Effective planning is the key to the successful development of any business. However, very...

The history of time management

To contents

The industrial revolution that took place in the 19th century created the need for time management. To work in a factory, punctuality was required.

People had to learn to act by the clock, unlike the farmers who lived by the sun. Punctuality and productivity became the main goals. “Time is money,” said Benjamin Franklin, and his words have become the motto of modern businessmen.

In 1911, Frederick Winslow Taylor published “The Principles of Scientific Management,” in which he presented his theory of management. It is based on the analysis and synthesis of work processes.

Taylorism pursued the main goal, which was to increase the productivity of workers. Taylor's fame led to the emergence of a new discipline. It began to be used in practice in different countries after its successful implementation at the Ford plant.

In the USSR in the seventies, the timekeeping method became popular, promoting the rational use of one’s time and the growth of personal efficiency. For 56 years, the Soviet biologist Lyubishchev recorded daily how much time was spent on work and recorded losses.

He compiled a monthly summary and a report at the end of the year. Thanks to this, it became possible to assess any upcoming work with an accuracy of 10 minutes and plan projects for months and years in advance.

Fact! Interestingly, the creator of the method worked more efficiently for the last 25 years of his life than in his youth.

In 2007, the department of time management was opened for the first time at the Moscow Financial and Industrial Institute. Now this direction has quite a great demand and popularity - the rhythm of life is accelerating every year. A large number of trainings and seminars have appeared on the topic of planning and rational management of time.

Who will benefit from this article?

All those who have to solve several problems at the same time.

So if you:

an entrepreneur who has opened several online stores;
an offline business owner who wants to open an online store in addition;
owner of several offline businesses - in the same area and in different ones;
content manager or marketer who runs several online projects at the same time.

Who is a time manager?

To contents

A time manager is a professional in the field of time management. Its task is to analyze people's human psychology, workplace conditions and suggest the most productive work schedules. Time managers help heads of companies or private clients allocate time, set priorities, and manage to complete all important tasks without stress.

Fact! Enterprises often use the services of experts to get help in setting up the work process.

First of all, specialists train management in the competent distribution of responsibilities in the team and their working time. They conduct a study of the company’s activities and the required amount of time to complete certain tasks. Having collected and analyzed the data, the time manager adjusts the organization’s daily routine.

The main tasks of time management

A specialist in the field of time management must be able to analyze the time spent on specific tasks, correctly set goals, plan tactics for achieving them, setting priorities.

Also, the tasks of time management are:

in conducting continuous analysis of the daily routine, increasing its effectiveness;
in self-control during work - when and what needs to be done;
in the study and practical application of technologies that allow rational management of time;
in the ability to refuse activities that are not beneficial;
in rational time planning with an emphasis on matters of greatest importance;
in organizing a good rest.

That is, the tasks of time management are to get rid of the unproductive waste of a valuable resource - so that in the same day a person can do twice as much, but at the same time not get tired and have time to communicate with loved ones and take up hobbies.

Pros of time planning

A person who knows how to efficiently distribute time resources quickly and with the least effort is able to achieve the set goals.

Time management has other benefits:

Antistress. Organizing your daily routine reduces anxiety levels. When you check off completed items on your to-do list, you can visually see your progress. This will help avoid feelings of stress and make you feel satisfied with your actions.
Additional time. Effective time management gives you more opportunities to pursue hobbies or other personal matters.
Career opportunities. Good time management skills are key qualities employers look for. The ability to set priorities and plan activities is highly desirable for any organization.

But the most important advantage is the feeling of inner freedom and control of one’s life.

Types of time management

Work with temporary resources is divided into three types. Personal time management is necessary for the self-development of each individual and optimization of personal time. This is a combination of skills for organizing your day productively.

Time management of a professional or corporate type focuses on building the work process. It describes how to correctly distribute the working day and responsibilities of employees. And the task of social is to reach several people (for example, employees of one enterprise). That is, we are talking not only about the distribution of time, but also about the regulation of relationships.

Card method

This method of planning was proposed by the famous Russian time management specialist Gleb Arkhangelsky. He conducts business training, writes books, and even runs his own time management consulting company. Along with some principles, Gleb also developed a method of quick planning using cards.

How it works

In this case, you won’t need a thick diary: just a few sheets of paper are enough. Keep three cards for different purposes. They can be multi-colored, with notes or with stickers. The main thing is that they differ from one another and, of course, you like them.

