Good old procrastination. If we didn’t procrastinate I probably would not be writing this blog post.However, this post is not about procrastination, if it was, I probably would find something better to do half way through writing it. I learnt a lot about time-management this year, partly because I was very bad at it and had to adjust and partly because that was the only way to actually get anything done.

Here are some rules that I’ve drilled into my brain for future success:

1. Work SMART not HARD – Take time to think around the problem/assignment/task at hand and see where you can get more information from rather than just diving into it and spending hours scratching your head when it doesn’t work. For example, I find the best way to learn new programming techniques is to have a friend who’s experienced in that area give me some advice rather than reading through manuals.
2. Work in BATCHES (i.e group similar tasks together) – Ever doing work and get distracted by an email? Or facebook? Or some other small meaningless task? I find the best way around this is to group similar tasks together and tackle them all at once at the same time every day. For example, I usually check my emails/facebook/twitter first thing when I get into uni, around 10/11 and last thing before I leave around 4pm. Otherwise, I don’t bother opening the email. However, that is much easier said than done!
3. Have an OUTLET – Some people use sports or physical exercise to take their minds off work. Others go for walks, hang out with friends, read books or something of the like. The key here is that you don’t just take your mind off your work but you also concentrate fully on something else, you “redirect your focus”. Personally I’ve found that taking a break and watching a film or some tv does not leave me feeling mentally refreshed whereas going for a jog, a swim or hanging out with friends works better. The important thing here is that you make an effort to take time off during the day. My biggest mistake this year was thinking I could sit down and work for hours and hours on end, that never really happened and even when I did manage long periods of concentration, the quality of my work decreased as time passed. So make sure, you take care of yourself and find time to do the things that you really want to do each day.
4. Experiment – Find a way that works for you, try new things and see what works best. I once read that it is best to tackle the hardest tasks in the morning so that the work gets progressively easier throughout the day. I’ve read a few books on time-management and goal setting, most notably “The 4-hour Work Week” by Tim Ferriss. I definitely recommend reading books or articles written by successful entrepreneurs as these people’s ability to manage their time affects how much money they make.

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Oh yes, if you are in the mood for some procrastination, here’s a TED talk on Procrastination “Why we procrastinate”:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WD440CY2Vs0