We all have 24-hours in a day. But, why does it seem that some people are able to get the most out of every minute of the day? Believe it or not, they don’t have the power to slow down time. They do, however, know how to properly manage their time.

Want to know how you can become a master of time management as well? Start by using these 20 super-powerful time management tips.

1. Create a time audit.
When it comes to time management, the first step you need to take is finding out where your time actually goes. You may believe that you only send 30 minutes on emails, but in reality that task is eating-up an hour of your day.

The easiest way to keep track of your time is to download an app like RescueTime, Toggl or my app Calendar to track everything you do for a week. You can then access a report to find out what’s stealing your time. With this information, you can then make the appropriate adjustments.

2. Set a time limit to each task.
I've found that setting a time limit to each task prevents me from getting distracted or procrastinating. For example, if I want to write an article for my blog, I give myself two hours. So if I started at 8am, I try to get it written by 10am.

In a way, it becomes game.

Since I put buffers between tasks and activities, if I don’t complete the task on time, I can still work on it without eating into the time reserved for something else.

3. Use a to-do-list, but don’t abandon tasks.
“All goals and projects are made up of smaller parts that need to be accomplished in order to achieve the goal, or complete the project. Create to-do lists for each goal and project, listing all the measurable steps that need to be accomplished,” suggests William Lipovsky.

“Aside from keeping you focused, this also motivates you as you are able to see what you have already achieved, and what remains.”

At the same time, there will interruptions that may prevent you from completing a task. William recommends that you “make a point of always returning to and completing these tasks once you are able to. This may require you to set a limit on the number of tasks you are working on at any given time.”

4. Plan ahead.
One of the worst things that you can do is wake-up without a plan for the day. Instead of focusing on what needs to be done, you wander aimlessly and take care of more trivial matters.

That’s why you should always plan ahead using one of these options;

The night before. Before you leave work for the day, spend the last 15-minutes organizing your office and composing a list of your most important items for tomorrow.
First thing in the morning. During your morning routine write down the 3 or 4 most urgent and important matters that need to be addressed today and work on those when you’re most productive.
5. Spend your mornings on MITs.
Mark Twain once said, "If it's your job to eat a frog, it's best to do it first thing in the morning. And If it's your job to eat two frogs, it's best to eat the biggest one first."

Gross? Sure. But, the point that Twain was making that you should take care your biggest and most-challenging tasks in the morning, aka your most important tasks (MITs) of the day.

There are a couple reasons why this such an effective time management trick. For starters, you usually have the most amount of energy in the AM. So it’s better to tackle these tasks when you’re not drained. Also, you can use that feeling of accomplishment to get through the rest of the day.

6. Learn to delegate/outsource.
Delegation and outsourcing can get a bit tricky. For some it’s hard to let someone else do work that they used to do. For others, they don’t have the time to train someone else to complete certain tasks.

The thing is, delegating or outsourcing are real time-savers since it lessens your workload - which means you have more time to spend on more important tasks or doing less work. Either hand over responsibilities to team members who are qualified or hire an experienced freelancer. And, if you do decide to do in-house training, the initial investment will be worth-it in the end.

7. Eliminate half-work.
“In our age of constant distraction, it's stupidly easy to split our attention between what we should be doing and what society bombards us with,” writes James Clear.

“Usually we're balancing the needs of messages, emails, and to–do lists at the same time that we are trying to get something accomplished. It's rare that we are fully engaged in the task at hand.”

Clear has dubbed this “half–work” and here are a couple of examples;

You’re writing a report, but stop randomly to check your phone for no reason.
You try out a new workout routine, but switch to a new program a couple of day later because you read about it online.
While talking on the phone, your mind wanders to your email inbox.
“Regardless of where and how you fall into the trap of half–work, the result is always the same: you're never fully engaged in the task at hand, you rarely commit to a task for extended periods of time, and it takes you twice as long to accomplish half as much,” adds Clear.

Clear has found that the best way to overcome half-work is by blocking “out significant time to focus on one project and eliminate everything else.” For example, he’ll pick one exercise and only focus on that exercise while working out. He’ll also carve out a few hours to devote to an important project, but will leave the phone in another room.

Author's Bio: 

Dean