by James Williams
Time management is a skill that some people possess naturally, whereas some have to acquire it.
For example, I have a friend who, no matter how many chores he has to do in a day, always shows up for them late. As a result, he ENDS UP finishing that work late. You might guess by now how this messes up his whole schedule for the day.
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To save you from becoming like my dear friend, I will tell you 15 ways to improve time management. My only goal of this is to make your day as productive and efficient as possible so that you can stay well within deadlines.
Allotting time to do a particular work avoids a lot of turmoil. If you do that for all your daily tasks, you’ll be setting yourself in a well-organized and disciplined way. Sometimes, it is seen that even if we do have a schedule, we fail to follow it.
To avoid such failures, check out some of the ways you can improve your time managing skills:
I know! Sounds philosophical, but this one truly solves 50% of our problems, especially for maintaining a schedule. If you have that “I can do this” willpower in mind, you’ll notice your conscience automatically makes you stay ahead of schedule. It will give you that rush to finish in time and meet the goal.
Having the willpower to manage time is something I follow personally. If I start my day keeping in mind to complete a few tasks by the evening, my brain takes it as a challenge. It automatically makes my body get up and do the work. So yes, this one’s a tested method.
Overachieving or overdoing is sometimes good, but not when you’re struggling to maintain a timetable. Always take in hand as much as you think you can work with. Don’t jam up your routine. It’ll do nothing but overwhelm you. You’ll feel that pressure of conquering a mountain even before you start your day.
On the contrary, if you keep a relaxed day ahead of yourself, that chilling-out vibe will take over your morale too. It’s like you’ll enter your Zen mode. Optimum responsibilities on our shoulder will always help to have a calm attitude.
Here, by proper, I mean a written-down schedule. Most of the time, we’re used to making up a routine in our minds and following it accordingly. But if you are someone who struggles with managing time, a schedule only in the back of your head might not help. You might end up procrastinating or forgetting.
Meanwhile, if you write down the schedule, you’ll be able to break it down properly and make a plan. You’ll notice and think about how much time you need to do a certain work instead of just guessing it.
Besides, if you’re into illustrating or lettering, you could try out making one of those aesthetically pleasing journals! It’ll help you both do the work and enrich your creativity.
Now, this is another thing I do. When I start my day, I think to myself that when I finish doing a certain thing, I’ll cozy up on my couch, grab some yum food and watch a few episodes of my favorite show. Now, that’s what I get joy from. So, on a busy day, getting the chance to do something like this is like Nirvana to me.
How you want to celebrate your accomplishments is totally up to you. But I say definitely do it. Do that one thing you enjoy and give yourself a gift after finishing a hectic day. That way, you’ll always have something to look forward to when meeting deadlines. It’s a source of motivation.
Having the time to breathe in between is very important. It helps us relax between two chores. Moreover, we can also prepare our minds to move on to the next item during the break. It’s a helpful transition period.
Besides, keeping breaks between two appointments leaves extra time if you cannot finish the first appointment on time. So, no need to feel rushed. It makes our schedule less packed and decreases the pressure, leaving you with some time to just loosen up.
Whether your assignment has a pre-set deadline or not, try always to set your own ones. Creating a strict deadline helps gather the determination to finish in time.
In addition, try to put your personal deadlines a few days before the assigned one. That way, you get some extra time in hand in case something else comes up in the way.
Any emergent errand can appear out of nowhere. So, always keeping a time scope for those probabilities helps you do both jobs with ease.
Imagine, one fine day, you woke up with a lot of things to do in hand. The most important job was, let’s say, turning in your assignment by 8 PM. Now, the other tasks were mere stuff like watering the plants, going to the dentist, cleaning the house, etc. You started your day doing everything else but the assignment.
Time passed by, and you kept thinking, “I’ll do the schoolwork or office work after I finish doing this and that.” But alas! All your other chores took up so much time that you had little to no time left to turn in the work. Now, how to avoid catastrophic situations like this?
Make a list of all your tasks. Afterward, arrange them in order of most important to least important. Setting priorities helps us be done with the crucial work beforehand. It also allows us to take more time off the day if needed.
So, even if you fail to finish your to-do list for a day, you’ll at least be glad you did the most important ones.
