Effective time management is, arguably, the single most critical skill you can cultivate to advance your business objectives. If you are not managing your time well, there is little chance you will hit your marks either in the office or away from it.

No matter who you are and where you are at in the journey of life, time is of great concern. Existential arguments aside, nobody has more time than the next person, and there’s really nothing you can do to get more of it. However, there are ways you can manage the time you have to make the most of it.

Time Management Tips for Business Professionals

There are lots of habits you can cultivate to make your time more productive. Here are a few of our top tips to get you started:

Time Management Tip #1: Meditate, Exercise, Me Time

Every morning before you dive into your work, take time to balance yourself with 20 minutes of meditation or vigorous exercise. Go for a run, have a workout, take a shower, and get ready to rock the day. Your mental focus will be heightened, and your energy will be focused, and you’ll be prepared to hit the ground running.

Time Management Tip #2: Jump on High-Priority Tasks First

People tend to either do what’s easiest first or go directly to what’s most difficult. For more effective time management, use a priority system, and be sure you’re tackling those tasks first. Once you’ve got the hotlist out of the way, it’s okay to return to your easy/hard default, but you’ll never be behind the eight-ball.

Time Management Tip #3: Use the 80-20 Rule

Some people call this the Pareto Principle, but whatever you call it, the philosophy is that 80 percent of the results derive from 20 percent of the effort. The trick is to identify what that 20 percent is that’s driving the results and put the focus on those tasks.

Time Management Tip #4: Schedule Your Email Time

One of the easiest ways to tank your time management efforts is by allowing email to get in the way. While it’s important to jump on critical communications right away, try to prioritize what must be responded to and leave the rest for later. Schedule a specific time in your day for reading and responding to email and don’t get caught up in distraction.

Time Management Tip #5: Turn Social and App Notifications Off

It’s not relevant to your business objectives to know what your social connections are up to, who friended you, or what’s trending on Twitter. Turn off notifications completely during your working hours by enabling “do not disturb” on your smartphone. If you’re concerned with missing business-related calls, you can set specific contacts as VIPs, and then their communications will always come through.

What time management tips work for you? We’d love to hear about them! Share in the comments section below or reach out today to speak to us directly.