The first card is strategic. It will contain your key goals, to achieve which you need to make every possible effort. In the second, dedicated to long-term goals, you write down all your activities and plans for the year or several years ahead. The third card will contain the most important event of the coming day. And, of course, she will change more often than anyone else.

Level: beginner.
Plus: no need to understand the art of planning. Everything is as fast and simple as possible.
Minus: less important things still remain unplanned. So you can completely forget about them.

Basic concepts of time management

To contents

There are several terms that those who decide to learn time management should understand:

The opportunity cost of time is the price of those goods that could become yours in a unit of time, but you abandoned them by “acquiring” something else. The concept is useful when prioritizing to understand what you are sacrificing by doing routine tasks instead of important ones.
Zero deficiency of strength is the principle according to which work and rest must be correlated so that by the end of the day, week or year a normal level of performance is achieved. This can only be achieved if the increased expenditure of effort, for example emergency work at work, is followed by a corresponding reduction in the load. Otherwise, the accumulation of fatigue is inevitable, which can cause breakdowns and a sharp decrease in productivity.
Deadline is the deadline for completing a task. If the result is received later, its value is lowered.
Delegation – shifting the execution of a task to staff, colleagues, external suppliers, purchasing a service that replaces the “own” solution to the problem. If authority is delegated, it means that the resources and rights necessary to complete the task are transferred.
Time management methods are a certain procedure that helps to complete the task.
A time management system is a set of techniques and technologies that allows you to achieve your goal with maximum speed and efficiency.

You also need to know what time sinks are. These are circumstances, for example, people, tasks, features of the external environment, which cause ineffective waste of time resources. There are a large number of factors involved in the theft of working time. Some are bright and noticeable, while the impact of others appears gradually. “Time thieves” include procrastination, that is, delaying the resolution of important matters, useless trips and meetings, calls made at the wrong time, email and social networks that distract from work.

Results

Let us present the results in the form of theses. So:

It’s up to you to choose how to plan your working time. Study all the methods and choose the one that suits you;
Most methods are based on the principle of ranking cases and tasks by importance. Know how to analyze and highlight what is important;
If you're afraid of falling into chaos, try time management apps with notifications and reminders;
Apps won't help if you don't force yourself to plan and stick to the plan the first time;
It is important to write down tasks at least somewhere - on a piece of paper or in an application. Anything that is not written down can be forgotten.

Time management in management

To contents

To work effectively, you must have the ability to extract the greatest benefit from every minute of the working day. The head of any company should know what personnel time management is, and the specialists themselves should know techniques for monitoring and redistributing time resources.

Leaders must learn to:

set goals for your subordinates for every day, week and month;
prioritize according to importance and urgency;
manage communications;
delegate authority.

Incorrectly organized management activities cause the enterprise employees to constantly experience a lack of time. This affects the productivity of the work process and the success of the company as a whole.

To increase the productivity of the company, specialists must learn to draw up a work plan for the day. When creating it, you need to allocate 60% of your time to main tasks, 20% to unforeseen ones, 20% to spontaneous ones. The main task is to accustom staff to systematically drawing up a plan on a daily basis.

Personal time management

Planning is key to time management. In the process of drawing up a plan, you need to take into account that it must be expedient and feasible, since this has a direct impact on the productivity of your work.

Apart from this, to quit the daily race:

Under no circumstances take work home.
Organize household chores so that a minimum amount of time is spent on them.
For relaxation, allocate not only Saturday and Sunday, but at least one evening in the middle of the week. For example, you can go for a bike ride or go to the bathhouse.
During the holidays, minimize communication by phone or via the World Wide Web.

Making a plan is necessary not only for working time, but also for free time. When planning, you need to take into account emotional pleasure, for example, going to the cinema, and physical pleasure, say, sports training.

Rule No. 7. Combine tasks of the same type

When planning, always try to combine tasks of the same type. In the process of performing any work, the brain constantly tries to concentrate on it and after completion, it needs a certain time to switch to another job. Therefore, combining tasks of the same type will allow you to tune in to their implementation as efficiently as possible, while you will not need to constantly switch and re-concentrate, and tune in to practically the same work, which will help to significantly save some of your time.

