End-user: Antti Pohjonen,\u00a0<\/em>Trainer: Ville Ojanen, Finnish\u00a0<\/em>Text: Helmi H\u00e4m\u00e4l\u00e4inen 5 August 2018<\/em><\/p>\n Finalize a project plan, send an offer, make a shopping list, print the slides, and schedule a lunch date with Tero.<\/p>\n Modern life is fragmented and requires adapting to changing situations. Most of the working-age people, students, and even children live in a world where time management is needed. We may get nothing done despite our daily to-do lists.<\/p>\n \u2018Sometimes I\u2019m in a horrible rush at work, but at the end of the day it feels like I have achieved nothing,\u2019 says consultant\u00a0Antti Pohjonen.<\/p>\n Pohjonen works in a software company called Siili Solutions. He participated in an online course on time management.<\/p>\n \u2018I seek out new methods from Academy of Brain\u2019s online courses, to apply them into my own life,\u2019 explains Pohjonen.<\/p>\n The time management Quick Fix gives tips for time-management at work and during free time. The objective is to identify what influences ourselves and plan our day accordingly. Psychologist\u00a0Ville Ojanen\u00a0discusses time management from the perspectives of\u00a0prioritization, scheduling, and circumstances.<\/p>\n \u2018Time management is like today\u2019s hunting; it\u2019s inevitable for survival,\u2019 states Ojanen.<\/p>\n According to Ojanen, time management is one of the essential skills for getting important things done. The opposite is rushing and the feeling of not having enough time. Good time management skills enable us to have enough time and energy for our tasks.<\/p>\n By participating in the time management training, you will learn to recognize what is important and how to schedule all of the tasks in their calendar. In addition, you will understand how a work environment affects your work.<\/p>\n Not only a means of survival<\/p>\n The objective of the first section in this training is to learn how to prioritize and write down tasks.<\/p>\n \u2018Things get forgotten if they are not written down.\u2019 According to Pohjonen, the training gave him tools for structuring and scheduling tasks, yet at the same time shortening the to-do list.<\/p>\n Time management begins at stopping and thinking about why we are doing what we are doing. For many, memos and task-lists are a means of survival, a necessity. According to Ojanen, they can be much more than that: they can be used for becoming more efficient.<\/p>\n The second part of the training covers daily planning. Once you have listed and prioritized your tasks, transfer them to a calendar.<\/p>\n \u2018I was already using note applications along with the most common to-do list in the world \u2013 email,\u2019 explains Pohjonen.<\/p>\n Pohjonen now turned his attention to recognizing routines and taking care of them first thing in the morning.<\/p>\n \u2018I have scheduled an hour each morning to deal with the smallest yet most disruptive tasks on my list.\u2019<\/p>\n According to Ojanen, the morning is a time of awakening. It can be used for tasks requiring interaction and creativity but also for certain unavoidable routines.<\/p>\n \u2018Dealing with routine tasks each morning gives you energy, and you won\u2019t be weighed down by dull tasks during the day. The end of the day often goes by quickly leaving tasks unfinished.\u2019<\/p>\n Understand when you need to work remotely<\/p>\n In the last part of the training, we learn to identify environmental effects on our activities.\u00a0Antti Pohjonen works as a consultant where it is common to be suddenly interrupted.\u00a0According to Pohjonen, the interruptions are sometimes required to avoid being buried under your own thoughts. However, open offices are not always the best environment for tasks that require focus.<\/p>\n \u2018This training gave me the tools to manage my environment. If my task requires planning or thinking, I try to book a conference room or work remotely.\u2019<\/p>\n Changing one\u2019s habits requires a systematic approach, and it\u2019s easy to fall back to old habits.<\/p>\n \u2018I have taken a new approach to many things, but sometimes I slip,\u2019 admits Pohjonen.<\/p>\n Slipping from what you have learned does not mean failure. It is an essential part of the change, and it requires repetition.<\/p>\n Self-reflection and sparring with others are excellent ways of adopting new methods.<\/p>\n \u2018It pays to think about why am I doing something the way I am doing it, and not the way I should be.\u2019 Ojanen says that learning new habits is comparable to a process in nature where a path is slowly covered with fresh grass if it is left unused.<\/p>\n Efficient working methods are part of your professional skills. According to Ville Ojanen, it is good to notice people who are doing something well and simply ask them how they do it.<\/p>\n