The Power of 1-2-3-4-5

For those of us who seem to struggle with time and project management regularly, here are some quick tips to swear by. These might not be handy in all situations and the reader (thanks for stopping by, by the way!) may not find them relatable/relevant to their lifestyle at all - but hey! no harm in having a few tricks up your sleeve to help someone else perhaps.

Most of the content comes from my experience as having held various kinds of positions of responsibility throughout my student life and a time management course I was smart enough to enroll in as a Mitacs intern.

Feel free to share some of your own techniques and to reach out in case you want to discuss any of these further :D

The Power of 1

A personal intention for the day. One for the week. One for the month. And one for the year.

That's it. Sound too much? Then that's probably "commitment phobia". Start simple. Start small. Get 1 diary/notebook/bullet journal - and before going to sleep every day just make a quick note about what your intention for the next day is going to be. Just 1 nice little goal or task you want to achieve for sure. Wake up and reaffirm it. Accomplish it. Repeat.

If everything is important then nothing is important. Identify a single high-priority task.

A high-priority task can generally be defined as something which is both important and urgent. A hard deadline to get a passing grade? Yes. Checking out the Instagram profile of my friend's crush's pet cat? No. Checking out the Instagram profile of my friend's crush's pet cat who is entangled in a ball of wool? A big yes. You get the idea.

The idea is to not overcommit and set yourself up for failure at the end of the day. After making a to-do list, just taking out 1 minute to rank the tasks according to priority and identifying 1 critical task for the day will make life easier. Now, this could be the same as your personal intention for the day, but this is great for days when you want to get multiple things done in a day and want to judge to what task your "prime time" of the day goes. Which task gets allotted the 2-hour block after breakfast? Or, what is it that I need to accomplish no matter what and I don't know how long that is going to take so I need to free my day up?

The Power of 2

The 2-minute to-do tasks

How many tasks on your to-do list can be done in 2 minutes or under? A text you had to drop a senior, a phone call to the local grocer, looking up an industry professional? If these or similar tasks that adorn your "tasks for today" or trouble your mind by "slipping in and out" can be performed in 2 minutes, do them now. Go ahead, I'm not joking.

Frame it as a game

On the other hand, how many tasks can you accomplish in 2 minutes? Want to clear out your desk? Set a timer for 2 minutes and challenge yourself to do as much as possible! This is a great technique to declutter your almirahs and also to close the many many tabs open on your laptop!

The Power of 3

Habit Formation

This is for those of us who'd like to incorporate a new routine in our lives but are skeptical of daily commitment. 3 days a week is all I suggest initially. Even if you defect at the beginning of the week, you still have days to compensate. Once you get into the rhythm of things and have successfully built trust with yourself, you can allot more time!

Spheres of Investment

Many times one project becomes too demanding of our headspace and time. Because of that one project, other spheres of our lives are left behind. To avoid that, I like to set my day or week so that I can fulfill some activities in at least 3 spheres, typically - personal (hobbies, collections, etc.), professional/academics (internships, courses, trainings, research papers, etc.), and family/social (outings, indoor games, movie nights, phone/video calls, etc.). On a day-to-day basis, you may find this "requirement" getting met with owing to the ebb and flow nature of life. The key point is exactly that. To be able to consciously work these differing spheres into your schedule so you can enjoy it more!

Restoring control

Breathe in, breathe out. 3 deep breaths for when you are feeling overwhelmed and to clear your head of all the unnecessary transient thoughts, and refocus on the task at hand. If this doesn't work, then take a proper break!

At this point in the article, a quick disclaimer. This is by no means a guide to becoming a robot or a suggestion to develop a super productive/efficient outlook towards life. Some of these tips have helped me deal with "productivity thieves" like procrastination, overcommitment, and distractions, and when employed have helped me regain control of my time and life!

The Power of 4

Managing your Energies

Our energies can be classified as physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. If at any point we feel any one of them exceptionally drained, then it is time to counterbalance by either investing yourself elsewhere or refueling the spent energy. Listening to music (fulfilling spiritually) to counter the stress due to assignment deadlines (strenuous mentally). At times we will find that we are unable to accomplish the tasks planned for the day even if we have time on our hands. This might be due to an energy deficit and can be managed accordingly!

The Power of 5

Time for Mindfulness

Blocking 5 minutes daily for just sitting with yourself. It could be with that diary mentioned initially or just in a meditative pose to reflect on your energies. These 5-minute slots can be placed as often as you'd like in the day and even be extended to however much time you need to come back to the state you want to. Getting to know yourself, your values, your incentives, and your motivations is a great and according to me the most important step in the management of anything!

Get, Set, Go!

And for that little extra push at times, an extended countdown -

5... 4... 3... 2... 1... Let's Go!

That's it from me for now. I'd like to thank you once again for taking the time. I will reiterate that time management is a highly individualized process and should be treated so. Thus it follows that it is harmful to berate yourself in comparison to others. And always remember to reward yourself for finishing a difficult (or unpleasant) task!

As always, I'm open to suggestions and feedback. I will be happy to share some more tips. I look forward to hearing from you!