Good time management.
What does that mean for you?
In a nutshell time management is a great opportunity to get your priorities and tasks in line while working to arrange and organize your life. When you manage your time well you will be able to take part in things that have meaning for you, complete tasks that you normally don’t have enough time for, and accomplish things that you might otherwise have a hard time completing.
Can you imagine what life would be like if you have enough time and resources to live a more productive life while achieving the things that you wish you could? While it may be true that people live very hectic lives with long commutes (I once did one that was 2 hours one way), family priorities, and school, among other things that need to get done. Many people think “I already have so many things happening, how can I possibly make time to add more to my schedule?”. While this thinking may be true, however, if you take the time to understand what you are doing with your time and work to arrange things such as working towards a goal or making more time for yourself then you will see the types of benefits this will reap!
Let’s look at a few ways to effectively manage your time to achieve your goals. If you are looking for solid goal-setting ideas, check out my goal-setting blog here. But, for now, let’s move on to time management strategies!
First things first…
Ask yourself, where do I waste time? Most of us have a bad habit of spending more and more unproductive time just scrolling on social media. While it is good to go on social media to see what is going on in news or with our friends, it is the pointless scrolling that can eat up a lot of our time. Try to schedule a time during the day when you want to catch up on social media and messages and then leave it at that. If you find other productive things to distract yourself with, such as reading, spending face-to-face time with family and friends, or catching up on some work then you will feel more productive at the end of the day. This can also lead to an increase in confidence.
While many people may use social media for their jobs, which is a completely different category, you might find it helpful to once again schedule certain times of the day to complete these tasks and respond to messages, rather than jumping in headfirst and spending half of your day responding.
Before you completely get into determining where you are wasting time, create a list of what you do in a day, and where you are spending your time. Write down how much time you are spending on each task. Then by the process of elimination take out things you spend your time on that aren’t as productive and replace them with productive things. Now by saying this, I am not suggesting that every waking moment you have to be doing something, always keep in mind that self-care and rest are extremely important.
Next, create a schedule…
Creating a schedule using an app, your phone, or just an agenda or piece of paper are all ways to record what you need to do with your time. Always keep in mind that flexibility in your schedule is important as well. Be sure to carve out time to answer emails and messages, times for technology tasks such as posts or anything related, and carve out time for your daily work and self-care time daily, whether it is in the evening or morning. Have time to wake up and a planned time to go to sleep to ensure that you are getting the proper amount of rest.
Before you start your week write out a to-do list and then schedule everything in your calendar where you think it would be the best time to complete these tasks. Ensure that you pick a time and date that work when you are most optimal in that task. Also, select a due date for yourself, and stick to it. Keep in mind that what works for one person in the morning, may work better for one person in the afternoon. Everyone’s biological time clock is different, and it is important to follow the flow of your time clock.
In addition to your list and schedule, when creating it, highlight what is the most important and make sure that those tasks are accounted for in your schedule so that they take priority and get completed. Now, we all have those small administrative tasks that need to get done such as dropping off mail, paying bills, making appointments, and whatever else needs to get done. Schedule those in too. Do you have dinner with a friend on Wednesday at 7 pm? Schedule that in too. Finally, and this is the most important take I feel, schedule your sign-off time for the day. When you sign off in the evening or whatever time you have planned, ensure that your alone time or time with family is sacred and spent enjoying things that life has to offer.
Don’t try to do it all…
What I mean by this is that you should focus on one task at a time. Multitasking in all its glory seems to be harmful at times. It is better to focus on one thing and then move on to the next. Are you in the middle of something important, like drafting an important email, and the phone rings? Let it go to voicemail and then call the person back so that they can have your undivided attention, rather than only half-listening to what the other person is saying. This will allow you to be more present in the task at hand.
In addition to this, eliminate distractions. Close down social media and email when you are trying to write or focus on a meeting. Airplane mode or do not disturb mode are great for this. In addition, word has a focus button at the bottom right-hand of the page that can help you focus on what you are doing when writing important documents.
Finally…
Once you have your schedule in order, get yourself organized. File things away, make a pile of things that need attention, and work on those tasks from there!
Bottom line is that to have an intentional life, you need to be organized and manage your time well. When organizing your life learn to say no to things that do not serve you and yes to the things that do!
Bliss + You 