We all have a finite amount of time on this earth, so our time should be treated as an extremely precious resource. Everyone has the same 24 hours in a day, but some people seem to accomplish so much more than others. Why is that? The answer lies in time management. Effective time management is the key to getting the most out of each day. It involves setting priorities, making a schedule, and sticking to it. This can be difficult at first, but with practice, it will become easier and second nature. Eventually, you’ll find that you have more time for the things you enjoy, and less time for stress and anxiety.
There’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to time management. Some people have an organized, meticulous approach while others prefer going with the flow. Commit to discovering tools that work best for your personality type so you can figure out how much organization will benefit you both personally and professionally. Here are just 4 of the strategies I have discovered on my own journey that have helped me optimize my time.
Tip 1. Plan your time. “If You Fail to Plan, You Are Planning to Fail” — Benjamin Franklin.
The human brain craves specificity. Long-term planning is useful to ensure you are headed in the right direction, but it’s your short-term plans that will help you optimize your time and ultimately determine the quality of your life.
I recommend to my clients that they plan each week and each day as a minimum. You can also add in monthly, quarterly or annual planning when you have mastered weekly planning.
Plan on paper, digitally or a combination of the two. Include appointments or meetings (with prep or travel time if needed), tasks that need to be completed (aka to-do-list), self-care, and social time. Use alarms or digital reminders to keep you on task.
Tip 2. Time audit. You may feel like your time is out of control and you have no idea how to manage it. A good way, would be doing a “time audit.” The process should take at least three days. Track the time spent on every task, more than 5 minutes long. Create categories of activities and calculate how much time you spent on each. Then consider the importance of each category and the satisfaction you gained. Finally determine if you used your time well and create a plan if change is needed.
Tip 3: Chunk Big Tasks. It’s very easy to get overwhelmed with a big project or complicated task like “setting up a business” or “moving house”. To reduce overwhelm, begin by creating a “grand plan” consisting of measurable milestones. Here’s how. Brainstorm every action that needs to be done. Next prioritize the action steps and create milestones, with a desired completion date. It may help to plot the milestones on a timeline. Write in pencil so that you can move things! Focus on one milestone at a time. If you find yourself worrying about a future milestone, stop and bring your attention back to the task in hand.
Tip 4. Focus and Flow. According to Amishi Jha, author of “Peak Mind” multitasking is a myth. Your mind cannot pay attention to more than one thing at one time. So if you are multitasking you are actually rapidly task-switching and this is extremely inefficient as you never get into a productive brain state. So learn to focus on one task, at a time and you will increase output, reduce errors and decrease time on each.
Time is precious, and if it’s not managed well, it can quickly slip away. That’s why planning your time is so important. By scheduling time and chunking bigger projects, you can make the most of every day. A time audit from time to time can help you see where you might be able to cut down on wasted minutes or hours. And lastly, avoid multi-tasking whenever possible – research has shown that it actually decreases productivity. What are some of your favorite tips for managing your time? Let me know in the comments below!
