We all have 24 hours a day yet some people manage to get their life in place. We know they aren’t time-benders but haven’t you always wondered how it was done?
Most people like to be efficient with time, and we show no mercy in creating timetables until we drop it to draw another. However, there are individuals making the most out of every minute of the day. Others are getting there; you may want to read more to jump-start your mission.
Am I in the wrong if I spilt one of your guilty pleasures?
96% of the people check their mobile phones within one hour of waking up. Are you in the remaining 4% of the mind-blowing crowd or are you the ones looking out to read my taxing theories to get back on track?
Think about it.
If the first thing you do before you roll out of your bed is scroll through your phones checking good morning texts and work emails, you are essentially putting yourself second. No matter the context is, you are already letting your pen pals set your mood for the day.
Most of us spend hours and hours of our day regretting the time we lost doing nothing. I spend most of my time figuring out the perfect strategy to manage the errands in the most enjoyable way.
Start by using these super powerful tips to manipulate your clock and fit your schedules.
- Analyse your time journal
When it comes to time management, you first need to find out where your time actually goes. Your daily one-hour screen time might be the bogeyman unknowingly eating up half your day. The easiest way to kick start this is by making use of apps like RescueTime and Toggl
You can effortlessly run an analysis to the bottom of your time history to make all the appropriate improvements.
- Set a time limit for each Task
This is a tried and tested method I still use to regularly track my time and avoid procrastination. For starters, I gave myself two hours to finish this very blog so I started at 8.00 a.m. in the morning with the hope of completing this task by 10.00 a.m.
In a way, it becomes a fun betting game against the lazy you.
Since I take breaks around each activity, it doesn’t feel monotonous. But make sure you don’t eat the time reserved for the other tasks.
- Use a to-do list, and don’t abandon tasks.
I know we’ve all been through this at least once in our lifetime, abandoning your to-do lists isn’t the worst thing that could happen. But now that we’re on a path to correct our mistakes it’s time we make things right. Keep the list small, no one wants to bite the dust and be a loser. Creating a list of all the projects and activities to be done along with all the measurable steps is a promising initiative to achieve progress.
- Eliminate half-work
In this day and age of constant peer pressure its stupidly easy to split our attention between what we should be doing and what we do to please an audience. It’s hardly true that we are fully focused on the work at hand due to all the half-works you indulge in frequently.
Checking your phone in the middle of a lecture or spending time on your favorite show while working out are a few of the many half-works you need to avoid. The best way to eliminate this is by completely blocking out the sidelines so you can get into a deep and focused work session and avoid fragmented chores.
- Alter your schedule
Well since you are here reading this article it’s already understood that your life is open to change. And I’m here to help but if you are struggling with time management, the solution may be as simple as changing your current routine.
For example, instead of waking up at your usual time say 8.00 a.m. get up a few hours early. My personal comfort span is 5.00 a.m. in the morning since it gives me the time I’ve found to have lost within my daily chores.
Consider springing out of bed earlier at the weekends and watch your time manage itself.
- Follow the 80-20 rule
The 80-20 rule or The Pareto Principle is a tried-and-true method that can set your life up for success. You can apply this to any aspect of your life that may require a quick repair. It states that 20% of your activities will account for 80% of your results. You can start by analyzing your daily to-do list and choose the five most important tasks for the day ahead of you. This will effectively help you eliminate unwanted and lengthy to-do lists and accomplish better outcomes.
- Use an online calendar
Calendars have been the best-loved tool to manage time over the years. But for people like us with our heads tilted down into our phones, online calendars seem to cut the chase. You can reach them on multiple devices, schedule meetings and catch up on appointments easily.
A few of the tools you can use are the Apple calendar, Google calendar or outlook.
- Find inspiration
While writing this blog, this has to be my prime motive but since we may want more than just a few sentences put together we always look for denser sources. I personally enjoy TED Talk or a biography, this helps to rekindle that fire inside you and find the motivation to never lose track of progress.
- Stop striving for perfection
It’s easier to find flaws in everything. It only makes us go back in on the same task a million times and what does that leave us behind with towards the end? Unfinished projects! Productivity is the essence of time management and that is the core problem you want to work for.
Stop striving for perfection, it may not exist!
