Last Updated on May 30, 2022 by Latrice
Ok, so I can admit I totally hopped into this work-from-home thing with little time management skills for working from home.
And boy did I feel it! I thought I was going to be just as on top of my time at home as I was as a marketing coordinator. NOT!
For my first few months, I made so many mistakes.
I oftentimes overplanned my days and let distractions run my days.
Putting my pride to the side, I finally took the time to re-learn time management.
Below are 10 time management tips that do work when you work them.
How do I know this? They made me hella productive and improved my results!
Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are ‘affiliate links.’ This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. Full disclosure.
#1 “Start the day with a to-do list”
Holly of The Work At Home Woman shares this time management tip as a good method for keeping yourself on track and knowing what you’re going to do next.
Religiously starting my workday with a handwritten to-do list has definitely helped improve my productivity.
Although I still add my to-do list to a Trello board, I still write down my tasks to physically cross them off for motivation.
When I finish a task, cross it off, and end the day with a list of crossed-off tasks. On some days, that’s the best motivation. Crossing stuff off!
Tip from 5 Time Management Tips for Working From Home
#2 “When do you feel MOST productive?”
Melissa of Blog Clarity time management tip to work when you’re most productive is one I’ve heard from a few experts that definitely works.
My mornings are my most productive time of the day. I am less likely to be distracted and my mind is clear.
I use this time to work on tasks that require the most creativity like writing blog posts, creating landing pages, or sending clever pitches.
If you’re not sure when is your most productive time of the day, set an intention to pay attention. (That rhymed.) This is what I had to do too.
After a day or so of paying attention to your habits, you’ll find that you struggle to focus at a certain time of the day. This is when you are least productive.
Tip from 8 Time Management Tips for Work-At-Home Moms
#3 “Create Realistic To-Do Lists”
I used to create super unrealistic to-do lists.
Reynolds in an interview for The Penny Hoarder says to-do lists shouldn’t have all the stuff you want to accomplish on it, but should have about three to five tasks you need to focus on.
This allows you to plan realistically for achieving your goals for the day.
This is so true!
I got realistic with my to-do lists. This forced me to focus on my most important tasks which helped me better achieve my goals.
This tip helped me move the needle on so many projects.
Tip from Don’t Let Time Pass You By: These Tips Will Make Working From Home Easier
#4 “When Working, Block Out Distractions”
Distractions and crappy work schedules did NOTHING for my time management. What time management?
Jyssica with Thrive Global time management tip to schedule work time, take that time seriously by starting at that time, and blocking out distractions has changed the game for me.
Sounds like a “duh” time management tip, but when you have the freedom to call the shots, it’s so easy to let things slip like not respecting when you said you’ll start working.
Or getting on Facebook whenever now that you don’t have a boss judging you for being on your phone. That was my struggle big time.
Now I make sure I start when I scheduled myself to start, I take my lunches when I scheduled my lunches, and I have an actual “quitting-time” for when my work day is done.
Productivity on fleek. (Do people still say that? Fleek?)
Tip from Time Management & Working From Home
#5 “Establish Routines and Stick to Them as Much as Possible”
Listen, having routines on lock has improved my productivity so much that I swear by this time management tip.
Susan at The Balance Small Business says having a routine helps people get started right away on their tasks instead of wasting time struggling to get started.
Before implementing routines into my work schedule, I was only using them for my mornings and evenings to stick to my healthy habits.
But they also helped me stick to my daily work habits like follow up, pitching, scheduling, and keeping my social media accounts active.
Having routines is a time management practice that has helped big time with improving productivity.
Tip from 11 Time Management Tips That Work
#6 “Set a time limit to each task”
John for Forbes says that setting time limits helps him beat distractions and procrastination. This time management tip has helped me do the same.
I’m also able to get more done and progress on several projects instead of working on one project at a time.
Setting time limits allows me to schedule tasks for different projects and makes me move on to the next tasks when time is up.
If I don’t finish something that day, I reschedule it for the following day.
Tip from Manipulate Time With These Powerful 20 Time Management Tips
#7 “Plan ahead”
According to Erin with QuickBooks, planning ahead will help you better focus on one task at a time and get them done instead of hopping from one task to the next.
She suggests planning the night before or first thing in the morning.
I plan the following day at the end of my workday so I can plan based on exactly what I got done that day.
This helps me track what is done and what is coming up next.
Tip from 8 Time Management Tips to Grow Your Small Business
#8 “Categorize Your Time: Focus Time, Administrative Time, & Sacred Time”
This time management tip from Anna of Classy Career Girl has helped me plan with ease and stay on top of the many things I have to get done as a full-time blogger.
As explained by Anna, Focus Time is when you’re doing your money-making tasks, Administrative Time is when you’re doing tasks you have to do but aren’t results-oriented, and Sacred Time is for personal time, hanging with family, and getting into hobbies.
I like using this tip by creating a column for each category, listing what I want to get done in each of those categories, and then scheduling that time into a planner.
It’s helped with getting better organized with everything.
Tip from 13 Time Management Habits of Successful Women
#9 “Batch as if Your Life Depends on It”
Another great time management tip from Anna is batching tasks.
Grouping similar tasks together have helped because it keeps me focus instead of me losing time getting refocused on different tasks.
You cut off all distractions and get to work on those similar tasks.
Batching also helps improve time management because you can set time blocks in your schedule for completing the same tasks. It’s improved my time management big time.
Tip from 13 Time Management Habits of Successful Women
#10 “Realize That Time Management Is a Myth”
What?! All this hoopla about time management and Susan with The Balance Small Business calls it a myth?!
I actually like that Susan reminds us that we’ve all got 24 hours in a day that doesn’t change and all we can really manage is ourselves.
Time doesn’t get managed. We do. *mind blown*
So I guess these time management tips are actually “you” management tips?
Whatever the case, managing yourself so you can get optimal use of your 24 hours is a great practice for improving productivity.
Tip from 11 Time Management Tips That Work
Learning time management tips and actually implementing them will improve your time management. Don’t slack on this.
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Do you struggle? How do you manage your time? Have you used one of these tips and have improved your productivity? I’d love to hear about it! Please comment below.
