Time is the most scarce resource we have and also the most valuable one.

Anyone and everyone you meet will tell you, how they don’t have time to do things they want. It seems everyone is in short supply of time these days.

Time management is the skill that everyone ought to master. You cannot do without it. When you look at the top professionals in various fields and disciplines, one of their key attributes is time management.

No matter who you are and what you do, organising time and using it well will never hurt you in life.

People who rise to great level of success in their fields spend their time with absolute attention. It is very often the quality of time they spend doing what they do. They spend quality time with full focus, which results in disproportionate results and great success.

It’s not about how much time you have, but the quality, attention and effectiveness with which you use it. Here we look at some powerful ways to organise your time:

1. Do it Today, don’t Wait for Tomorrow

It’s an attitude, either you do it today or postpone to tomorrow.

Schedule what you want to do in the day & give all your energy to complete it. People who postpone things for tomorrow end up wasting time, procrastinating and ultimately doing very little effective work in their day.

Successful people have a habit of getting things done. They make a short list of important and high priority work for the day. They stick to it and get it done.

People who rise to the top of their fields make their day count. They don’t wait for tomorrow to do what is scheduled today. It’s a small habit that does wonders in the long run.

You will surprise yourself with what you can achieve when you follow this simple mantra of doing it today.

2. Schedule Tasks Wisely

This is the golden rule of thumb for time management. Everyday, identify the most important tasks that need your attention & start with them. 

Have a very simple and organised routine to set yourself up for work. Don’t waste your energy first thing in the morning. Give all your energy to the hardest problems to want to solve.

With full energy and attention, you can often get the hardest things out of the way quickly. You can then schedule lightweight tasks that require less brain power during the course of the day.

There is a famous Eisenhower’s principles for managing your tasks:

a). Urgent & important: Do them now. Important deadlines and critical tasks that need your attention.

b). Important but not urgent: These are important tasks that need to be accomplished for you to move forward. Successful people have a way to get things moving even if they are not urgent.

c). Urgent but not important: Delegate these tasks if you can. These are small tasks that take away your focus and attention from important work.

d). Not Urgent and not important: Avoid these time stealers.

Successful people build routines that maximises their efficiency. They know how to make peak use of their time and end up doing lot more than their peers in the same time.

3. Follow 80/20 Rule & Eliminate Distractions

The 80/20 Rule says that 20% of your activities are responsible for 80% of your success. Or in other words, stick to your core and do it well.

The only way you can focus on a few tasks is by eliminating distractions. People are becoming a slave to their smartphones. It helps them do some of their work, but every notification, chat message, social media post is not important.

You need to eliminate your time stealers that prevent you from fully focusing on important things. Learn to say no to the distractions that hold you back. Schedule a time after lunch when you may be drowsy for the unimportant tasks, emails, chat messages etc.

Don’t let low priority tasks or unimportant work get in the way. Successful people understand the difference between doing the right thing than just doing the thing right.

4. Attention Management

Time management is more about attention management and staying focused. Being busy without being productive is a nightmare for professionals all over the world.

When you put in time, you need to make the best of it. It requires a deeper understanding of yourself. Think of it, what helps you produce your best? What time you are most focused? Which is the work you enjoy doing?

Find a strategy that works well for you and stick to it. Attention and focus are rare in a world of digital distractions. But for deep work, you need full attention and focus.

The attention management also requires you to handle ever changing priorities. You need to be able to have spontaneity and presence of mind to adapt to situations and do your best.

The business world is extremely demanding and the top professionals are those who can adapt very quickly as per the changing priorities.

5. Make Your Time Count

Parkinson’s law states that “work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.”

It is common for most professionals to work for an average of 60 hours per week. However, not everyone achieves greatness, far from it. Most people end up being mediocre because they do mediocre work.

Successful people spend time doing something that creates great value. They build things that attract attention and opportunities. They do things with complete involvement and end up with monumental achievements in their time.