We don’t need more hours in the day; what matters is how we use the time we already have.
It seems easy to manage time, but in fact this is usually difficult. Our days quickly fill with work, family duties, errands, emails, appointments, and many small tasks. We also need time to sleep, eat, exercise, relax, and unwind. And as a result, there is usually not much free time remaining.
That is why it’s necessary to start by setting realistic goals.
Each person has twenty-four hours every day. You could spend eight or nine hours at work and seven or eight hours asleep. The rest of the time goes to getting ready, commuting, eating, looking after your family, and doing household chores. Most of your day is taken up before you even consider doing anything else.
People often forget that your energy levels change throughout the day.
You ought to do your best thinking in the morning since it’s more difficult to concentrate later in the day; therefore, try to do your most important thinking in the morning and plan your schedule so that you carry out demanding work when your energy is at its peak and leave the routine tasks for when your energy is lower.
Begin by creating a new calendar for the week. Start by including the most important parts of your personal life, such as your usual sleep schedule, mealtimes, exercise, time with your family, hobbies, and any other regular commitments. Don’t omit anything, even if it seems minor, since all of these activities take up time.
Add details of your work schedule as well.
Allocate some time for meetings, appointments, emails, planning, and all other usual tasks and also include periods for concentrated work; if you have a major project, assign it a specific slot on your calendar rather than hoping that you’ll manage to find time for it later.
When you have completed it, see what remains.
You may realize that an ideal week isn’t feasible. In fact, that’s a good thing, since it shows you’re trying to do more than your available time permits.
You will find that managing your time is simpler if you adopt a basic daily planning approach. Every evening, take ten minutes to plan the next day. Make a list of everything you need to do or would like to do, then choose your three most important tasks; focus on these even if your day gets busy.
Begin by looking at your calendar and set aside time for your most important tasks. Make sure you allow yourself sufficient time to complete each one. Combine smaller tasks, such as emails, calls, and short errands. Lastly, leave some free space for unexpected things or delays.
The next morning, do your most important task when your energy is highest, and don’t use that time to check email or social media; once you have finished the important work, move on to the other, smaller tasks on your list.
Good time management doesn’t mean filling every free minute; it’s about deciding which things are worthy of your time.
Start by selecting the small number of things that are most important and then schedule time for them. Be clear about how long each task actually takes, and allow gaps between commitments because life usually doesn’t follow a perfect schedule.
Above all, don’t hold back until some extra time appears.
It probably won’t.
More ideas…..
How I Took Control of My Time…And You Can Too
