Time and Self-Management: Explanation, Goals and Measures

1. What is time and self-management?
2. time of day you are particularly productive
3. personally prevents you from doing your work
4. numerous methods
5. You have several tools available for efficient time management, which are specifically designed to make the workday easier. Both
6. personal journey of discovery

We all know it: every day is filled with tasks, obligations, and projects, waiting to be tackled by us. Between professional demands, personal goals, and daily chaos, it can be a real challenge to stay organized and productive. Luckily, there are ways and means that can help you.

In this article, we'll find out how to better organize yourself, what distracts you from work, and how to easily get rid of such distractions. We'll also take a look at various time management methods that can help you structure your day and manage your work efficiently. Are you ready to optimize your workday?  

What is time and self-management?

Simply put, time and self-management mean you have your time and tasks well under control. Through time and self-management, you learn to manage your time better and keep control of your to-dos. Instead of treating your tasks as equal, you set priorities and sharpen your focus on the essentials. This makes you much more efficient. By making sure to take breaks, you stay efficient, focused, and also reduce work stress. This way, you manage to find a balanced work-life balance. Successful time and self-management are therefore extremely valuable both for you and your company.Tips for integrating self-management into your professional routineTo integrate self-management into your workday, you should first find out at which

time of day you are particularly productive

. You then assign your focus time to this period. Here you should take care of the most important tasks. So everything that you see at the top of your priority list. You can do everything else before or after.The correct prioritization of your tasks

plays a very central role for time and self-management. To effectively prioritize, you should first identify all pending tasks and then evaluate them according to urgency and importance. Take into account individual factors such as deadlines, resources, and long-term goals as well.Clear goal setting and to-do lists also help you with prioritization. In addition to the classic to-do list where you – best to do this just before you finish work – note down all your tasks for the coming day, you can also have brain-dump pages in your notebook. These help you collect your thoughts and ideas or tasks that have come up during the day and that you want to add to your next to-do list. This clears your mind and allows you to focus much better on your tasks.

If a task has a certain deadline

, you should always plan a time buffer. This is important to cushion unforeseen delays or unexpected problems. The buffer allows you flexibility in tasks and projects, reduces additional stress, and helps you create realistic schedules and meet your deadlines on time. In addition, you can try to divide especially large tasks into several subtasks

. This way you reach your goal step by step and can celebrate small successes along the way, which in turn promotes your motivation.Also, a healthy mix of different task types

can help you promote your self-management. After having ticked off an unpleasant task, which you have had difficulties with, you can reward yourself with a task that you are looking forward to. Don't forget to take regular little breaks

. This way you reduce mistakes, increase your concentration and come up with new ideas. A short walk in the fresh air or into the kitchen to make a cup of coffee or tea can work wonders. Give it a try!Time wasters and how to get rid of themFirst and foremost you should always consider what

personally prevents you from doing your work

. Do you often look at your phone? Do you get distracted easily by your surroundings? Write down a list of all the things that distract you from your work and try to banish them one by one from your workday.Of course, disruptive factors are not only with us, but also in our environment. A spontaneous chat with colleagues is always nice, but it can take you out of your concentration and cost you valuable time. Learn to say no sometimes and respect your own focus times

.  Your colleagues and you could agree on a sign that means you don't want to be disturbed.Even e-mails or chat notifications can disrupt your peace. Deactivate them or set your status to “do not disturb”

and rather plan a period that is outside your concentration phase to reply to messages and e-mails.Your tasks can also be time wasters. Are there tasks that require a lot of manual work? Then you should consider how to better automate

, optimize or even delegate them. It is also helpful to regularly reflect on your experiences to optimize your work method. Think about what comes easy to you and what doesn't. Use your strengths and be ready to acknowledge your weaknesses. This way, you learn to deal with them, improve them, and bring your skills in optimally. What time and self-management methods are there and how do they work?In addition to the tried-and-tested to-do lists, there are

numerous methods

, designed to make time and self-management easier. The efficiency of such methods often depends on personal preference, work method, and self-leadership. Experiment and find out which of the following examples suits your work style best. One possible method is the time-boxing method, which you can find extensive information about on our site. In the following, we will introduce you to five other methods that you can particularly easily and without costly aids integrate into your professional everyday life.The Pomodoro TechniqueThis method developed by Francesco Cirillo is based on the principle of short working intervals, so-called “Pomodoros”, followed by short breaks. A Pomodoro usually lasts

25 minutes

. This is always followed by a break of about five minutes. After four consecutive intervals, a longer break of 15 to 30 minutes is taken.The name “Pomodoro” (Engl. tomato) comes from the kitchen timer in tomato shape that Cirillo used during his studies. The method helps you to increase your focus and productivity

by dividing the work into manageable units and allowing you regular breaks for recovery. However, it is important with this technique that you minimize distractions and fully focus on your task.The Eisenhower MatrixNamed after US President Dwight D. Eisenhower, but not developed by him, this method involves dividing your tasks into

four different quadrants

:  urgent and important, not urgent, but important,

• urgent, but not important as well as
• not urgent and not important
• either.
• In

case A you should do the tasks immediately yourself. Anything in quadrant B should also be done by yourself, but scheduled. Tasks in area C can be delegated to competent colleagues. The tasks from the fourth quadrant are rather unimportant and you should consider whether they need to be done at all.The advantage of this method is that you learn to prioritize and focus on the essentials.    

