The extended national lockdown has thrown our lives off-balance; from running around and having no time to relax to leaving us with too much time on our hands. Earlier we would stress about managing too many things in limited time. Time management was about getting more things done in a day while meeting ridiculous deadlines. We would catch a breath or two during coffee and restroom breaks. We would look forward to weekends to spend leisure time with friends and family. Doing the bare minimum to nothing on weekends used to be exclusive, but all that went for a toss with the lockdown. Time used to feel scarce before lockdown Sure, managing time at work amidst all the interruptions and distractions can be challenging sometimes, but trust me managing too much time with less organized structure is an uphill struggle at home. Time management is the most rewarding skill you can learn during the lockdown Managing time in both aspects — personal or professional — lets you consciously leverage, and control time being spent on different tasks all day long. While work from home has given us a lot of time at our disposal, it has also contributed to utter chaos to our normal routine. It comes with its own distractions. Poor time management can lead to blurred work-life boundaries. One of the biggest downfalls of working from home is not knowing when to call it a day. And, it becomes even more challenging when you don’t schedule and prioritize things beforehand. You end up pulling an all-nighter every other day to meet the demand of overwhelming amounts of work, which is not only unhealthy but also leaves no room for your personal life to breathe in. Poor time management leads to burnout With having no or little control over time, your work will take over your personal life before you even realize it.  By not organizing and prioritizing work that needs your immediate attention, you will be devoting your time and energy to unimportant tasks. It will consume your time and energy, and you will end up piling and carrying forward more and more work to the next day. Things will spiral out of control leaving you feeling helpless and stressed out. Poor time management leaves you with no control over distractions If you don’t set clear goals and stick to them, you will be succumbing to all the distractions around you at home. Stay focused and stop yourself from constantly checking your phone. Here are top 5-time management tips that will help you to make most out of your quarantined time-

1. Develop a habit of making a daily to-do list. It will help you to steer you off course. Checking your to-do list before you sit down for work helps you regain focus.To-do lists give you the mental satisfaction of keeping a real track of your progress. It will help and re-direct  your focus on the things that need to be done in a day.

 “Concentrate all your thoughts upon the work in hand. The sun’s rays do not burn until brought to a focus.” –  Alexander Graham Bell

2. Setting goals – Setting crystal clear goals will give structure to your work schedule, and you will be better prepared to take  charge of the day .                                                                                                                                                            “Focus on your goal. Don’t look in any direction but ahead.” – unknown                                                                                                                     
3. Block out all the distractions – Create a dedicated space that will inspire and motivate you, and once you find that space shut the door on all the potential distractions – no getting up frequently, no checking on phone all the time.

Setting up a dedicated space will help you to stay focused and productive.

4. Set your schedule – Setting schedule will allow you to contribute to household chores at designated times as well. Plan your break also in advance, it will help you to stay organized, and create discipline.

5. Taking charge of communication – Effective communication is even more important when you are working virtually with the team. To avoid mismatched expectations check-in timely with your team members without any hesitation.

Effective communication is the key to avoid delays, conflicts, and misunderstandings.

Read more about achieving personal effectiveness through time management – http://www.skillmile.com/personal-effectiveness/