Time Management Techniques Part 3 With Bell

In the previous talks, I talked about practical time management techniques and what might (not) work for you. Remember the 25-minute timer Pomodoro technique? Saying no? This session continues about setting priorities with the Eisenhower Matrix and eat that frog! Focus on the process instead of checking another.

Transcript

Welcome unique learners!

This talk is part 3 already of time management techniques.

In the previous talks I talked about practical time management techniques and what might or might not work for you.

Do you remember the 25 minute timer Pomodoro technique?

Or saying no?

Well,

That's the first time management technique I would like to start with today.

Perseverance.

If you'd listen to the first two sessions on time management,

And if you're like me,

You tend to forget,

That's the issue.

I get busy again.

I forget to say no.

I start to do multitasking because I think it's more efficient.

I keep burning myself out.

And say more yes than I like to.

And what do you know?

I'm super busy again.

Agitated,

Stressed and burned out.

What is important is to remember to get back to basics.

Remember the good things from time management techniques,

The freedom,

The free time and peace of mind.

The second technique is part of the previous technique of setting deadlines,

Which also include healthy boundaries.

Remember you finish on work or you hand in a paper at 5pm today and not when it's perfect or when I'm happy with it.

Uhm no.

Now you just hand it in because you said you know 5pm is your deadline.

But what if your friendly colleague walks in 5 minutes before 5 and asks you for help,

A little favor?

Yes it might be helpful to say no.

And for you that balance is there to decide.

You can still help people.

But when you notice it is too much that day,

It is okay to say I'm sorry but that doesn't work for me today.

And maybe it's also helpful to discuss healthy boundaries with colleague and friends and see what they do to set healthy boundaries and setting deadlines.

So it keeps coming back to what are your priorities.

I don't have a definite answer to what works best.

Some say starting with the most difficult thing or start with a simple thing to quote unquote warm you up.

And even this for me differs each day.

What remains consistent is that we,

Well I,

I really need to prioritize my priorities.

So this time I would like to talk about time management technique the Eisenhower matrix.

This helps you prioritize tasks by filtering out what's urgent and important from those that are not.

Basically this technique divides tasks into 4 different quadrants,

Each with a different work strategy.

So for example number 1 things you don't want to do but actually need to get done.

2 things you want to get done and actually need to get done.

3 things you want to do but don't need to.

4 things you don't want to do and actually don't need to do.

The ultimate goal here is to filter out less urgent and important tasks.

Which you should either delegate or not do at all by either focusing or scheduling more important tasks.

The Eisenhower matrix is great for those that lack direction and find themselves spending much of their time on tasks they really don't want to do.

What's more,

This technique is great for people like me that work on multiple different projects.

For example I help students with writing their thesis,

But even making mindful talks like this on insight timer.

So what is importance?

With the Eisenhower matrix my work week would look something like this.

1.

What I really need to get done.

Pay outstanding costs of my business.

2.

Schedule to write a new paper on what mindfulness techniques work with students who procrastinate.

Perhaps?

No,

I shouldn't do that.

I should actually finish the other one I started about perfectionism.

3.

Things I want to do but don't need to.

Write an application for a grant where I'm really not that fussed about.

Or make videos for my website.

Well maybe that isn't the right time for me yet,

You know?

And 4.

That's a no brainer,

Right?

Things I don't need to do and don't want to.

Social media.

Do I really want to feel that guilt of what other people are accomplishing?

So a little tip from me is that you can always discuss your priorities with other people and again ask colleagues and peers how do they prioritize.

The thing is I can easily forget this technique and become in this mode of everything is important my email box is burning me.

So then I ask myself an additional question.

If I don't finish this now,

Will it kill me?

A little bit harsh,

Hey?

But it does the trick.

Often the Eisenhower matrix goes together with the next time management technique,

Yes you hear that right,

Eat that frog.

No Prince Charming for me.

Instead Eat that frog is a method that helps you identify the one most important task on that list.

So the tasks are the one thing you absolutely have no motivation to do and is most likely the task you are going to procrastinate on.

So what task is giving you most resistance or requires most energy?

That is basically your frog to eat.

So when you start your workday,

Evaluate your most important or most annoying task.

And assign the highest priority to that task.

Your goal now is to finish this before you start doing anything else.

So who is this for?

Well it's great if you feel overwhelmed and need help to find your time to tune your work and schedule and to work on other tasks.

It's said to be great for procrastinators that usually push off their most important thing to their deadline as it forces them to complete that one task before anything else.

But what if this is not the case?

And this brings me to my next time management technique.

Ask for help!

I know this is ridiculous.

That I even saying it.

I never ask for help.

Heck,

I just felt guilty about starting this session with the time management technique of saying no to someone else.

So how dare I put in to say ask for help?

Isn't that selfish?

And you know there is this balance.

It's all relative and it of course depends on how many times you say no to other people and to whom.

It doesn't matter.

What matters is there is always the option to ask for help.

You are allowed to ask for help.

You might be amazed that people actually want to help you.

Because you also feel nice if you can help someone,

Right?

And the next time management technique is focus on benefits of outcomes,

Not just on numbers on your to-do list.

Starting your day with a to-do list can be most tiring and not that beneficial.

I mean of course it might be helpful to keep one.

But if you are like many people like me and you don't do one thing of that list and your day is immediately ruined,

It might actually be great to focus on the benefits of what you want to achieve with that task.

In a perfect world,

To-do lists help us ensure that we get through our task without missing anything,

Right?

And it gives you a sense of accomplishment when we check something off.

And now by focusing on accomplishments and prioritizing productivity,

No,

There is a chance we could be limiting our creativity.

To-do lists often work because they give us a clear path to a particular outcome.

Do A and then B and then C.

But research has shown that giving people a well-defined problem with a clear solution can be siffling.

So for a more open-ended approach to time management,

Try to focus on outcomes instead of tasks.

And I would like to add for someone who works on longer projects,

And I can get a little bit overwhelmed even by focusing on outcomes,

And I hate saying this,

Enjoy the ride.

Also focus on the process of getting to that outcome.

It's not the destination.

You don't want to think at the end of the day,

Well at least I've crossed off everything from my to-do list,

But have I enjoyed my day?

And that's the ultimate goal,

Right?

Being aware,

Living,

Enjoying life,

Whilst getting things done.

And that's why more will be revealed in my next sessions.

But now consider a daily check-in.

How am I doing?

And don't forget to breathe!

So remember your previous time management techniques,

Prioritize with the Eisenhower Matrix and eat that frog.

Ask for help and focus on the process with the benefits of outcomes,

Instead of just another number on your to-do list.

For now I wish you a lovely time and enjoy the process.

Reviews

Thank you so much, this is very helpful 🧡🧡🧡