Critical thinking and time management go together. Time management is really just a problem that needs to be solved, and that problem can only be solved with a dash of critical thinking. Once you solve that problem, you get to enjoy life a little bit more. Proper time management leads to less stress and more free time.
On this page, we are going to give you a few time management strategies to help you deal with any issues you may have making the most of your time. We will tie this into critical thinking.
Why Critical Thinking and Time Management are Related.
As you know, critical thinking is about trying to come up with a logical solution to a problem. This is why it works well with time management issues.
Time management really boils down to dealing with the reasons behind your time management issues, and then trying to solve them. You will see more about what we mean as we give you tips for critical thinking and time management in the next section.
Top Tips For Using Critical Thinking and Time Management
As we said, time management is just an exercise in critical thinking. You are solving a problem, and there are multiple methods you can use to accomplish this.
Work Out Why You Have Time Management Issues
Critical thinking begins when you have a problem that needs to be fixed. You analyze all the information available to you and come up with a solution. In the case of time management, you are working out that you have a time management issue, and your job is to work out how to get around that issue.
There are many reasons why you may have time management issues:
- Not enough hours in the day.
- You are prioritizing your tasks improperly.
- You are taking too many breaks.
- You are taking on more work than you should be.
- You are focusing too heavily on certain tasks and ignoring others.
Once you know why those issues are occurring, things become easier to solve. You can start to implement strategies that help to fix that problem. So, you have gone through the entire process of critical thinking:
- Established a problem.
- Determined the reasons for that problem.
- Come up with solutions for that problem.
- Implemented the right solution.
Over the next few sections, we will share some key time management solutions, and we will tell you when they work the best.
Give Yourself a Time Target
Time targets are best for those people who work a bit slower. The more relaxed people. The ones that seem to think ‘it doesn’t really matter when I do this job’. Guess what? It does. Even if you have a deadline well in the future, you need to get the task completed quickly. You don’t want to be waiting to the last possible moment (it is stressful). If you don’t have a deadline, you still want that problem out of the way. If it isn’t, those jobs will keep stacking up.
So, for every task, give yourself a reasonable time target to hit. Make sure you hit it. Remember, you will need to plan this around any other tasks that may come your way.
Tackle The Easier Problems First
This time management strategy works best for those that find themselves overwhelmed with complicated tasks. We’ve been there. We have plenty of easy projects on our plate, but we can’t seem to get through the tougher problems first. This causes us to become demotivated, and our entire schedule is thrown out of sync.
If you can, tackle the easier problems first. This accomplishes two things:
- You are finishing some tasks.
- You get a bit of a motivational boost, perhaps giving you more opportunities to focus on the harder tasks.
If you don’t have easier tasks to tackle, then you may want to try and break down the tougher tasks into more manageable chunks. This way, you feel like you are getting stuff done. Again, great for motivation.
This won’t work in every situation. Sometimes, the tougher tasks do need to be prioritized, just because the deadline is a bit sooner. However, if your deadlines are a bit more relaxed, then don’t be afraid to shuffle things around your schedule.
Prioritize The Right Tasks
You should always keep tabs on which tasks are the most important. You can do this in one of several ways.
Our preferred method is to separate our tasks into three categories:
- High priority
- Medium priority
- Low priority
These categories are fluid. For example, low-priority tasks can move up to high-priority when the deadline approaches.
When a task comes in, assign it to one of those categories. There are various apps that can help with this too. In fact, Google and Microsoft both offer to-do lists that offer task prioritization.
You should always focus on the things in the high-priority category first. These are your ‘must dos’.
How does this help? Well, it keeps people focused on the most important jobs. It makes them realize that things are supposed to be getting done. This encourages people to actually do the jobs. This means fewer breaks and more task focus.
Learn How to Organize Yourself
Some people suffer from time management issues because their schedule isn’t rigid enough. If that is you, then you may like this time management technique.
At the start of the day, come up with a detailed plan of what you will be doing each minute of the day. Don’t forget to schedule some breaks (more on that in the next section). When you schedule yourself, you will find it much easier to stay on task.
You can use your task prioritization lists to work out what needs to be done and when.
We know some people find that this method very restrictive, but we have found it really helped us. Once we started to organize our day into chunks, we found that we accomplished a lot more. Time management becomes much easier when you have a goal to meet.
Remember, when you are ‘blocking’ your time, build a bit of leeway into the time dedicated to each project. It accounts for overruns. For example, if you have a project you anticipate would take an hour, then maybe block it in for an hour and a half. If you finish it sooner, then great. This means you have a break, and you can still stay on track.
Take Regular Breaks
A lot of time management issues are down to people overworking themselves. When you overwork, you get slower, and you are much more prone to mistakes.
Therefore, schedule regular breaks. 15 minutes every 2 hours is fine. Take a lengthier break for eating.
Make sure that you get back on task as soon as your break is over, though. We have heard countless stories of people who say “Oh, I will take an extra few minutes and get back to work”, only to find themselves never getting back to work, completely throwing off their time management!
Limit Distractions
We are constantly surrounded by distractions. Music. TV. Social media. The internet as a whole. Tech is great, but it has made it easier than ever to blow a hole in our time management.
Where possible, eliminate distractions while you are working. Don’t listen to podcasts or music. Close down the internet unless you need to use it. Don’t work in a room with a television. Switch off your phone, and encourage people not to speak to you.
If you can limit your distractions, you will find time management much, much easier.
Final Thoughts
Critical thinking and time management are linked. Time issues are another problem that needs to be solved. Once you start to establish why you have time management issues, it is easier to rectify the problem. This will result in less stress, better work, and a happier life.
References
https://active-consultants.com/critical-thinking-towards-time-management/
https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/management/time-management-list-tips/
