Developers are some of the most productive people in the world, but don't underestimate the time you spend away from your computer for things like eating and sleeping. Luckily, there is some easy advice to help programmers keep their busy schedules running smoothly and avoid burnout! This article will give you some tips of how to manage your time so that every day has some scheduled downtime.
Make a strategy beforehand
Business takes time and planning things out is a key step in being successful. One of the best ways to ensure success is to plan as much as possible before you start trying something new. If you happen to be a developer and want to increase your productivity, it is recommended that you plan ahead. When planning ahead, take into account what skills are needed for this project or project at hand, who will need these tasks completed and what specific timeline
Make a to-do list with all of your chores
When you are faced with a long list of tasks, it can be difficult to prioritize what should come first. I recommend creating a master list of tasks and to dos from your app and file them under the folder "Priority". For example, if you need to finish building out your email marketing automation tool, create a folder titled "Email" with all of your tasks in that folder. The selection process can be as easy as dragging the task over or by sorting by priority.
Learn to say No
Sometimes it's not how much time you spend working. Instead, it's what you do with your time after work that makes all the difference in the world. There are 14 hours in a day on average, so make sure you are conscious of the impact that each moment has on your mental and physical health. In order to maintain your productivity and enhance your daily life, you must ensure that you say "no" more often.
Recognize your time scumbags
A large number of developers reach for their headphones when they don't have time to work. It is important that developers take preventative action concerning their time wasters and try to avoid them as much as possible. Of course, learning how to "stop" your brain from constantly looking for new input, mental challenges, or incoming social requests is a valuable skill--but there are specific small tasks (which may include Gmail notifications) that plague even the most dedicated professional developers on a day-to-day basis.
Allow time for your diversions
If at all possible, try to give your mind time to think about things that are actually important like solving programming issues rather than wasting time on social media. There's nothing wrong with having fun once in a while, but taking detours from your longer term goals is detrimental. Working on your app can be really, really tough. That's not to say that there isn't hard work--personally, I don't think anything good ever comes without hard work--but sometimes it seems as if the grind is endless and the time just gets away from you.
Utilize time-tracking applications
Many developers are struggling to manage their time and stay on task, which can lead to higher turnover rates. The constant use of social media can be a huge drain on your time as well. One way that you might be able to improve your workflow is by installing a time tracking app like Rescue Time. Using this program will allow you to gain insight into how much time you actually spend working.
Takeaway
Whether you're a developer, designer, or architect, managing your time is key to being successful in life. Most people don't have the luxury of an unlimited amount of hours throughout the day and our allotted time can be further increased by being robbed of sleep from stress. For developers specifically, unpaid overtime leads to more responsibilities, likely more stress, frustration, and difficulties contracting new projects. To maintain a productive work lifestyle and avoid lengthy internal meetings with fellow developers to maintain friendly business relationships, there are some great effective and efficient time management tricks that can help programmers increase their productivity.