6 Genius Ways to Manage Your Time
I will never forget sitting in one of my business classes and hearing my professor proclaim, "time is the most precious thing that we have." I thought about it and agreed. Unlike money, we can't really get it back, so once it's wasted or mismanaged, it's gone. We've lost it and can never retrieve it again. Plus, mismanaged time and disorganization causes a lot of unnecessary stress and anxiety and makes us feel like our entire life is out of control.
That's why in this article I will talk about time management and give you six genius ways to help you get some time back and finally distress and get more done. One of the ways to better manage your time is to set SMART goals which can be measured and achieved on time.
Some other ways that you can better manage your time is to prioritize your time, set time limits for tasks, organize yourself and plan, remove unnecessary tasks, and finally, utilize block scheduling. Managing your time is essential as it reduces stress and anxiety, leaves you with more time for your relationships and leisure, can reduce distractions and poor workflow, creates better work quality, and diminishes a feeling of loss of control.
So now that you understand the benefits of time management, let's get into the 6 ways that you can start managing your time today and reap the benefits as a result.
1.Set SMART Goals
SMART stands for specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely. Use this method to set your goals and help you achieve the most optimal results. Be very specific regarding what you want to achieve instead of being vague. Make sure that your goals are measurable as what you measure you can improve. And be sure that your goals are attainable rather than completely unrealistic. Unrealistic goals that are too difficult to attain or that we're not ready for are bound to leave us disappointed and defeated. And finally, be sure that your goals are timely, which means that they have a time goal. For instance, to complete something in 7 days and on a specific date, say - by August 15th, 2022, etc.
2.Use Block Scheduling
Block scheduling is an excellent time management strategy and allows you to focus on one specific task at a time instead of losing your workflow and getting distracted all the time. What you basically do while utilizing block scheduling is you dedicate a large chunk of time to a certain task or activity. For example, you can dedicate Mondays to essay writing, Tuesdays to answering emails, Wednesdays to meetings, and Thursdays to lesson planning, and so on.
This helps you stay completely immersed and focused on one task at a time and not only improves the quality of your work, but also saves you time and energy. While we are hyper-focused, our workflow is superb and so is our work quality. Block scheduling eliminates the stress of multitasking and constantly switching back and forth between tasks. Switching between tasks is hard and it takes a lot of our mental energy away.
3.Get Organized
Organization is everything regarding proper and efficient time management. When everything is all over the place, we constantly have to look for something before we even get started on our tasks. Not only that, but when everything is messy, our minds automatically feel cluttered too, and we get distracted by the external chaos. But don't just organize your personal space, but also organize your calendar and your computer files. Make sure that everything is easy to find and that it doesn't require a lot of extra time and effort to find something. Color label folders and use sticky notes.
Utilize your calendar for more long-term time management. Write down the date deadlines for projects and tasks. And finally, dedicate different days to different projects based on the information that you already know and have.
4.Plan Ahead
Get into the habit of writing down your next day's “to-do” list. This way when you get up in the morning you already know what needs to get done and what you have to work on. Planning ahead keeps you calm and collected and that de-stresses you and helps you feel calm and productive.
5.Remove Non Essential Tasks
Remove the things or activities that are not important or that steal your time. For example, it can be checking your phone all the time or visiting social media sites. Or maybe it's a task that can wait. Prioritize and work on the most important task first. Often it is the most difficult too, and that's why we end up chewing around it and procrastinating. So just do it! Determine what is important and what deserves your attention pronto and do just that. Everything else can wait.
When we spend time doing non-essential things, like visiting social media, we not only lose our workflow, but we also get drained by that activity.
6.Take a Break Between Tasks
Listen to yourself and if you feel tired, then take a break between tasks and recharge your batteries. I always do this when I work. Sometimes I take a break after half an hour and sometimes after 4 hours. It depends on the day and my energy levels. And sometimes I don't start my work at all. I learned to go with the flow and to never force myself when I am running on empty. That's part of self-love and self-care, but it's also essential for work quality and efficiency.
I know not everyone is so lucky as to not do the work right away. Sometimes you have no other options. In this instance even 5 minutes can go a long way. Grab a quick herbal tea or eat a piece of fruit. And simply sit by yourself in a small corner and take a few breaths. That's also helpful and effective. And if you've got a little more room to wiggle, then try to take a long nap before you do another task or go for a workout/walk. I never liked the idea of forcing myself to work or even waking up too early in the day feeling like a zombie, just to get some work done. I realized that it often backfires and leaves you exhausted and completely inefficient. So it's really all about treating yourself well and listening to your emotions. Pretty easy. Tired? rest, hungry? eat. Overwhelmed? stop, sit back and breathe. The work will still be there when you get back but you will be recharged and ready to conquer it.
Conclusion
Time management and organization is essential if you want to relax, have more quality time for hobbies and your family, and if you want to feel efficient and productive. In this blog post I talked about the 6 different ways that you can better manage your time. From setting SMART goals, to taking advantage of block scheduling where you can focus on one task at a time for a longer time without interruptions. To getting organized by cleaning your space and writing down all the goals and timelines for projects and tasks, to planning time and creating a "to-do" list on the night before. And finally, removing non-essential tasks or doing them at a later time. Doing so allows you to focus and create a better quality of work and leaves you more time and energy for something that you enjoy doing. And finally, taking breaks between tasks and recharging is also important and helps you be more efficient and more productive. It also helps you destress and leaves you less anxious.
Sources
What Is Block Scheduling? (And How It Boosts Productivity) - Lifehack
Time Management - List of Top Tips for Managing Time Effectively (corporatefinanceinstitute.com)