12 Strategies To Better Your Time Management Skills (Guest infographic)

Have you ever felt like you are struggling to get everything done on time? Or like people around you have the secret to success, but you can’t figure out what it is?

It’s important to remember that you are not alone. If you worry about falling behind in work or school, consider thinking about how you manage your time. Are you a procrastinator? Do you prefer to work on things a little bit every day, or cram the night before it is due? 

Understanding your time management style is the key to success. However, it’s important to take your personality into account when figuring out how to manage your time. An outgoing salesperson may have a different time management strategy than an introverted data analyst — there is no right or wrong way, but succeeding in your professional life requires understanding the way that works for you.

For example, many outgoing people could benefit from the Eat That Frog technique, in which you do the least liked tasks of the day first. That way, you can get the tasks you are dreading out of the way, to fight procrastination before it even occurs. Then, you are left with the tasks you enjoy the most, so when you are hitting your midday slump you are looking forward to the work you have ahead, rather than avoiding it. 

People who consider themselves organized but tend to get overwhelmed can benefit from the Eisenhower principle, in which you divide your tasks up into 4 different categories: important, urgent, not important, and not urgent. This helps break down a big to-do list into more actionable segments, so you can start the day with a plan of attack rather than working through your list in an order that may not be as efficient. 

Understanding your personality type is the first step in finding a time management tactic that is right for you. Many people use tests like Myers-Briggs or Enneagram tests to learn more about themselves. While there is no one absolute test you can take to understand everything about your personality, doing some self-reflection to get a gauge of your strengths is a great place to start.