One of the most difficult skills at the beginning of your career is time management. You can waste a lot of time trying to do too much at once or focusing on unimportant details. Time management is one of the most important skills you should master. Here are some time management lessons you should master in your twenties.
1. There is no such thing as "not enough time." The only reason you didn't finish something is because you didn't give it the required priority.
2. Days always go faster than you expect, so plan some extra time for a task.
3. Not every day is your day and some days you just can't finish tasks. But there will be days when you are very productive and can work long hours, so take advantage of that.
4. Find activities that benefit both your professional and personal lives. That way you don't have to waste time on something that is of no use to you.
5. Know the difference between being progressive and a burnout.
6. Try to avoid multitasking, you will usually lose focus.
7. There is always a way to control distraction. Use apps if you find this difficult.
8. Start small. Complete a small but important task and you will see how easy it is to focus on the big things.
9. Being a perfectionist with daily activities can be a little hard to handle.
10. Don't assume that the longer the working hours, the more productive you are.
11. You must learn how to distinguish between work that requires thorough thinking and work that does not require it. If you take a break every two minutes to think about something, you will only slow down.
12. It is best to reply immediately after reading an email if it only takes a few minutes.
13. If you have a big, intimidating task ahead of you, try looking at the steps.
14. If it takes longer than 20 minutes to start a particular task, change the task.
15. Start the day with a top priority task and leave the lesser priority for later.
16. It's very important to know that one thing you really need to do. Prioritize in a way to get that important task done.
17. It is important that you can delegate. You can't do everything yourself.
18. Take notes.
19. The greatest enemy is procrastination.
20. Put up a “do not disturb” sign when you absolutely have to get the work done.
