Time management is one of the most important components of any professional in the workplace, especially in Remotasks where we Remotaskers tend to juggle multiple tasks at once. In order to avoid getting overwhelmed with the many tasks we have, it’s important to learn how to manage our time effectively to maximize our productivity. Here are some time management tricks to remember if you want to maximize performance regarding your tasks:
- Dedicate a day for a project type. If you have a selection of tasks under various project types, consider allocating a day of the week for a particular type. That way, your mind can focus on instructions specific to those types instead of alternating back and forth. For instance, tasks get more streamlined when Remotaskers simply have to deal with the 2D frames of 2D Tasks or if they have to check 3D backgrounds for 3D Tasks. Taskers who jump back and forth between these project types might spend more time rechecking instructions than actually doing tasks.
- Select tasks under a 1:2 ratio. When looking into how many tasks you want to do at a time, try to consider a 1:2 ratio, where you have one task from a complex or time-consuming project type for every two tasks from a straightforward project type. That way, you can spend just an equal amount of effort between the three tasks and avoid getting burnt out by your task load. This also lets you determine whether you work faster if you finish the difficult task first, or if you finish the more straightforward tasks first.
- Time yourself when doing a task at peak condition. We all have our high-energy days and low-energy days, meaning there are days that we’d love to do tasks and days when we don’t want to do anything at all. However, tasking during those days isn't necessarily important. What’s more important is how well you do tasks on an “ordinary” day - as in, when it’s a day where you “just have” to do a task. If you want to maximize your tasking, you should probably time yourself when doing tasks of different project types during these ordinary days. That way, you have a safe benchmark on when you should expect yourself to finish any kind of task at your most optimal condition.
- Time yourself whenever you get those high-energy and low-energy days. As mentioned, whenever we get our high-energy days and low-energy days, we respectively tend to do more or less tasks we assign to ourselves. If we have the extra time during those days, it might help to time ourselves while doing project types under those moods. That way, Remotaskers have a way of identifying how fast they should expect themselves to do tasks when they’re in the mood, and how fast they do tasks at the barest minimum. Remember, don’t treat this as a race - you should do these tasks as though you’re not being timed. That way, you have a safe estimation of how fast you do tasks when you’re in the mood or not, and when you just treat a day like an ordinary work day.
- Check your feedback before the day ends. Don’t check for task feedback before the day begins. On the off-chance that a Reviewer asked you to revise your task, knowing this before the day begins can ruin your schedule for the entire day. Instead, check for feedback for your submitted tasks by the time you finish your tasks for the day. That way, you’d know if you have the time for the day to do those revisions or if you can allocate them for the next day. Remember, you don’t have to rush to finish your tasks before the pay period ends (though that’s recommended). Rather, you should take note of the task deadline so you know if you can push back on that particular task revision or if you need to do it as soon as possible.
- Dedicate the last day of the week to arrange the next week’s load. In order to avoid rushing tasks throughout the week, you might want to consider dedicating the latter part of the week to arranging the new set of tasks you need to work on. That way, you always have a half-day’s worth of time to see which tasks work best for the next week and even allocate the necessary free time for your other obligations. This allows you to be able to accurately plan your days off with family and friends some days in advance, and you’ll still have the time to allocate or adjust extra tasks if you end up having more time than you realized.
- Allocate rest between heavy task loads. Instead of working a full shift on tasks, try to allocate a period for rest in between heavy task loads. These include taking a break whenever you finish a set of both 3D and 2D Tasks, or whenever you spend more than three to four hours in front of the computer. Aside from the fact that this lets you get away from the screen, this is also therapeutic for the mind. Taking a break out of the computer lets the mind recharge, digest information, and get ready for another round of working. This is extremely helpful if you actually take a nap or sleep properly in between your shifts, so your mind is in top condition when it’s time to analyze tasks.
Great Time Management Means Great Tasks Ahead!
With the above tips in mind, it’s important to remember that great time management skills can lead to great results when it comes to accomplishing tasks. The right allotment of time, resources, and energy can ensure that a Remotasker can allocate the effort to accomplish tasks that can give them high marks and higher earnings. Remember, while projects in Remotasks tend to be plentiful, our flexible system allows us to be able to choose which projects to tackle and when to submit them. Maximizing this system with the management hacks above can ensure that we’ll be able to pull off a more efficient job with our work.
