The Art of Prioritization: How to Manage Your Time Effectively

 

“Don’t be busy, be productive”

Overview

It is not uncommon for people to be busy while thinking they are being productive. To be busy means to keep oneself occupied which is often confused with productivity which is a measurement of how much is achieved during a given time frame. Therefore to put it simply, the term busy refers to a state of being, while being productive is a measurement of how much you can do. The main point however is that in order to be productive you do not necessarily have to be busy. However, if you are busy make sure that you are being productive. This is where the art of prioritization comes in. Here are my tips on how to prioritize and manage your time effectively. 

#1 Use A Planner

A busy person might find it specifically helpful to use a planner so that they do not forget the abundance of tasks that must be completed that day. The one thing I would note however is that instead of just listing tasks off, you should really list tasks according to their level importance or in other words priority. This can help you manage the chaos but in most instances in order to be truly productive you will have to remove tasks that are not of priority. 

#2 Figure out what matters most to you and cut everything else out

I know from my own personal experience that it is extremely easy to add things to your list of things to do, without truly realizing just how much you already have to do. This is why figuring out what really matters to you is so important. If it doesn’t matter to you, it doesn’t help you, or it drains you, cut it out. 

#3 When completing a task, focus on that one individual task

When there is so much to do in one day, our minds often feel uncontrollable. When we are completing one task we are thinking about another. If not this we are distracted by our phones, or we simply procrastinate by creating excuses that allow us to avoid the work at hand. I suggest that you work on soloing out each task during the day. When you are working on a task do not think about anything else but that task, it’ll go by a lot faster if you focus. If you really hate the task and it's not necessary, cut it out. 

#4 Prepare in advance

This piece of advice applies more to events rather than everyday situations. If you know that something big is just around the corner, why would you leave it to the last minute? You should prepare in advance by creating checklists, organizing, and researching everything. This may seem contradictory to the last piece of advice I gave but if you prepare in advance the stress that comes with the coming event will lessen. Not to mention that preparing in advance allows time to complete tasks that need to be done before the event takes place. 

#5 Learn to say no

Busy people have a hard time saying no. With prioritization, no is your best friend. Do you want to hangout tonight? No. I have to study. Do you want to join this club? No. I have other commitments. Saying no does not make you a bad person and if you’re missing out on something, then you have to say no to something else because if you want to get anywhere in anything you have to prioritize. Say no to things that aren’t your priority, and say yes to things that are.

Conclusion

In order to be productive, one must consider how they prioritize their tasks. In order to succeed, one must prioritize the tasks that matter most. Take of your daily life, and you take control of your future.