History has taught many lessons, and time management has always been important to individuals who are movers and shakers in society and the world. Businesses, startups, entrepreneurs, school students — the list could go on and on with people who have worked hard to make more of themselves and their situations.

A big project due soon should be considered high in importance and high in urgency. Conversely, a big project due in the distant future would be regarded as having high importance and low urgency. More mundane tasks, such as responding to emails, that are still necessary every day, are often considered to have low importance but high urgency.

Finally, tasks with low importance and low urgency can be perceived as time-wasters if you have other pressing matters to attend to. These could consist of organizing your email or personal distractions, such as checking your phone or binge-watching TV. Think of these as activities for the end of the day when you’ve accomplished all the to-do list items in the other areas of your life, or you need a break.

1. Beethoven’s Easy-to-Follow Time Management

I hope you productivity and scheduling aficionados don’t mind me throwing in one of my favorite people — Beethoven. As a musician in my private life, I find a lot of inspiration from the “legacy musicians.” Each musician had a schedule to follow, and most had dogged determination to stick to and hone their craft.  Many early masters developed and cultivated the ability to persist with tasks, create a plan, and adhere to a schedule, even while managing depression and procrastination.

Beethoven got up early, counted out 60 beans for his coffee (about like a modern-day espresso), and began work at dawn (about 6:00 a.m.). He focused on his work and didn’t let distractions get in the way.

This great musician knew how to strike a balance between his work and life. He took a break daily, went for a walk, ate a late lunch or early dinner, and went to bed around 10:00 p.m. every night. In the winter, he read. Of course, he didn’t have the issues of modern-day technology to distract him. No doomscrolling and the incessant ability of the outside world to have instant connection, and no TV. Nonetheless, might we cultivate a better balance by eliminating a few of those things? Might our productivity become higher and easier to attain?

2. Twain’s Frog-Eating

Samuel Clemens, pseudonym Mark Twain, was a beloved 19th-century American author known for works such as The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Throughout his lifetime, he dedicated himself to his craft, writing over 100 essays, novels, short stories, and even an autobiography. It’s safe to say that his writing schedule was probably quite packed.

This is why Twain created his own time-management strategy, now called the “eat the frog” method. This term comes from his explanation of his technique: “If it’s your job to eat a frog, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning. And if it’s your job to eat two frogs, it’s best to eat the biggest one first.” In other words, it’s better to finish your most daunting work early and quickly rather than to procrastinate and let your “have to” list snowball.

So, how do you apply this to your life? Stop procrastinating and improve your ability to prioritize assignments. Don’t put off that big project because the smaller ones make you feel more productive now. It’s nice to be able to check off more items, but in the end, you’ll have screwed yourself over. Just eat the frog, and you’ll accomplish work more efficiently.

3. Churchill’s Consistency

Winston Churchill, prime minister of England during World War II, certainly had a lot on his plate. He figured out how to handle everything through a technique called consistency. This is essentially what it sounds like — maintaining a consistent schedule every day or most days. And if not the entire day’s schedule, at least certain parts of it.

For example, Churchill followed a consistent pattern of working hours every day, from dawn to late afternoon. Kind of like a nine-to-five, he limited himself to only working during a specific part of the day. This requires you to work harder and more efficiently during those hours of productivity.

To take this a step further in terms of consistency, you can also develop routines to make your work more efficient. For example, morning and night routines can help reduce the time it takes to prepare for work or bed respectfully. You could also implement a routine for how you start your working day, such as a checklist for the menial tasks. This will eliminate unnecessary decision-making time and keep you on track.

4. Franklin’s Journaling

Benjamin Franklin was one of the most famous founding fathers of the United States. A self-made man, he worked his way up to serving some of the top roles in the fledgling government. From operating businesses to helping run a new country, Franklin had a lot of hats to wear in the same 24-hour day you have. One of the ways he enforced productivity on himself was through journaling and reflection.

This may not sound like a traditional time management method, but reflecting on how you spend your time can be quite helpful. Franklin would spend time each morning and evening in self-reflection, writing down his thoughts and findings. He started each day by determining what he wanted to accomplish and ended by checking off what he had actually done. These two didn’t necessarily have to match perfectly as long as essential tasks were getting done first.

The point of reflection is not to punish yourself for not completing all of your lists. Self-reflecting on your productivity can keep you motivated and improve your efficiency. You can also learn patterns and bad habits about yourself and start a journey to compensate for them.

5. Bruce Lee’s Jeet Kune Do

Bruce Lee is perhaps one of the most famous martial artists in the world. Although he lived a short life, he made quite a name for himself within that span. One of his lasting legacies is Jeet Kune Do, a philosophy of martial arts he created. Interestingly enough, this philosophy can also be used as a time management strategy that he employed in his life.

Jeet Kune Do’s primary strategy is to eliminate the inessential things you do, leaving you with what is truly important. In martial arts terms, this would be minimizing movement to conserve energy. In time-management terms, this means eliminating unnecessary tasks to free up your time for what’s necessary.

Implementing Jeet Kune Do in your scheduling can keep you focused on what’s truly important. You’re less likely to waste time and more likely to stay productive or at least work toward your goals. This can also prevent over-committing yourself and allows you to spend more time on what matters most.

Stay Committed

One of the common denominators in the success of these great minds is their commitment. Effort, dedication, and the willingness to stick to their strategies blossomed into accomplishing significant goals. They all left positive impacts on the world, which you can do. While following their methods can’t guarantee you’ll become prime minister or president, it can improve your time management. Developing this skill can take you down paths of opportunities you didn’t even know you had. Stay committed, and you’ll start to see the positive impacts on your life.

Featured Image Credit: Photo by Mikhail Nilov; Pexels