In the 21st century, a significant reason for not concentrating is our phones and their notifications. Checking your Instagram DM’s just for a second can turn into hours. Oh, the horror! But if you use this same phone to block these distractions away, nothing could prove to be a better use.
Not only are there many apps on the internet that help us make the perfect schedules, but some also incorporate maintaining them.
They help you create a timetable for yourself, and while you’re in the middle of completing them, they block all other apps like Instagram, Snapchat, etc. No notifications, no nothing from these apps. One such example is an app called Dewo.
Besides, you can also time yourself through many apps. They’ll pop an alarm when you reach the time limit. This way, you know how much time you have left in your hands and work accordingly.
Working at a stretch can be tedious. At one point, we all end up losing enthusiasm. The energy gets left out somewhere down the line. As a result, we lose track of time and take more than needed to complete the task. We can solve this problem by incorporating things we love into the work.
For example, try to think of ways that make whatever task you’re completing interesting. Or, put your own ideas into it to make it more enjoyable.
Moreover, if you love listening to nature sounds and it’s allowed, create a work playlist! This one helps so many people. It enables you to be both productive and enjoy- all at the same time.
Delegating tasks to other people doesn’t mean you’re running away from your work. You’re sharing the load by taking help from others.
It’s important that you take the large mountain from your shoulders and give some portion to others so that you all get small hills. Staying in charge all the time and doing all the work will just bring you extra stress.
Instead, be wise, and take help from people you trust. This will help you decrease the weight and help you produce higher quality work. You’ll get more time to focus!
Rushing through something results in inefficiency. A hurried piece of work is done thoughtlessly, and you can never give your best shot for it. Moreover, it’s plausible that sudden emergencies might come while we’re doing something. For this reason, you must keep enough amount of time in your hands to complete a task.
This way, you can calmly work your way through the schedule. It will also leave you with time to improvise. Besides, if you’re done with your chore before the designated time, that’s just an opportunity to sit back and relax!
Arranging your workspace earlier always helps you get better prepared for the job. You’ll know what materials you need and also come up with a sequence in setting them. It’s basically like planning for your performance a day before. Besides, organizing the space also helps you checklist all the things you need to have.
Everyone likes a well-prepared presentation. In front of an audience, you don’t want to struggle to find the correct sheet on a messy desk and waste your time, do you?
Indeed, thinking about the future all the time is not worth it, especially if you’re wondering about the worst outcome. But have you tried thinking about the excellent result that a specific task can bring you?
Doing this helps a lot. Not only will it regenerate your focus, but you’ll also have the motivation to get the job done as soon as possible.
Nobody likes following others’ pattern of working. What you enjoy doing, somebody else doesn’t have to like it as well. Similarly, everyone has their own working style. You might like playing a soundtrack in the room when you work, while somebody else probably prefers pin-drop silence.
That’s why always create an environment you’re comfortable working in. This way, you’ll be able to have your sense of peace while operating and stay attentive. You can meet all the deadlines with that extra amount of concentration.
Time management is a continuous cycle. You’re going to try one way to maintain it, fail, then try another way, and maybe succeed. No one knows which method will suit you the best. Sometimes you can also encounter succeeding half while trying one way and the other half in another.
Hence, it’s vital to notice which ideas/methods helped you stay on track. You must see when you were the most productive and how you did it. Noticing this pattern will help you make the mega plan. Include all the ideas that worked for you in it and put in in effect immediately. It’s more like a customized schedule you’ll create.
As a result, you can stay punctual, pay attention, and show your best version all at the same time.
Managing your time efficiently can bring many benefits to life. You can be productive and spend time for yourself on the same day if you execute things right. Now all of the methods mentioned above are highly effective. But if we still had to decide on one or two from them, we’d choose… *drum rolls*
Willpower (Number 1) and using external resources like apps (Number 8)! Among all the 15 ways to improve time management, these two would be the most efficient. If you have the willpower to do things right, nobody can stop you.
On the other hand, technology is so advanced these days that you’ll find many types of apps and software on the internet that’ll help you stay right on track!
About James Williams
Hi, This is James from HomerDIY. I have great experience in writing about everything related to Pump and DIY tools. For the last few years, I am researching the different types of tools and sharing my opinion on this blog.
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