Tools for effective time management
The agenda
The personal agenda is a book (non-removable pages) or notebook (removable pages using rings or similar system) that in its pages divides, usually into days, the time of a period (usually a calendar year). Each day of the year usually has a leaf, that is, there is at least one leaf (sometimes more) for March 14, another for April 26, etc. A day's sheet is usually divided into hours by horizontal lines. The purpose of the agenda is to write down, in the precise time interval, what the person has to do, or wants to do, that day at that time. It is an essential work tool[19] for executives "Executive (position)"), many other professionals (such as doctors who care for patients in their office), and students.
Once you have placed the tasks that need to be done on a precise day and time, you can fill the rest of your waking hours (the "schedule gaps") with activities that you need or want to do, but that do not need such a tight temporal placement. Although writing down a task in the agenda at the moment the need to do it arises is positive, because it unloads the mind and promotes concentration and creativity,[41] effective use of the agenda requires spending a few minutes[42] to organize it for a period (usually a week) before said period begins.[19].
The word "agenda" has other related meanings that are worth knowing.
Originally physical, electronic diaries became popular in the 1980s, most of which stopped being manufactured with the emergence of diary-type applications (apps) that came standard with the smartphone (smartphone).[43] These applications not only allow you to place a task at a time of a day, but also change it at any time with ease (in physical diaries you have to cross out the task in its original time space and write it again in another interval) and schedule alerts, from the mobile phone itself or sent to an email.
Typically, each person manages their own agenda, but in the case of very busy people, someone else usually does it. There are very common computer programs that allow one person to remotely organize another's agenda.
There are portable physical diaries, sizes around 11 cm high x 8 cm wide, designed for the person to carry with them (for example in a pocket) and other larger ones, around 20 cm high x 13 cm wide, in principle designed to be used on a table and not move from there. There are also multiple intermediate sizes, and even larger or smaller than the 2 described.
The task lists
A to-do list (also called a "to-do list") is a list of activities you want to complete, such as household chores or steps toward completing a project. It is an inventory tool that serves as an alternative to memory "Memory (process)") or a supplement to it.
Task lists are used in self-organization (managing oneself), business administration, project management, or software development. They may involve more than one list.
When one of the items on a task list is completed, the task is crossed out, endorsed[44] (a small mark is written next to it to indicate that it has been completed), or it is made to disappear from the list (if a computer medium that allows it is being used). The traditional method is to write the list on paper with a pen or pencil. Under the paper there may be a hard support surface (wood, plastic) that makes writing easier. This surface may have some type of clamp, usually metal, to hold the paper. Task lists can also be in the form of a checklist, on paper or computerized.
Writer Julie Morgenstern, in her recommendations on the dos and don'ts of time management, suggests:
Numerous digital equivalents are now available, including personal information management (PIM) applications and most PDAs (tablets). There are also Internet-based computer programs for managing to-do lists, many of which are free. There are also applications (apps) for the smartphone (smartphone).[46].
The tasks on a list are often spread over days and divided into categories. The simplest division system includes a general to-do list (or a task storage file) that contains all the tasks that a person needs to complete, and a daily list, which is created each day by transferring tasks from the general list to him or her. An alternative is to create a "do not do list" to avoid unnecessary tasks.[45].
Task lists are often prioritized:.
Computer programs
Many companies use time tracking software to monitor an employee's work day, billable hours, etc., e.g. e.g. a law firm management software.
Many time management software programs allow multiple users, let one user assign tasks to others, and facilitate communication through the program itself.
To-do list applications can be seen as a stripped-down version of a personal information manager or project management software.
Modern applications of this type may allow hierarchical structuring of tasks (a task may be composed of subtasks that may in turn contain other subtasks), may provide various methods of filtering and sorting the list of tasks, and may allow the user to assign notes of any length to each task.[55].
In contrast to the concept of allowing the user multiple filters, at least one software product contains an additional mode where it is the program itself that attempts to dynamically determine the best tasks at any given time.[56].
Time management systems
Time management systems often include a time clock or Internet-based application to track employee work hours. These systems give employers some insight into how their staff spends their time, allowing them to a certain extent (depending on which system they have implemented) to direct and plan it. In this way, employers can control labor costs and increase productivity. An adequate time management system automates processes and eliminates tedious tasks.
Getting things done (GTD)
The Getting Things Done (GTD) method was created by David Allen. The basic idea behind this method is to finish all the small tasks immediately and divide the big tasks into smaller ones to start completing them now. The reasoning behind this method is to avoid the information overload or mental block that can probably occur when there are hundreds of tasks. The thrust of GTD is that it encourages the user to do their tasks as quickly as possible, and to put their ideas on paper at the same pace, so that tasks and ideas are easy to see and manage.
Pomodoro
The "Pomodoro Technique", by Francesco Cirillo, was originally conceived in the late 1980s-1990s and gradually perfected until finally being defined in 1992. The name of the technique comes from a tomato-shaped kitchen timer (pomodoro in Italian) initially used by Cirillo during his university days. The fundamental measurement element within this technique is the "pomodoro", which is traditionally defined as a time of 30 minutes divided into 25 minutes of work and 5 minutes of rest. Cirillo also recommends a longer break, 15 to 30 minutes, after every 4 "pomodoros." Through experimentation with various work groups and mentoring activities, Cirillo determined that the ideal duration of the "pomodoro" was between 20 and 35 minutes.[57].