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The best time management techniques

time management

Julian Wonner

June 30, 2022

Leading yourself

Many people know the feeling of not having achieved enough at the end of the working day. Often the reason is poor time management. Here you will find an overview of the most effective time management methods, with which you can make your workday much more productive and consistent.

What is time management?

First, let’s define what the term time management means before diving right into the methods. Time management is essentially about using the available time as efficiently as possible by planning your activities.

The best time management methods

In the following, we have summarized the best time management techniques for you. No technique is better or worse than the other. It rather depends on your personality, tasks, or way of working to find out which method works best for you.
time management

ALPEN Method:

The ALPEN Method is mainly used for a first proper structuring and visualization of your plans. It’s best to use this method at the end of your workday, so that you don’t have to think your way through the tasks again the next morning. The ALPEN method is a German acronym and stands for Aufgaben (tasks), Länge (length), Pufferzeit (buffer time), Entscheidung (decisions) and Nachkontrolle (follow-up check).
Alpen method

Pareto Principle:

The Pareto Principle is based on the 80-20 rule. It says that with 20% of the effort, you can achieve 80% of your results. On the other hand, 20% of the results need 80% of your time and energy. So it is essential for good time management to identify these time wasters. Additionally, it is helpful to know which tasks really need a hundred percent solution, and for which tasks already 80% lead to a satisfactory result. Then you can focus on the tasks that have the most significant impact on the result.
Pareto-Principle

Pomodoro Technique:

The Pomodoro Method was established in 1980 by Francesco Cirillo, an Italian university student who used a kitchen timer in the form of a tomato (Pomodoro = tomato). The Pomodoro Technique involves working productively in time blocks of 25 minutes with a break of 5 minutes each.
The Pomodoro method was established in 1980 by Francesco Cirillo, an Italian university student who used a kitchen timer in the form of a tomato (Pomodoro = tomato). The Pomodoro Technique involves working productively in time blocks of 25 minutes with a break of 5 minutes each. After three to four rounds, a longer break of 20-30 minutes should be taken. The method helps to divide large tasks into smaller and more manageable steps or to complete smaller projects quickly. You can use the recesses for things that would usually distract you, such as looking at your phone or getting a drink.
Pomodoro Technique

Eisenhower Matrix

The widely used Eisenhower Matrix was developed by former US President Dwight D. Eisenhower. It provides a way to prioritize tasks. These are evaluated according to their urgency and importance and classified accordingly into A-tasks, B-tasks, C-tasks, and D-tasks. Depending on the assignment, the tasks are then completed immediately, delegated, scheduled, or ignored.
Eisenhower Matrix

„Eat the Frog“-Method

This very simple method suggests doing the most difficult and important task as the first thing of the day. Mornings offer the most productive time of the day, which you can take advantage of to get the most difficult task done. This way, you’ll start the day with a sense of accomplishment that will stay with you and motivate you for the rest of the day.
Eat the Frog Method
All of these time management methods bring more structure to your workday and help you use your time more efficiently. Introducing a new method into your daily routine can take a few weeks. It eventually must become a habit. So, a certain amount of discipline is necessary. That’s why it’s even more important to set yourself realistic goals that you can implement.

Once you’ve successfully implemented a method, it’s important to check that it’s actually working for you. You can also adapt the method to your individual needs, optimize it, and readjust it. In addition, you can regularly reward yourself when you complete one or more tasks particularly efficiently. This way you will gradually find the best time management method for you.

There are also some good online tools that you can use for your time management. For example, we recommend Trello or Asana to better organize your daily tasks.

Want to make your time management more effective? On our learning platform troodi grow, we offer a learning program to help you do just that. Our expert Constantin Jahn guides you through the individual chapters. Here’s what you can take away from the learning program:

  • Overview of time management methods
  • Daily and weekly planning
  • Planning and prioritizing tasks
  • Identification of disruptive factors and time eaters
  • Optimization of your own time management

Watch the trailer of the learning program here.

You can also create a free trial account or contact us by e-mail or phone if you have further questions.

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Julian Wonner
Julian is Head of Business Development at troodi and has worked as a systemic consultant and agile coach for several years. He has worked on topics such as self-organized teams, New Work, appreciative feedback (culture), and empowering leadership. He brings his experience as a trainer to the troodi learning programs on topics such as agile working, productive collaboration, and personal development.

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