Time management skills

To contents

To learn effective time management, you will need to develop certain skills, the main of which are:

Organized. Helps you maintain a clear picture of what you need to complete and when. Being well organized may mean keeping an up-to-date calendar, being able to easily find certain documents, and taking detailed notes.
Prioritization. Assessing each of your responsibilities by priority is the key to being a good time manager. There are many ways to arrange them in relation to what needs to be accomplished. For example, you can complete quick tasks first, then those that are more difficult. Or start with things that have a closer deadline.
Setting goals. Goal setting allows you to clearly understand your “destination” and how exactly you need to prioritize to achieve it. Setting both short-term and long-term goals is important.
Communication skills. They will make your plans and goals clear to the people you work with. And also delegate tasks in order to focus on completing the most important, pressing tasks.
Planning. It is a fundamental part of time management. Effective planning of the day and meetings will help you stick to the schedule, break large tasks into small ones, and set project milestones.
Delegation. It can often be difficult to say no when someone asks you to do something at work. It is important to practice having boundaries, and also delegate some tasks to other employees so that you can manage the tasks that are important to you.
Stress management. Having a positive attitude towards stress can help you stay motivated and perform well even under time pressure. Taking small breaks throughout the day or small rewards after completing each task will help you avoid burnout.

Use time management tools: special software and phone applications that help you organize your work day and personal life with greater productivity. For example, Trello is a free online application for managing projects in small groups. With boards, lists, and cards, you can organize and prioritize tasks in a relaxed, easy-to-change format. Or Evernote - an online resource and software package for creating and storing notes. They can be sorted into notebooks, labeled, edited, and exported.

Estimation method

Often during the planning process, important tasks get lost among unimportant tasks. This happens because we do not note their priority. Even if you understand the need to complete a task, it is important to indicate this in writing. After all, during the working day there is not always time to adequately assess the significance of each task.

How it works

Give your planned tasks a score from zero to two depending on their degree of importance. The main priority is two points. The one-point task can be completed later. And minor duties and everyday tasks receive zero points.

Don't forget to rate your work at the end of the day, for example on a five-point scale. An unfinished task that receives a 1 or 2 will affect the upcoming work and cause inconvenience. Like bad grades at school. This is important for understanding your own effectiveness and managing your schedule.

Level: beginner.
Plus: the method will teach you to assess the importance of tasks and manage your effectiveness.
Minus: not suitable for everyone. The priority of tasks may shift, and when you get to work, the numbers will be confusing.

Basic planning techniques

To contents

Using these techniques, which have proven themselves in practice, you can create the right schedule. It will allow you to achieve your goals without stress and overload.

Timing. The essence of the technique is that you need to keep a minute-by-minute record of all your actions and how much time was spent on them. This will make it possible to discover how hours and minutes are spent, neutralize “time vampires,” and learn to sense time.
Pareto principle. He reports that with 20% of the effort spent on achieving a result, the result is 80% of productivity and vice versa. Through this law, it is possible to ensure the selection of the most effective actions and concentrate them on the implementation of what is planned, reducing costs as much as possible.
10 minute method. If you need to solve a problem that you don’t want to start solving, think: “I’ll devote only ten minutes to this activity, and then I’ll take a break.” Most likely, you will get carried away with your work and will not want to stop.
Rule of three. According to him, to achieve efficiency, you only need to do the three most valuable things every day. To avoid wasting your attention and energy, you just need to choose the three most important tasks and concentrate on them. The next day you need to choose three more, and so on. This way you will not lose concentration and gradually get rid of all “debts”. The same principle will apply when setting goals for a week, month or year.
Eisenhower Matrix. The method of the thirty-fourth President of the United States is based on the rule of distributing tasks according to the level of significance and urgency. All of them are divided into four groups: A – urgent and important, B – non-urgent but important, C – urgent but unimportant matters, D – unhurried and insignificant. The priority of the task depends on the group to which the task is assigned. Unimportant matters can be delegated to subordinates or postponed until later.
Method 1-3-5. Allows you to spend your time as efficiently as possible. Over the course of the day, you solve only one large task, three medium ones and five small ones - a total of 9 tasks. Using this scheme, you will gradually clear up the blockages, while still meeting deadlines without driving yourself to overwork.

A to-do list is one of the easiest and most commonly used tools that helps organize tasks into specific activities on a specific day.

Making a to-do list

The first thing on the schedule is to list projects that require immediate completion. Then there are also important tasks, but with the opportunity to postpone the decision. Next, the remaining projects are introduced.

