How much time do you spend during a typical work week stressing about time constraints for work tasks, personal goals, or homework deadlines? We tend to blame the clock for not having enough time when really, time stress mainly comes from one root: ourselves and our inability to manage it properly.

No matter what you do, where you work, or what position you hold, managing your time effectively will make you incredibly productive, reduce stress and keep you organized. We’re going to show you just how to do that.

What Is Time Management?

Time management is your ability to plan, control and use your time effectively. It also means you are dedicating the right amount of time to certain activities and cutting down on others. For instance, if you have a work presentation tomorrow, you should be spending less time on Netflix and more time practicing your script.

Even if you have lots to do in one day, focusing on activities is much better time management that just being “busy.” Not only will time management build you as a person, but it will also help strengthen your professional reputation.

Why Is Time Management Important?

Time management is important because it has shown incredible benefits as a result. Here are some of the improvements in time management.

1. Get more done by doing less. When you manage your priorities and making sure you focus only on the things that matter you’d be able to see more results in less time.
2. Improve your decision making. When we’re in a rush, we tend to jump to conclusions. Managing out time allows us to spend the right amount of time for every decision, big or small.
3. Be more successful. Prosperous leaders are the ones who can manage their time rather than following others. By practicing time management, you’ll be able to achieve success not only in your personal life but also in your career as well.
4. Learn where you shine. Managing your time means that you also know how to best utilize the different times of the day. For example, if you’re a morning person, make sure you wake up early to make your most important decisions. If you feel tired, set yourself with a backlog of things that require less concentration and focus. The better you learn yourself and your habits, the more you can accomplish.
5. Reduce your stress. You aren’t going to feel nearly as rushed or overwhelmed as you once were. Stress alone is a silent killer that doesn’t only cause clutter in your mind, but it can actually cause you physical pain such as headaches, weak immune systems and more. Reducing your stress will make you feel better mentally and physically, leading you to be more efficient at completing work tasks on time and estimating how long they might take you.
6. Procrastinate less.  You are not only taking control of your time, but also experiencing self-discipline, leading you to procrastinate less as hard as it is to break. Instead of procrastinating, it will force you to find new alternatives to fill your time.
7. Have your free time. Don’t worry, you can still have your downtime. We all need it to take a break to have a great good night’s sleep and recharge our minds and bodies. As important as it is to get your work done, it’s just as important to take breaks.

Quick Tips for All

These quick tips are ones apply to everyone and can be used with Any.do!

1. Create a to-do list. Any.do is actually more than just a to-do list.
2. Prioritize your tasks. When you know what is most important, you will figure out what needs to get done first.
3. Review your calendar.
4. Stay organized. Do we need to say more?
5. Get into a routine. This will help you create healthy habits that will be hard for you to break and easier to follow.
6. Use timers. You can easily give yourself a certain amount of time to fully focus. Any.do actually has a feature called Focus Mode that does this for you. Check it out!

Tips for Students

Most of us have had the opportunity to pull the all-nighter before a final exam. Homework, class, extracurriculars, sports, and jobs are some of the components students have to manage. Don’t forget they would love to have social lives on top of all that. Here are some simple solutions to manage your school life no matter what year you’re in.

1. Write down all your assignments and tasks. Rank them based on importance and due date. Then work down your list in that order. This is the first step to help you avoid procrastinating, even though it’s tempting to do it.
2. Use a calendar app like Any.do! If you’re feeling old-fashioned, put a calendar up on your wall. Don’t just write when your assignments are due. Write down when you have class, soccer practice, group meetings, etc.
3. Make time for studying. As much as you don’t want to admit it, you must set aside time specifically for studying. Not only do you need to make time for it, but you should also get rid of as many distractions as you can. Turn off your phone or put it in another room. Get a room to yourself, put in your headphones and get going.
4. Figure out how you study best. Do you study better when you’re in a group, with a partner, or entirely on your own? For some, working with others can be distracting. On the other hand, some students are most productive when studying with peers. Experiment a little in how you study to feel out what is best for you.
5. Don’t forget to be flexible. Even though you have a schedule written down on paper, that doesn’t mean things are set in stone. Accept that it is entirely normal for things to change and it happens to everyone. It will happen to you and when it does, it will teach you to work around those changes and you will only grow from there.
6. Stay healthy! If you are not healthy, you won’t be nearly as productive as you could be. This means eating the right foods, exercising regularly and getting eight hours of sleep. Don’t forget to take care of yourself.

Tips for Managers

Being a manager means you have to focus on more than just your own time. You have to manage employees’ time as well. It sounds stressful, but it can easily be broken down and manageable with these tricks.

1. Create lists. From a daily to-do list to schedules for the next year, these are going to make sure you always know what everyone is doing. Also, you can easily set goals from day-to-day to long term goals for your team to have something to refer to and track progress.
2. Communicate effectively. Each person you oversee may communicate differently with you. You must communicate clearly and effectively to eliminate any misunderstanding. When everyone is on the same page, things will run smoothly.
3. Assign tasks to employees or team members you can trust. Observe how your team performs and assign tasks to people who can handle it.
4. Make time to focus on just your work. This is so you can complete the most important tasks. Even though you should do this without interruptions, understand they can still happen. Let your team know when you don’t want to be interrupted for that time unless something specific arises.
5. Create meeting agendas so no one gets sidetracked and your team stays focused. Meeting agendas made ahead of time allows people to prepare ahead of time so they know what to expect. This will help your meetings get started quickly and stay productive.
6. Don’t forget to check your emails. Whether you write a sticky note for yourself or create a reminder on Any.do, make sure you are checking your emails periodically to what fits best for your schedule.
7. Go over tomorrow’s schedule so you always know what to expect and can make any changes you need ahead of time.

Any.do as Your Management Tool

Having a lot to juggle and not having the proper tools to do so can make things more difficult. Any.do has the tools for you to make to-do lists not only for today but for tomorrow as well. The calendar Any.do offers also lets you plan ahead for long-term goals and events. Assign tasks on your to-do list with your peers for school assignments or to your employees for work projects. Share your lists with others so everyone is always on the same page and ahead of the game. Use the Focus Mode feature to crank down for a set time to study or to get other urgent tasks done. Access Any.do from your phone, laptop, desktop, and even your smartwatch so you are always ready on the go.