ALPEN

The ALPEN method was developed in 1995 by Lothar Seiwert, who published it in his book “Das 1 × 1 des Zeitmanagement”. The individual letters here stand for the

five work steps needed for this method: A: Schedule tasks

Plan all your tasks, appointments, and activities the day before or first thing in the morning.

Go in as much detail as possible to have a solid work plan. This way, you don't have to think about what else you have to do.

The trusty to-do list helps you at this step.

L: Estimate length

At this step write down a time for each of your tasks that you think you'll need for completion.

Afterwards, you will see whether you can fit all tasks into one workday at all.  

P: Add a buffer

The time buffer helps you react to unforeseen events and distractions.

The ratio between work- and buffer time is 60 to 40 %. This may sound like a lot, but it makes your daily planning more realistic.

If you find that you can't get your tasks done due to the high buffer time, there's only one solution: prioritize!

E: Make decisions

Decide which of the tasks have the highest priority for you and must be done on this day.

Postpone all the others to the next day. Here you can also apply the Eisenhower Matrix, for example.

N: Review

During the review you reflect at the end of the workday whether your daily planning was successful.

Ask yourself these questions: Have you achieved your goals? Have you estimated the times well? Were you able to complete all tasks?

Incorporate your findings into the next day's planning!

The ALPEN method helps you make your daily planning more effective and structure your day in the best possible way.  

Kanban

The Kanban method is a

visual organization method, which originated in the Toyota production system and was later established as an effective project management technique. These are the basic principles of the Kanban method:Visualization: 

All your tasks and work steps are displayed on a physical or digital Kanban board.

The board is divided into columns that represent the different phases of the work process. 

Limit the amount of work:  

Each column on your Kanban board has a fixed maximum number of tasks that can be processed at the same time. 

This prevents too many tasks from being tackled at the same time. This increases efficiency at the same time.

Flow:

Your goal should be to enable a continuous flow of work without bottlenecks or overloads in a particular area of the board. 

The work should move from one phase to the next at a steady pace.

Pull system:

New tasks are only pulled into the workflow when capacities become available. 

This promotes a demand-driven work practice.

Continuous improvement:

Regularly review your Kanban board and your work process to identify and improve inefficient areas.

This method emphasizes continuous improvement.

Kanban offers you a

flexible method to organize your work and to visually track the progress of your tasks. In the next section, we will introduce you to tools that are suitable for a digital Kanban board. Eat the Frog!

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The expression “Eat the frog!” is based on the idea that if you had to

eat a living frog in the morning this would be the worst task of the day If, however, you tackle this task first, everything else will seem easier. The

main principles of this method are:Prioritization:

• Identify the most important and often unpleasant task of the day.Focus:
• Sit down without distractions to this task and do it first. Proactivity:
• Act proactively instead of being reactive. Plan ahead and focus on the predefined time.Efficiency:
• Break down complex tasks into smaller parts to better manage them.   The method should help you

overcome procrastination, create focus and increase efficiency by focusing on priorities. “Eat the frog!” stresses the idea that the most difficult task is often the one that has the greatest impact on progress and suggests addressing it immediately to make the day more successful.  ⁠Useful time- and self-management tools

You have several tools available for efficient time management, which are specifically designed to make the workday easier. Both

and the Microsoft Outlook offer you a Google Kalendervariety of features, which simplify time management. From simple appointment planning to task management, they help you keep track and work more efficiently.  focuses on

individual task management. This self-management app allows you to create, prioritize and share tasks. With features like reminders, the tool helps you meet deadlines. The clear structure supports task organization and promotes an efficient way of working.For the Todoistcreation of digital Kanban boards

numerous project management tools and software are suitable. Time management tools like , or Asana make it possible to Trellocreate, organize and assign tasksClickUp. They are perfectly designed to facilitate collaboration within teams. Everyone can add comments, attach files and receive notifications to stay informed about the progress of a task. Each of these tools also offers various customization options to support the team's way of working. This can include creating custom workspaces, setting priorities, or adding labels and tags. Overall, all the mentioned tools offer a wide range of features that support your time and self-management in different ways. From individual to team-based project organization – they help make your workday more efficient.

ConclusionTime management is so much more than just techniques and tools. It's a

personal journey of discovery

, where you learn how to use your time more effectively and achieve your goals. By integrating self-management into your workday, recognizing and overcoming time wasters as well as applying proven methods and tools, you not only create structured workflows but also room for more efficiency, fulfillment, and a good balance between professional and personal obligations. Good luck in optimizing your workday! Methoden und Tools anwendest, schaffst du nicht nur strukturierte Arbeitsabläufe, sondern auch Raum für mehr Effizienz, Erfüllung und eine gute Balance zwischen beruflichen und privaten Verpflichtungen. Viel Erfolg beim Optimieren deines Arbeitsalltags!