Y
ou know what they say, time is money.
If you’ve found yourself falling behind in work, school, or just life in general, it may be time to re-examine your time management habits. Here are a few ideas to help you get started.
MAKE LISTS & PRIORITIZE
While multi-tasking works for some people, for others, it makes them lose focus and not get anything done. Every day, make a list of everything you need to accomplish and number it by priority, #1 being the most important and so on. Each time you accomplish something, cross it off, giving you the incentive to finish everything that day.
KEEP A PLANNER
You have a lot going on in your life with work, family, friends, and everything in between. A well-organized planner can help you keep everything straight. Keep post-its or another notebook on your desk to write down anything that comes up during the day so you won’t forget and add it to your planner. This will also help you keep track of events or due dates that are in the future where you can’t lose them.
SET TIMERS
If you are working on a project that will take quite a bit of time, split it up into segments. Spend 30 minutes only focusing on that project and once time is up; take a walk, grab a bite to eat, or something else to help you unwind and then go back to work. If you try to do everything in one sitting, you can burn out quicker, making it easier to get distracted.
START WITH THE TOUGH STUFF
We all have things that we hate to do throughout the day, so we put them off and dread doing them instead. You may spend more time than necessary on a task just to procrastinate and end up wasting even more time and energy. Get the tough stuff out of the way early, preferably first thing, so you don’t have to worry about it anymore. This clears up the rest of your day for the ‘easy’ stuff, making it easy to prioritize.
LEARN TO SAY 'NO'
In a hectic workplace, you want to help out as much as you can, but you also have to know your limit. If you’re so busy doing things for everyone else, your own workload is going to fall behind. Just politely explain to the person asking that you are already swamped, but if they still need help once you’re caught up, you’ll be happy to assist them.
By simply making the few changes listed above, you can reduce your stress levels and make yourself a more successful and happier person.
