The principle of structuring

How do you stealthily eat a whole box of chocolates? Eat it one at a time. Do the same with things: if the task is large and complex, divide it into a number of small parts and methodically deal with it.

Determine in what stages and deadlines it should approximately meet, what order and sequence should be observed. Yes, and whether it is necessary. A big task can take a lot of time: planning and decomposition into smaller subtasks will not allow you to lose the big picture and not to lose heart.

The principle of priorities

Prioritize your cases and tasks accordingly. Learn to rank them and develop self-discipline. The hardest and most repulsive activity is better placed ahead of all the others, or after a small number of micro-tasks, to warm up. If you carry it around all the time, you may accumulate excessive emotional tension and decrease your ability to work.

This is where the Pareto principle mentioned earlier comes in handy. This rule of thumb is found in the study of various phenomena, particularly social, economic, and physical.

In general, it is usually formulated as follows: “20% of efforts yield 80% of the result, and the remaining 80% of efforts yield only 20% of the result.

Many people intuitively think that this ratio is true. There is indeed a rational basis in it: you just need to find the right point and apply 20% of effort, and this will give 80% of the overall success.

SMART planning is also a great way to solve planning problems. SMART methodology helps to define goals, which, in turn, should be:

• Specific;
• Measurable;
• Attainable; Achievable in an appropriate amount of time;
• Relevant;
• Time-bound.

The main advantage of this methodology is its specificity. By defining a goal and objectives, you’ll begin to consistently move toward a result, and you’ll be able to use your resources more efficiently.

A rational approach to habits

There is an opinion that a habit is formed in 21 days. This time frame may be very tentative and individual, and it varies with different types of activities, but there is definitely a rational background to this observation. Surely among the patterns you have formed, there are some that do not help, but rather, even hinder?

Carry out an audit of your habits on two fronts:

Get rid of bad habits.

Smoking? Quit. Save time, money, and health. Smoking is proven harmful. Endless smoke breaks and interruptions to meaningful work only eat up time. Learn to take “smoke breaks” without a cigarette, and at least one and a half to two times less often.

Accustomed to spending a long time in the shower in the morning? Set yourself limits. Set a limit. Set a timer on your phone. Not getting enough sleep and feeling sluggish all day? Normalize your routine. No more social networking before bed and no more overtime. Your productivity is also made up of biological assumptions: rhythms, the time of day when you’re most productive, cyclical slumps, and healthy rest at night.

Start new healthy habits.

This can and should include taking care of your own health, if only because wasting time and money on medical treatments afterwards does not fit in any way with expedient time management.

Get into the habit of planning. Download an accounting and planning app on your smartphone or use something that is always on hand. That way you’ll be mindful of routines and develop discipline. It’s helpful to plan purchases, save time, keep a family budget and monitor personal efficiency.

The room for maneuvering is impressive. For example, it helps to free up time by limiting the time you spend on social media, checking your mail, or reading the news.