Good time management is essential. But what to do with too much time? We will tell you!
The gym is closed, you don't have to drive to university or work anymore and your favorite café is closed during Coronavirus? Do you have too much time and no plan how to organize yourself? Here we have summarized three important time management methods for you to effectively get through Coronavirus time.
A guide to time management
First things first: start prioritising in must-should-could-categories. Only then you will be able to make good use of your time. If you understood this principle of doing the most important things first, you can continue to dig deeper and find a time management theory that fits your needs. We’d like to introduce you to three popular examples:
The Eisenhower-principle
A well-known technique is the Eisenhower-principle. It got its name from former US president Dwight D. Eisenhower who apparently used this method himself. You categorize your tasks by urgency and importance. This results in a matrix of A, B, C and D tasks that you should deal with in different ways.
The Eisenhower principle gives you a better overview of upcoming tasks. However, it won't help if you've accumulated a lot of A and C tasks, all of which are time-critical.
The 25,000 Dollar method
This method focuses only on the importance of tasks and takes into account that priorities may change over time.
The method is attributed to US journalist and PR expert Ivy Lee. In 2018, Charles Michael Schwab, manager of the steel company Bethlehem Steel, supposedly asked him to make the company's work processes more efficient and profitable. Allegedly Lee didn't want a fixed fee, but offered Schwab to test his method as long as he wanted and then pay an amount that he thought was appropriate. Schwab agreed, and after a few weeks Lee received a check for $25,000. The reason: The method was the most valuable lesson he had learned in his entire life.
Lee had given the following instructions:
As you can see, this method is not a magic trick. Nevertheless, it will help you to focus on one task at a time, and not get lost in a variety of tasks.
The ALPEN method
The ALPEN method goes back to the author and speaker Lothar J. Seiwert and helps you to structure your daily routine in a better way. The name ALPEN is an acronym and refers to the German version of the five steps of the method. These five steps are:
Now let’s get to work and try to turn these new methods into habits!