To effectively manage your time when you feel like nothing gets done, you can use several practical strategies based on clear planning and prioritization.

Mastering Time: Practical Strategies for Effective Management

To effectively manage your time when you feel like nothing gets done, you can use several practical strategies based on clear planning and prioritization.

Firstly, it is recommended to create a detailed list of specific actions for each project, especially if completing a task requires several steps. This approach not only structures your work but also brings you closer to accomplishing even the most unpleasant tasks. For example, one source states:
"Make a list of specific next actions for projects that require more than two steps. 'Eat the frog.' Everyone has small, disliked tasks that drain a lot of energy if not completed on time. For instance, asking for forgiveness or writing a daily plan. Keep a list of such tasks and cross one off each morning. Calendar 'pinwheel': you can keep a calendar counting down the days of your life (using the average life expectancy) or a countdown until a set deadline for a task. Try using 'switches'—things that help you get to work: music, a specific ritual (for example, drinking a cup of coffee, then…), or a reward (eating a candy after completing a task). Learn to say 'no' and delegate tasks and responsibilities." (source: link txt)

Secondly, it is important to clearly define priorities. Using the so-called quadrant to divide tasks into important and urgent helps to allocate time for truly significant tasks and learn to say "no" to those that do not add substantial value. One source recommends:
"'Not Important Urgent' – some phone calls, emails, reports.

What seems interesting can quickly turn into a waste of time… With this quadrant, you can answer the question: 'How do you find time for what really matters?

' Here are a few strategies: Reserve time for important but non-urgent tasks (planning). Reduce the number of tasks that are both important and urgent (shift from quadrant I to II). Say 'no' to urgent but unimportant tasks (decline or delegate). Important tasks come first (for example). Planning: basic principles. Dedicate time to planning (5–10 minutes every day). 60% goes into the plan, the rest is freedom." (source: link txt)

In addition, planning your time—even if it takes only a few minutes a day—can significantly boost efficiency. An additional reflection gives the following example:
"The famous English Admiral Nelson once made a statement fatal for slackers everywhere: 'I owe my successes to never having wasted a quarter of an hour in my life.' Time is wasted not so much in hours as in quarter-hours—and it is the loss of these quarter-hours that accumulates all the misfortunes in our lives. But if you strictly change your activities every hour, it becomes easier to avoid even the loss of a 'quarter' of an hour. But does this mean falling back into a routine? No. Routine is planning ahead, and as we have seen, not everyone manages to do that. Too many life's circumstances interfere with executing a plan, and not everyone has the resolve to resist these obstacles." (source: link txt)

Thus, the key to effective time management lies in clear planning, creating task lists, using a system of priorities, and the ability to delegate and say no to secondary tasks. Implementing these strategies will not only help structure your time but also preserve your energy for genuinely important endeavors.