How to make a to-do list:

Determine your goals and priorities.
Make a list of the things you do every day, including the smallest and most routine ones.
Identify your individual periods of high and low energy. If you have low energy in the evening, you should postpone meaningful work to the morning, and routine tasks to the afternoon.
Remove the lowest priority items completely or set them aside.
Identify your “time wasters” and try to limit their influence. Consolidate your work with email, documents, and phone calls. For example, move it to the time from 9:00 to 9:30 am. This will reduce the overall time required for their implementation, while eliminating startup and switching costs.
Plan only part of your work day. It is worth leaving some time “empty” for unforeseen situations.

The brain needs time to absorb new information after each event, so all meetings should be planned.

The to-do list should be visible; for example, you can put it in a wall, desktop or computer calendar. It must always be kept open.

Who should plan their working day?

Every person should be able to plan their working day. This way you can save time and work more efficiently. But there are 3 categories of people who simply must engage in personal planning.

Freelancers. The most undisciplined worker is a freelancer. He doesn’t have a clear schedule, and only the deadline reminds him that it’s time to sit down to do something. That is why it is very important for freelancers who work with several clients to plan their working day. It often turns out that new orders appear with a difference of one or two days, and if you wait until the last minute, you may not have time to work on two projects.

Businessmen. Everything here is almost the same as in freelancing. Especially if it's an online business. On the one hand, you can relax at home while your employees are working, but on the other hand, this approach will inevitably fail. In the West, the cult of workaholism flourishes among businessmen. They believe that if you don't work 60 hours a week, it means you're lazy and have nothing to do in business.

Leaders. A leader will not always be a businessman. The owner of the company may not take an active part in the affairs of his company, but its director takes responsibility for the operation of the whole mechanism. That is why leaders of medium and large companies must use their time effectively, because their decisions determine the future of the company in the long term. Planning a manager’s working day is a way to most effectively distribute your time between strategically important tasks.

Principles of effective time management

To contents

Time management techniques are aimed at the best organization of the working day and rest period, when the use of time is as productive as possible and the activity produces significant results. They help to consciously control the time spent on various types of activity, making work and rest more efficient.

Principles - the basis of effective time management:

choosing an appropriate planning methodology;
the ability to focus on the main thing;
breaking down large tasks into subtasks;
ranking cases by importance;
the ability to say “No”;
division of time for rest, work, self-improvement;
limiting “time wasters”;
fight against procrastination.

You shouldn't do other people's business. Focus on your goal and act clearly to achieve it.

Advice from leading experts

Almost all people who have reached real heights say that time is their most important asset. They use diaries, are guided by clear plans and are engaged in thinking through new ones. Successful people have many ongoing tasks and projects, a huge number of ideas. At the same time, successful people do not look like “driven horses”; on the contrary, they glow with enthusiasm, and their health can usually become the subject of envy. All these are the results of proper time management.

To become successful, you should follow the recommendations of time management experts. For example, psychology doctor Larry Rosen explains in an article in the Harvard Business Review that to be productive, you need to learn to take breaks. Concentration on a specific task cannot last more than an hour and a half. After which the brain needs rest: you should take a walk, have a snack, or do something pleasant.

What else do time management experts advise? Psychologist Neil Fiore teaches how to combat procrastination in his book The Easy Way to Stop Procrastinating.

The technology contains effective ways to manage time:

Self-esteem should be increased to reduce the fear of making mistakes and uncertainty in endeavors.
If you think positively, you will have more energy to complete a task.
3D thinking and calendars make it possible to take control of the fear of getting bogged down in business.
Setting realistic goals will redirect energy to problems that require immediate solutions.

And to avoid stress, you need to act in a state of “flow”. This approach will give motivation and create interest for fruitful work, and controlled regression will allow you to prepare for planned pauses and reboots.

Fact! The difference between those who achieve significant success and those who do not is simply that the more productive people have learned the importance of time management.

So says productivity expert Clay Clark. He advises against multitasking. If your focus is divided between several things, none of them are actually done well. It is worth choosing one task and working on it until completion in order to be more productive.

He also advises making the watch your friend. You shouldn't rely on your internal sense of time; you could end up missing something important. When you are involved in a project that requires a lot of concentration, there is a high risk that you will lose track of time. An easy-to-read clock located near your work area will help you stay on schedule. They can also send audio reminders about upcoming meetings or work deadlines.

