In many cases, web developers work as freelancers, which means they are often in charge of their own working hours. While this can be great in many different ways, it can also pose a significant threat to your productivity. If you are not someone with well-developed time management skills, the chances are that you will find yourself in a time crunch again and again.
Even if you do not freelance, you are probably inundated with tasks upon tasks as soon as you turn on your computer. So how do you find a way to do it all and improve your efficiency? With this in mind, we have come up with some time management tips for web developers. Read on and let us help you help yourself.
Remove distractions
Try to carve out your day in a way that allows you to get all of your work done and still have time left to spend however you like. Before you do this, you should ensure you can set aside a block of uninterrupted work time. Being a web developer, you are forced to be online by the sheer nature of your job. This can be fraught with difficulties, as the internet is rife with distractions.
You’ll want to disable the notifications on all your social media, at the very least, for a limited time. Certain platforms allow you to aggregate notifications. This way, they do not interrupt you for each one, but they all pop up at their allotted time. Even email notifications can be distracting. You are doing one thing, read an email, then spend the next 15 minutes continuing with your task while still thinking of the email. Disable the notifications and set up email timers several times a day. You will stay on top of your correspondence without it seeping into your work and disrupting it. Finally, it will allow you to manage your time better.
Planning your day
The key to excellent time management is planning out your day and accounting for every hour of it. If you are in charge of your own working day and you do not create boundaries around your free time and your working hours, you will be in for a nasty surprise. Work will start piling up, and you won’t be able to enjoy those few hours you have to yourself. The developing team at WP Full Care has shared some effective tactics with us when it comes to organizing your day in the best way.
Before you can make a realistic plan, you should observe some of your habits. When you are working, track your time using an app. This way, you will see what part of the day works best for you and how long you can carry on with your workflow. Realistically, you should be able to get in 2 to 4 hours of highly productive work every day. See when this happens for you to be able to fit it into your plan.
When planning your time management, you can do it on Sunday evening or Monday morning. Start with writing a list of all of the tasks you need to finish that week – from the smallest to the largest. If a project is particularly significant, break it up into smaller tasks. Then set out to make daily plans. Start with free time activities, like lunch or Netflix time – those will usually have their solid time slot. Then check your time tracking app and separate your working hours into chunks. Those 2 to 4 hours when you are the most productive should be filled with the tasks you know will require your undivided attention. Bookmark it with breaks and smaller, less critical tasks.
The Pomodoro technique
One of the most practical time management tips for web developers is to employ the Pomodoro technique. Francesco Cirillo invented this method in the late 1980s. Essentially, it breaks up working time into 25-minute increments. The name comes from the tomato-shaped kitchen timer Cirillo used when he developed the method as a student.
Stop working every 25 minutes and take a short 3- to 5-minute break. Every two hours or so, take a more extended break – 15 minutes to a half-hour. The goal is to reduce interruptions and enhance your focus and flow. By setting up this limited time to deal with a task, you provide yourself with a realistic and achievable goal. The obligatory breaks between each Pomodoro session, as well as the ones between the sets of four, ensure that you are not overworking yourself and harming your chances of longevity and progress.
Set up a reward system
Even though your work will be rewarded through your salary or praise from your superiors or clients, you should find a way to reward your efforts yourself. Setting up a reward system for complicated and time-consuming tasks you complete will make you less likely to procrastinate and more likely to accomplish all your goals in the allotted timeframe. When the time comes that you wish to take a longer break or ditch work for the day, remember that you will be able to use your free time in an even better way once you get everything done.
Treating yourself to your favorite takeout after you finish a new site or feature will make all the difference. The promise of enjoying yourself guilt-free is one of the simplest yet most effective time management tips for web developers.
Conclusion
Stop working every 25 minutes and take a short 3- to 5-minute break. Every two hours or so, take a more extended break – 15 minutes to a half-hour. The goal is to reduce interruptions and enhance your focus and flow. By setting up this limited time to deal with a task, you provide yourself with a realistic and achievable goal. The obligatory breaks between each Pomodoro session, as well as the ones between the sets of four, ensure that you are not overworking yourself and harming your chances of longevity and progress.
