At present, there are many time management methods in the market, and I have practiced several, each with its own characteristics, and some aspects are even contradictory. GTD says small things should be given priority. If something can be finished in 2 minutes, it should be finished immediately, but Steve Covey said "the important things should be given priority" and the important things in your work and life should be given priority. Some people say that you should do the important and urgent things first, but peter drucker suggested doing the "second quadrant" things first, things that can really affect your growth. Of all the theories, which one should we listen to? Mathematicians have been studying this theory recently, trying to find the optimal solution of time management from mathematical algorithms.

1. Urgent

1) If everything has a deadline, then arrange tasks according to the order of the deadline, which is the "latest deadline method".

2) If you want to finish as many tasks as possible on time, then give up the task that takes up the most time, which is the "Moore algorithm".

2. Small things and big things

1) If there is no deadline, then "small things first": give priority to tasks with short time, because there are always tasks in mind, and each time you complete a small task, you can reduce your psychological burden.

2) Quantification method of important things: task density, task density = importance/completion time, giving priority to things with high task density, which is the "weighted shortest processing time method".

3. There is no one-size-fits-all solution

If faced with multiple tasks with different priorities, which task should be processed first in the algorithm? Scientists say that this problem ... has no solution.

4. Conclusion

Consistent with our feelings, no time management method is omnipotent and can cure all diseases. Time management is actually a psychological problem. The purpose of learning it is not to manage time, but to manage one's own psychology. Just like "crossing over" in Buddhism. It is not the dead who cross over, it is the living.

Mathematical algorithm is just a tool, it can't solve all the problems in our life, we still have to learn to think independently and analyze specific problems.