Struggling with time management? Here are 6 productivity hacks to create a schedule that will stick

Image via Getty

If working from home has gotten the better of your schedule, follow these expert-approved tips to reclaim your sense of structure

You’re not the first person to feel that lately, time has been an unreal phenomenon. What used to be neatly segregated pockets of hours, minutes and even seconds—between practicing meditation or yoga, getting dressed for work, grabbing breakfast, and commuting—have been morphed into a long (and at times messy) chain of entangled events within the confines of our homes, courtesy of the ongoing pandemic. Zoom calls now merge with our morning snack, waist-up dressing leaves us with a part-real sense of professionalism, and 12-hour workdays no longer feel unusual.

Washington DC-based digital productivity coach Deb Lee says, “When you work from an office, each day has a routine and perhaps a particular ‘feel’. There's a structure around what you do and when you do it. When you work remotely, that feel and structure can seem more nebulous.” So, how do you make time feel real again? Turns out, there are tips and tricks to avoid the dissatisfaction that arises when you fail to meet that overambitious to-do list that you crafted in your weekend reveries, or when you simply can’t get a grasp of time allocation. Here are Lee’s recommended techniques to help you create a realistic schedule—one that is bound to stick.

Set work hours

Don’t go overboard with your working hours because you “might as well” now that your social life has taken a hiatus. The pattern can be insidious and is bound to burn you out in the long run. Set fixed hours to start and end work on any given day and stay committed to those hours. This will also most likely mean that you will have to set fixed timings for yourself to wake up and go to bed, according to Lee.

Get dressed for work

“Think of this as your ‘opening routine’ or the way you will open or start each day. Getting out of your PJs and into work clothes can set the tone for your morning and put you in the right frame of mind for work tasks. The same is true for ending work. Put on your comfy clothing when work is done,” Lee says.

Use a timer

Setting an alarm around cut-off points—be it a work-related deadline or the time that marks the end of your working day—can be crucial to helping you stick to your schedule. For instance, if you plan to stop working at 7pm, set the alarm clock for 6.45pm and use the last few minutes to reset your workspace for the following day. Reorganising your desk can make for an effective closing routine, just like dressing up makes for an impactful opening ritual.

Practice single-tasking

Though the demands of the digital era might not point in the same direction, research shows that humans aren’t wired for multitasking. Even though you might feel obliged to work on your project while also granting your attention to the ongoing conference call, attempt to practice single-tasking. Select the most important task that commands your attention and try to give your uninterrupted diligence to it.

Pomodoro your day

The Pomodoro Technique involves doing 25 minutes of work followed by a five-minute break. After your fourth Pomodoro or 25-minute work block, you can take a longer 30-minute break. This popular time management technique helps you keep distractions at bay and prevents the constant urge to multitask. Fun fact: “Pomodoro” means “tomato” in Italian, and the method is invented by Italian software developer and entrepreneur Francesco Cirillo, who used tomato-shaped kitchen timers to record his productivity.

Rethink productivity

There’s a reason why goal-setting has been deemed as an art. Lee recommends being realistic about what you can achieve in a given day, “It's nice when you're able to start and finish a task or project all in one sitting. It's probably not reasonable to think this will happen all the time. Instead, think of advancing or making progress. Set productivity milestones and decide on the portion of the task or project you will work on for the day. What specific action steps will you take to make progress?” asks Lee.

This article originally appeared on Vogue.in