4 Time-Management Techniques to Boost Daily Productivity

In today’s world that is filled with distractions created by social media, notifications and instant messaging, it is becoming increasingly hard to manage our time wisely. Even though people set certain goals to achieve every single day, hours pass by without any results.

However, there are certain proven techniques that we can adopt to solve this problem. We can literally create a system where wasting time becomes an impossibility. In this article, we will learn 5 of the best time management techniques that are being used by some of the most successful people in the world.


A Harvard Business Study divided students into 2 groups where one group was asked to keep their goals in their mind itself when the second group clearly wrote it down on a sheet of paper. The study found out that the students in second group were three times more likely to succeed than the students in first group. Three times is not a small digit when it comes to achieving our dreams in life.

The truth is, writing our goals down will gift us the fuel and focus to strive hard towards our dream. Hence, as the first step of your time management journey draw the big picture and write down what you want to become or achieve in the next 5-10 years.


One of the easiest ways to gain total control over your time is by planning each day in advance. Every night before going to sleep take out your diary or smart phone and write down how you are going to spend each waking hour of the next day. In fact, you can create a to-do list and tick them off as you complete each task while going through the day.

Specially allotting each hour for particular tasks help our mind imagine ourselves doing it. Once we see something in the mind, it becomes easier to convert it into action in the real world. Thus, planning in advance is an extremely beneficial, sometimes necessary, step towards being disciplined with our time.


To apply this powerful technique, we must first take a piece of paper and divide it into 5 columns as A, B, C, D and E. Under column A we must write down the most important tasks or something that we should do for the next day. Doing or failing to do this task will have serious positive or negative impact on our lives.

Secondly, the B item is defined as a task that you should. But it has only mild consequences compared to the tasks in column A. The key is that you should never do a B task when an A task is left undone i.e., never be distracted by a trivial goal when an important job that deserves immediate attention is left undone.

Thirdly, a C task is something that would be nice to do but for which there are no consequences at all, whether you do it or not. Activities like phoning a friend, having a coffee with a co-worker & completing some personal business during work hours belong to this category. Fourthly, a D task is termed as something you can delegate to someone else. Finally, an E task is anything you can eliminate altogether.

The key to making this method work for you is to discipline yourself to start immediately on your first task in A column & then stay at it until it is complete. Repeat this exercise for the next thirty days, & you will then find out that it has become a habit.


Research has proved that when we multi-task our focus and deep-thinking abilities deplete. If too many tabs are opened in our laptop, it becomes much easier to do what seems fun rather than what should be done. Therefore, you can decide today to delete unnecessary apps and even social media sites from your phone for achieving stronger focus. Additionally, use techniques such as Pomodoro, focus apps or pre-designed quiet zones to enhance productivity.

These are 4 highly effective time management techniques that can boost your productivity. Today itself, take one of these methods and start applying it in your life. It could be guaranteed that you will experience the difference and enhanced focus from the next day onwards.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What is the 25 5 method?
   25 5 method is also known as the Pomodoro technique where you study or work for 25 minutes and then take rest for 5 minutes.
2. What is the golden rule of time management?
   A golden rule of time management is to finish the hard tasks first before taking up the easier and less important ones.
3. How to manage time like Elon Musk?
   Elon Musk’s time management technique which is famously known as the “5 minute rule”, involves scheduling a whole day in short, 5 minute to 1 hour blocks to focus on one job at a time.