Julia Morgenstern (founder of Task Masters, which provides professional consulting services for planning and organizing the work environment) recommends first of all assessing how much time you spend on solving your tasks and what factors are distracting. Probably these are social networks, additional responsibilities, unrealistic deadlines, or psychological obstacles. She advises sorting things and tasks, freeing up space from everything that is not of primary importance. Determine a place for each thing, and a time for each task. If you can’t do it, then conduct an analysis; probably, the matter can be postponed, the authority can be transferred to other employees, or it can be completely abandoned.

According to writer Tony Schwartz, literary critic Benjamin Che Kai Wai, founder of the Buffer service Leo Wiedrich, and businessman Thomas Oppong, it is better to organize time management according to the 90-minute principle. Its essence is this: you devote 90 minutes to intense activity, after which you take a half-hour break, and then repeat the cycle. At the same time, in the first 90 minutes you solve the most significant task that needs to be completed during the day, and in the following cycles you can do things that are of less importance.

According to the research of Yale scientist Peretz Lafi, an hour and a half is the optimal time during which effective concentration on one task is possible. And 30 minutes is enough for a good rest, which was confirmed by neurophysiologist Nathan Kleitman with his research.

Where is our time going?

How often do we reproach ourselves for wasting time, and, moreover, spending new precious minutes on self-flagellation! Everything would be simpler if we correctly understood what time planning is and how effective it is.

Even a simple “debriefing”, that is, an honest admission of one’s own mistakes, an analysis of what was missed will help in the future to avoid such significant losses. Let's start with this.

So, what are the main reasons for our lack of composure:

Lack of motivation;
Dispersion and inconsistency;
Poor concentration;
Inability to identify main tasks;
Perfectionism, that is, setting inflated goals.

Honestly, this is just the beginning of a long list. This may be followed by banal laziness, the inability to say “no,” the habit of shouldering other people’s worries, etc.

Before you start studying time planning techniques, just look at yourself from the outside, analyze at least one day you have lived, and create a timeline for it. Yes, yes, write down what, when, “weigh” in minutes. Then sit over this “note” and understand a lot about yourself. Try to cross out unnecessary things that you could and should have done without. And in the “Total” column there will be a solid reserve of hours that should have been spent more productively...

Article on the topic:

Planning the manager's working time: mission is possible

Extraordinary techniques and technologies

To contents

A variety of methods and systems are used to manage time. Some of them, despite their non-standard nature, are very effective.

"Frog for Breakfast"

The author of the technique, Brian Tracy, calls it “eating a frog,” quoting Mark Twain. The writer famously said that if the first thing you do in the morning is eat a live frog, you can get through the rest of the day knowing that the worst is behind you. Your frog is the most difficult or tedious task, you need to deal with it first, without any delay. This way you will get rid of emotional stress and burden that would weigh down during the day.

"Elephant Steak"

Large projects that require a lot of planning and thinking are called “elephants” in time management. They are offered to be cut into “steaks”: into pieces that can be completed as mini-projects or serve as stages of a large and important project. Time managers then suggest planning to “eat” these “elephant steaks” by allocating time slots for them in the regular daily schedule. This will make it easier to begin completing the task and better understand it.

Pomodoro technique

Created in 1992, the Pomodoro technique allows you to concentrate on completing an important task without being distracted by external stimuli. The essence of this time management technology is in the intervals into which work is divided, conventionally called tomatoes. The duration of such a “tomato” is 30 minutes: 25 minutes of work and a five-minute break. To control them, a sound timer is used.

Advice! Before you start the timer, you need to create a list of work tasks, ranked in order of priority, on a piece of paper or on a digital calendar. After that, set the timer for 25 minutes and start working.

Once the timer goes off, take a five-minute break. At the end of the pause, you need to start solving the task again. Each cycle must be marked with a tick next to the work performed. After four “tomatoes” there is a break of a quarter to half an hour. After completing a task, mark it on the list and move on to the next one.

Keeping a list of tasks is necessary for self-control and monitoring your own effectiveness. For example, summing up the results of the work week, you will be able to estimate how many “pomodoros” it took to complete a particular task.

Automation and simplification

The body works according to an internal clock with natural, “scheduled” phases of both high and low energy. Most people experience a breakdown between 2:00 and 4:00 and 13:00 and 15:00. But the meaning is different for everyone. At this time, it is better to go to bed or do simple, “mechanical” work.

