Time management: Pomodoro, Eisenhower and prioritising

In short: With fixed time blocks, clear prioritisation and fewer distractions you achieve more in less time and stay more relaxed.

In more detail: Time management does not mean filling every minute but doing the important thing first and limiting distractions. For training, school and side projects there are simple, proven methods.

In Depth

Pomodoro technique

Work focused on one task for 25 minutes, then a 5-minute break. After four rounds a longer break of 15 to 30 minutes. The timer creates commitment, the breaks prevent exhaustion. You note distractions on a slip of paper and handle them later.

Eisenhower matrix

Sort tasks by important and urgent:

• Important and urgent: do immediately.
• Important, not urgent: schedule (greatest benefit arises here, for example studying, health).
• Urgent, not important: delegate or handle briefly.
• Neither: drop.

More aids

• To-do list with at most 3 main tasks per day.
• Eat the frog: the most unpleasant task first.
• Time blocks in the calendar (also for studying and breaks).
• Two-minute rule: what takes under 2 minutes, do immediately.
• Set deadlines early, split large tasks into small steps.
• Switch off notifications, put the phone away.
• Weekly review: what went well, what do I change?

Procrastination

Putting things off is mostly avoidance of feelings (fear, boredom, overwhelm), not laziness. Helpful: mini start (“Just 5 minutes”), clear sub-goals, reward after work done, a fixed place and time. Breaks and sleep are part of productivity, not its opposite.

See also: Learning how to learn, Exam anxiety