3. Identify and Use Your Best Working Hours

• Set the time of the day when you have a very good amount of focus, energy, and high-quality work.

• Schedule the most important and toughest tasks during those peak productivity hours.

• Ensure that you also guard those productive hours from intrusion and minimise other sources of distraction.

4. Avoid Multitasking

• Stop switching back and forth on several tasks at a time.

• Allocate your full concentration to one task at a time to maintain focus and productivity.

• Research has demonstrated that when one multitasks, it reduces productivity and increases stress on the worker.

5. Minimise Distractions

• Switch off your notifications, then close internet browsers and applications that you don’t need. Anything that might distract you from the work should be closed.

• It is also about setting up your workspace—windows, if you will, that enable you to work with few visual and auditory distractions.

• Use apps and tools that block access to disruptive websites and apps during your session.

6. Learn How to Say No

• Proceed with caution in considering requests or options. Make sure whatever the things may be, they correspond with your priorities and goals.

• Gracefully decline duties and commitments that do not contribute to your higher-order priorities.

• Saying no is very hard, but especially adept at saying no is task management.

7. Evaluate the Consequences of Delaying Tasks

• Think about what will happen if you procrastinate: “Missing deadlines, adding stress, or losing an opportunity.”

• You will maintain a sense of urgency when envisioning what would happen if some of the major tasks are delayed.

• First, always look to prioritise impact, not by complexity or difficulty of tasks.

8. Use Planning Tools

• Keep life in order and responsibilities on track with the help of digital calendars, to-do lists, and task management apps.

• Create the big picture of the schedule by adding tasks with deadlines in the calendar.

• See all of your calendars in one view: Allow tasks with deadlines to be added directly to the calendar.

• Try out different planning tools. Experimenting in this way will give you a sense of what works best with your personality and working style.

9. Add activities on the calendar.

• Put all of those activities in your calendar immediately when they have a due date. This will give you an outlook and help you not to be overwhelmed.

• Put all events onto your calendar as you would normally do any other commitment that involves you, such as meetings and appointments.

• Refer to your calendar constantly so that you can see if indeed you are making good use of your time.

10. Revise and Update Your Plan

• Continue fine-tuning your use of all of your time stewardship tools.

• Try new techniques and adjust the system so that it is most representative of your style.

• Remember to always keep in mind that priorities, needs, and patterns will change for you over time, and be ready to improvise and modify the system accordingly.

• Put to work these simple yet effective time oversight tips in your daily life, and find for yourself how a boost in productivity, along with reduced levels of stress and an improved work-life balance, go hand in hand.

Apply these time management tips to your daily life and see how to increase productivity, reduce stress, and make a healthier work-life balance.