can manage time completely in the way they want. From your office hours to your inner clock, there is so much you need to make adjustments with. So, instead of looking for time management templates or copying what others do, start small and make short-term goals. Don’t just sit and plan for the year. If you or your team is bad at time management, start small and practice this for a few weeks.
Over the course of a few days or weeks, you’ll see the changes when you start accomplishing short-term goals. Then, choose your best time management practices, improve your skills, and make adjustments accordingly.
Staff Writer; Corey Shaw
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