At least once in your life (if not more like I have), you've probably found yourself saying, "I wish I had more hours in a day." You might have been feeling overwhelmed at everything you have to do and can't see a way that you can accomplish it all within 24-hours.
Here's a secret: you don't have to get everything accomplished in a day. There are certain tasks that are more important and urgent than others. It's not the end of the world if some things get pushed to tomorrow's to-do list.
Learning how to manage your time all boils down to prioritization and organization. Knowing what's important and recognizing what you can realistically do in a day. Let's talk about time management.
What Does Time Management Mean?
Time management is another buzz word that's been thrown around workplaces, college campuses, and maybe even in your household. You've probably been told that you need to learn to manage your time better, or it's something you've told yourself.
But, what does it actually mean? Time management essentially is a form of prioritizing tasks in a way that maximizes efficiency. It's deciding what the most important things you need to complete in a day are and when you should complete them.
There are many benefits of incorporating time management strategies into your day and hurdles to implementing those practices.
Benefits of Time Management Strategies
There are many benefits and reasons that you should be incorporating time management strategies into your day:
- Happiness. When you feel like you have enough time to get through your to-do list, you'll feel less stressed and more energized throughout the day. This will lead to feelings of increased happiness and can help you avoid burnout.
- Improved creativity. Having enough time in your day to get through not-so-fun tasks gives you the space to be creative and leads to innovation. When your mind isn't occupied with stress and anxiety, you will have more freedom to think creatively.
- Increased productivity. Feeling confident that you can manage all of the tasks you need to complete in a day can leave you feeling energized. Having more energy leads to increased productivity.
Hurdles of Time Management and Prioritization
On the other hand, it can be hard to start incorporating time management strategies into your day. There are many reasons that a person might struggle with prioritization and managing their time:
- Procrastination. I'm guilty of it, you're probably guilty of it, procrastination is one of the biggest hurdles that can prevent a person from managing their time. Putting tasks off to the last minute increases a sense of urgency for tasks that might not even be that important. It also leads to a feeling that you don't have enough time to get through the rest of your day's tasks.
- Perfectionism. Perfectionism and people pleasing are two big hurdles to effective time management. For perfectionists, it can be hard to want to turn something in because you're always finding something that could be better about it. If you don't turn it in, no one can find anything wrong with it. For people-pleasers, you might agree to take on more than you realistically can manage, especially projects that aren't a priority for you.
- Multitasking. Multitasking is also a large barrier to managing your time. It's truly best to just focus on one task at a time. Giving things your full attention and concentration can help you finish them faster.
How to Schedule and Prioritize: Ten Tips and Tricks
Now that you know what time management is, why it's beneficial, and what might be preventing you from implementing strategies into your life, check out these ten tips and trciks that we think will help you with time management.
Time Management Strategy #1: Planning Tools
We recognize that physical planners don't work for everyone. Making a to-do list and checking off boxes when you complete a task might not work for you.
A planning tool could be a post-it note that has reminders of important tasks, an app on your phone, a piece of paper, or a planner. What's most important with a planning tool is that you're able to physically see what tasks you need to complete and in what order of importance they need to be completed.
Time Management Strategy #2: Keep a Time Log
This isn't something you need to do all the time. A time log should be kept over a 2ish week period—you'll keep track of everything you do and how long it takes you to complete each task. At the end of your observation period, see what takes you the longest to complete and if that aligns with what's most important to complete.
If what's taking you longest isn't what's most important, think of ways to trim down the amount of time you spend on that task.
Time Management Strategy #3: Set Priorities
When you're planning out your day, or trying to assess why you feel like you're struggling to complete everything in a day, look at what your true priorities are.
Figure out what absolutely needs to be done and what can be pushed off to tomorrow or later in the week. Having an understanding of what actually needs to be completed by the end of the day sets a realistic standard for what you should be spending your time doing.
Time Management Strategy #4: Schedule Appropriately
When you plan out your day, be strategic with your schedule. This doesn't just mean avoiding meetings during lunch time. It means assessing your mood and energy levels throughout the day.
For me, I tend to have more energy in the morning when I first start working and lose some steam after lunch. Think about the times of day that you feel energetic and plan to complete your most challenging tasks then. Save busy work or easy tasks for times of the day that you need a brain break.
Time Management Strategy #5: Get Organized
Being disorganized can lead to feelings of stress and anxiety. It can cloud your thoughts and make you feel overwhelmed. Declutter your physical space so you have a clean place to think and complete your work.
Organizing your digital workspace can also make a world of difference. Knowing where everything is on your computer cuts down on time wasted trying to find things. Having folders to organize emails can also make your workday run more efficiently.
Time Management Strategy #6: Manage Distractions
Distractions can throw off your scheduled and make you lose motivation. The biggest distraction I think we've all experienced is our phones. Spending time scrolling through social media, texting friends, and playing games can throw wrenches in your schedule.
When you're working, try to keep your phone "locked" away. When I'm in the office, I turn my phone on 'do not disturb' so I'm not distracted by texts. At home, putting your phone in a drawer or keeping it in a different room can force you to focus on your to-do list.
Time Management Strategy #7: Establish a Routine
Having daily routines can help train your mind and body to do certain things at certain times everyday. You can use parts of your daily routine as time markers to help you schedule out your day.
For example, you might spend the first 30 minutes of your day planning out tasks and checking emails. You can then plan to do your most important task of the day when those 30 minutes are up. You might eat lunch around the same time everyday and decide that you want to have a certain amount of tasks complete by that time. Having daily routines can also cut down on stress—for tips on establishing regular routines, check out this blog post!
Time Management Strategy #8: Delegate
It's also completely okay to delegate responsibilities. This doesn't just have to be in a workspace. If you have roommates, it could be taking turns cleaning your shared space or unloading the dishwasher. If you have a partner, it could be taking turns making dinner or doing laundry.
At the end of the day, you should ask for help and take things off your plate when you can. Take what you identified as a priority and offload non-priorities from your schedule.
Time Management Strategy #9: Set Reminders
Setting reminders is also a great way to stay on task. When you kept a time log and determined roughly how long it takes you to finish certain tasks, set reminders to go off when that length of time is over. If you haven't finished the task in that time, move onto something else then return to it later.
It can also be helpful if you have a long-term project to set mini-deadlines leading up to the due date to make sure you complete the project on time. Set reminders for when the mini-deadlines are to ensure you're staying on track to finishing when it's due.
Time Management Strategy #10: Stay Healthy
At the end of the day, your number one priority should be YOU. Staying healthy, both mentally and physically, is most important. Make sure you're setting healthy boundaries between your work life and home life.
Having time at the end of the day, and on the weekends, to decompress and reset can help you avoid burnout. Feeling rejuvenated at the start of each day will help you stay productive and feel motivated to conquer everything on your to-do list.
Begin Enacting Time Management and Organizational Skills
Now it's time to start implementing these time management and organizational skills into your daily life! You got this, you can do anything you set your mind to. Remember to be kind to yourself throughout this process—it can be hard to change up your daily routines and you don't have to use all ten time management strategies at once.
If you need a daily reminder or encouragement to start managing your time more efficiently, check out these fidget rings:
| FOCUS | YOU GOT THIS | Amazonite |
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