Similar monotonous tasks (writing letters, making calls) should be done in a row, and once completed, switch to another activity. The point is that the brain gets used to systematic actions and executes commands faster, as if automatically. You will see for yourself that by the tenth call it will be much easier and more free for you to talk.

Rule No. 4. Calculate the exact time to complete each task.

You must understand exactly how long it will take you to complete a particular task. Therefore, when planning all your affairs, for each, calculate the most accurate time that you will need to successfully complete the matter. You should not immediately reduce or increase the time it takes to complete each job; stick to the most accurate calculations in order to adhere to a clear schedule for completing your plans. In this way, you will train yourself to complete your tasks on time.

Special recommendations for women

To contents

Time management for the fair sex is a relatively new concept that involves the art of managing time resources, taking into account the specific responsibilities usually imposed on women by society and psychological characteristics.

A working woman needs:

Don’t hesitate before work; it’s better to come early or drink coffee at your workplace than to sit with colleagues in the canteen at the beginning of the work day.
Divide difficult tasks into small parts. It happens that writing a large report may take several days, so it is better to think about this in advance so that the work does not turn into an emergency.
Do difficult things before lunch, which will relieve you of worries throughout the day and a burden on your soul.
Be clearly aware of the range of job responsibilities and not burden yourself with tasks that have no justification.

You need to work according to the principle: 50 to 10, devoting time to rest or switching to quiet activities. After two hours, it would be a good idea to take a walk, which will avoid pain in the eyes or back.

Rule #15: Wake up early

Try to wake up early to give yourself some time to gather your thoughts and strength in a timely manner, and also set yourself up for the rest of your day. Remember that correct setup and installation, as well as timely concentration, play an important role in the effectiveness of work. Therefore, always try to wake up early in order to properly tune in to your whole day and everything that you need to do.

By adhering to the above rules, you can learn how to properly plan your entire day, and you will also be able to make the most of your time.

Mind map

Thought maps or mind maps are a way to record thoughts in a way convenient for the brain. Ideas do not appear in it one after another.

Large ideas develop into small ideas-details, so they need to be written down not in a list, but in the form of a kind of tree with many branches diverging from the trunk - the main idea.

The mind map sheet should be large in size so that its borders do not confine you. In the middle of the sheet you need to write a key idea or fundamental task.

Drop the formalities. This is the essence of a mind map - it should be comfortable for you.

Use single words rather than sentences to describe ideas. Better yet, draw a picture. An idea that is condensed into meaning is easier for the brain to assimilate.

Online mind mapping apps: bubbl.us, coggle.it, mapmyself.com, mindmeister.com, popplet.com, spiderscribe.net.

Adviсe

To manage your time wisely and increase your personal productivity, earnings, and productivity, use the following tips:

Objectively evaluate your own time. There are 24 hours in a day, you still need to eat, sleep, and rest, so don’t make too many plans.
Lack of time means improper distribution of it, so if you don’t have time to do something, re-read the principles of time management.
Plan no more than 5 tasks per day, of which no more than 3 are important. Then you will be able to complete them efficiently, without haste.
Play sports, it helps to recharge your energy and improves cognitive processes.
Don't neglect rest and sleep. It’s better to postpone things and relax, but not vice versa.
The most voluminous and complex tasks are done first thing in the morning.
The productivity of the entire day depends on the first hour after waking up, so spend it wisely.
Don’t chase quantity, the main thing is quality.
Do not compare yourself with others, each person has his own goals, dreams and the pace of achieving them.
Praise yourself for your success, buy yourself gifts.
Delegate everything that can be delegated.
Identify those things that give the least result and cross them out so as not to waste time.
Set goals, break them down into smaller and local ones, be sure to write deadlines and be specific.
Use a planner or the apps listed above.
Periodically analyze your own time management system to identify errors and correct them.
Time is the most important and valuable resource, so spend it usefully and with pleasure.

Zen list

The founder of the productivity blog Zen Habits, Leo Babauta, created his own system based on GTD - Zen to Done (ZTD).

Its principle is the pursuit of simplicity. Like GTD, the system changes habits so that a person can accomplish more.

You shouldn't try to do everything. Write down only goals and objectives that are valuable and significant to you.

Make simple thematic lists: for work, household chores, tasks for the future.

Keep the list handy. Use a notepad or smartphone and write down an idea or task that suddenly appears.