Boost your productivity with these six time management strategies

August 29, 2024

By Karla Rockhold, Director of Alumni Career Engagement, OSU Alumni Association

Whether you are balancing personal commitments, work responsibilities or academic pursuits, effective time management is key to boosting your productivity, enhancing work quality, reducing stress and achieving your goals.

However, recent studies reveal that fewer than 1 in 5 people consistently use a system to stay on track with projects and tasks.

If you are looking to improve your productivity, here are some simple yet powerful strategies to consider.

"Eat the frog"

Sometimes getting the best start to your day means doing your least favorite task first. This productivity method encourages you to tackle your most challenging item first thing in the morning when your energy and focus are at their peak.

Pomodoro Technique

Work in focused intervals of 25 minutes, followed by short breaks to maintain concentration and avoid burnout. This technique helps you stay on task while providing regular mental rest, keeping your productivity and work quality strong.

Eisenhower Matrix

Not all tasks are created equal. This matrix helps you distinguish between the items on your to-do list that require immediate attention and those that can be delegated, postponed or deleted, freeing you up to make progress toward your goals.

Pareto Principle

Also known as the 80/20 rule, this strategy encourages you to concentrate on the 20% of tasks that will produce 80% of your desired results, maximizing efficiency. If some tasks are blocking progress or involving team collaboration, you might prioritize these first as they can have the highest impact on your overall workflow for the day.

Time blocking

Allocate specific blocks of time for different tasks to avoid multitasking. This method acts like a ‘do not disturb’ sign for distractions, helping you balance your responsibilities and ensure each aspect of your work gets the attention it deserves.

Saying “no”

Learn to decline tasks that don’t align with your goals and priorities, preserving your time for what’s important. Mastering the art of saying no is an essential career skill, as it is crucial for your own productivity and allows you to be more effective and dependable for your team.

In the digital age, we have a wealth of tools at our disposal to manage time more effectively. While finding the right app may take some trial and error, here are a few free or low-cost options recommended by The Digital Project Manager:

  • Kintone: Custom productivity app tailored to your needs.
  • Todoist: Personal task management tool to keep track of daily tasks.
  • Asana: Create custom workflows for better team collaboration.
  • nTask: Offers comprehensive analytics to track progress.
  • Trello: Visual project tracking to manage tasks and deadlines.
  • Visor: A tool for financial planning and task management. 

Additionally, Oregon State University’s Academic Success Center offers valuable resources on the Learning Corner website to enhance your time management skills.

The center will be featured in the upcoming Ask Alumni webcast on Planning Time & Reframing Procrastination, at noon PT on Thursday, September 12. This virtual workshop, featuring the Academic Success Center's Coordinator of Outreach and Education Sarah Norek,  provides an excellent opportunity to learn and refine your time management techniques. The webcast is free and open to everyone.

For more career advice, browse our upcoming events and on-demand webcasts at ForOregonState.org/AskAlumni.