4 practical tips to manage your time working from home

We have been working from home for almost a year now. Most of us have figured out how to manage our time at home, but for some of us it is still a work in progress. Organising your time is what keeps work and personal life in balance.

No single method works for everyone, but these are the tips we put together that might help you.

1. Audit where you spend most of your time.

Being busy is not the same as being productive. Keeping an inventory of your time lets you spot the things you do that you don't need to, drop them, and make room for the things that matter more.

An easy way to audit your time is to go through your day as usual and write down what you did in each time slot. A notepad works, and so does an Excel spreadsheet. This is a what-I-did list, not a to-do list.

Once you can see where your time goes, add action plans in a remarks column, like cutting activities you get no value from or giving more time to tasks that are important to you. Then adjust your plans.

2. Identify what method works for you.

Lots of people use a time management method, and different methods suit different people. Finding yours will probably take some trial and error.

These are the methods we suggest you try.

• Prioritizing to-dos using the Eisenhower Decision Matrix
• The Eisenhower Decision Matrix sorts tasks by urgency and importance: urgent, not urgent, important and not important. You can keep it on paper or in an app, and use it daily, weekly, monthly or even yearly, whatever suits you.
• Read more about the Eisenhower Decision Matrix and how to use it

• To-Do Lists
• You can keep a to-do list on paper, on sticky notes on your laptop, or in a Chrome extension. We built a free, minimalist Chrome extension called Inspiring Todo App if you want to try one.

• Time Blocking
• Time blocking means assigning your tasks to blocks of time across the day. You can do it on paper or digitally. We like Google Calendar for it, because blocking time there is easy and it can notify you 15 minutes (or whatever you set) before your next block.

3. Build around what works for you.

Once you know which methods work for you, use them regularly and build your days around them. Two more habits help.

• Set boundaries
• If you want your team and your family to let you work in peace, tell them which hours you need for focused work. Help them help you.
• Stay away from bad distractions
• Some distractions are necessary and some are not. Work out which ones stop you hitting your targets, and do what you can to get rid of them.

4. Have an established morning routine

Jodi Clarke, a licensed professional counselor and mental health service provider, writes in her article "Benefits of a Morning Routine," that a morning routine sets the tone for the day, which helps us manage our time and get more done.

Working from home, it is tempting to roll out of bed and straight to the desk. Spending the first hour of the day on a morning routine instead makes us more focused and intentional about the work that follows.

Time management is a means to an end. As John F. Kennedy put it, "We must use time as a tool, not as a couch."

If you have tips of your own, we'd like to hear them.

You might also want to read Practical tips to stay productive working from home.

Story by Krisha Suico, Christine Suson and Michelle Biag, Symph Interns 2021