Healthy Time Management: A #Bufferchat Recap

This week on #bufferchat, we shared tips and advice for healthy time management — how to be productive while taking care of ourselves! In the 2nd chat time, we were joined by Matti Heubner of Vyte as our guest to share his special advice on the topic.

Read on to discover all of the awesome insights that were shared during the chat!

Catch our weekly Twitter chat, #bufferchat, at TWO times every Wednesday for valuable industry insights and to meet hundreds of other smart marketers and social media enthusiasts. Same topic, same place, just at different times – feel free to join in to whichever chat time works best for you!

For our community in Asia and Australia (or anyone else!): 4 pm AEDT (Sydney time)

For our community in North/South America, Europe and Africa (or others!): 9 am PT (San Francisco time)

This week’s stats:
1st Bufferchat: 37 participants; 256 tweets; reach of 1,104,377
2nd Bufferchat: 126 participants; 1,158 tweets; reach of 1,167,209

Q1: How do you organize and schedule your work day?

From Matti:

• I always try to get the most out of my morning –> mediate, watch something inspirational (TED Talk) and look at my day.
• During the day I work in theme blocks like blog content, analytics, social, support and more (helps to avoid multitasking).
• We manage all our to-do´s and projects with @asana and @trello.
• In the evening I mostly schedule posts for the next day (thanks @buffer ) and check @vytein for upcoming meetings.
• Also really important: Make sure to get your eight hours of sleep.

From the community:

• “Keep schedule in large blocks of time (8AM-10AM, 3PM-6PM) keeps me free to work toward goals without schedule paralysis.” @bradleebartlett
• “Mornings are absolutely sacred! Before lunch, no meetings/calls – just heads down work. Afternoons are for admin & meetings.” @flaviacat03
• “To-do lists never go out of style. Start from the top priority & most energy-consuming task.” @AMBAcomms

See all the great answers to question 1 here!

Q2: How do you go about prioritizing what’s most important in your schedule/to-do list?

From Matti:

• Normally, we have one big project and several ongoing projects like blog creation or social scheduling.
• As I said earlier, I work in theme blocks so I adjust the size of them depending on the projects and their importance.

From the community:

• “I let myself knock out what interests me most first (feels like a treat!), followed by what’s most pressing.” @kathryndlewis
• “I start w/ list then prioritize using an urgent / important matrix to clearly see what needs doing when.”@NeilMilliken via @merylkevans
• “Heavy lifting things go first. Things that take the most focus or time. Small things + busy work, better for late w/music.” @bellametaphor

See all the great answers to question 2 here!

Q3: What are examples of good habits to build into your workflow?

From Matti:

• An awesome habit is using the Pomodoro method because it forces good habits like single-tasking and taking breaks.

From the community:

• “Plan your day the night before. Plan your week on Sunday night. It helps a lottttt.” @JuiceboxCA
• “I give myself a treat – like reading my Feedly – after successfully completing (a set of) tasks.” @abbraga
• “Set aside specific times for email. Responding immediately is often not necessary… NOT EVERYTHING IS URGENT!!” @GNAdv

See all the great answers to question 3 here!

Q4: How do you build in breaks to your work day?

From Matti:

• Every day I have lunch with a friend which is a great opportunity for a longer break and to get new thoughts and energy.
• Next to that I use the Pomodoro method to take small breaks and I also try to bring in one longer walk to get some fresh air.

From the community:

• “We make coffee, take walks, move our work to another location. Sometimes all we need is a change of scenery.” @YellingMule
• “A mandatory fruit break at 11 and ten mins meditation in the afternoon.” @Passport_Liz
• “My schedule tells me! I make sure I take them anytime I feel stuck, frustrated or blocked. Even just for a glass of water.” @MichaelLindauer

See all the great answers to question 4 here!

Q5: Why is single-tasking important? What are some strategies or tools to help you single-task?

From Matti:

• Single-tasking gives me way more focus! Sometimes I fall back to multi-tasking and my productivity immediately decreases.

From the community:

• “You get more done when you focus. Doing too many things at once means you are working harder, not smarter.” @larshelgeson
• “If I’m writing, no internet connection, less people around = better flow. Its important to be the most present in each task.” @GlitterOtter
• “It helps focus, makes daunting projects seem like more manageable tasks. I focus with music and no other tabs open!” @jstew24

See all the great answers to question 5 here!

Q6: What can you do to get back on track when something derails your schedule or plan for the day?

From Matti:

• Don’t take your schedule too seriously. Life happens, so be flexible about it and try to make the best out of the situation.
• A short walk or a meditation session can also help to handle the new situation.

From the community:

• “You can’t plan an entire day out moment by moment – adapt and react, relocate if necessary. Music always helps!” @malocloum
• “Reminding myself what I’ve managed to complete rather than what I haven’t. Plans can always change!” @Tweet_Cheyenne
• “Look at your goal for the day – measure your current progress. Pickup the next step. GO.” @jakejordan

See all the great answers to question 6 here!

Q7: Instead of just managing your time, how might you manage your energy?

From Matti:

• Take breaks regularly, listen to energizing music (I couldn’t work without my tunes).
• Also getting input from outside of work helps me a lot. Like meeting friends or read a book. It totally freshens up my mind.

From the community:

• “Always remember to shut work off after hours. If it’s not a 911. It can wait. Burning yourself out is a no no! @etakappadiamond
• “Walking and exercising and eating healthy is so important, I have a balance ball at my desk instead of a chair :-)” @70mq
• “Make sure you enjoy what you’re doing! When work doesn’t feel like “work”, you’ll be much happier and energised!” @terezadickson

See all the great answers to question 7 here!

Thank you so much to Matti and to everyone who shared their wisdom and insights in this chat!

Do you have any comments or answers to these questions? Leave your thoughts in the comments! We’d love to hear from you!

Image sources: UnSplash