8 Ways To Manage Your Time and Be More Productive
We are all busy. Whether you’re a new college grad, a working parent, an entrepreneur, or even a combination of all 3, you likely find yourself overwhelmed with this one thing...
Time and how to manage it!
There never seem to be enough hours in the day to work your job, cart the kids around, pay the bills, keep the bathrooms clean, and catch up on the latest Netflix series. Then add in a social life, movement routine, or even the desire to learn a new skill? Forget it. And sleep. What does that even mean?
Living life running on a hamster wheel, feeling like you are not accomplishing what you want to do because you are too busy flowing through the daily grind is exhausting to say the least and is what leads us to the infamous burnout.
Burnout is the number one culprit of productivity decrease and overall frustration.
So what’s the solution to getting things done? Avoid the burnout all together. Implement strong strategies that organize how you use your time and what you spend it on, leading to a happier and more productive you!
Plan ahead
Tom Greening says “All time management begins with planning.” and he is dead on.
Start by reflecting on what needs to be done for the upcoming week. Look at due dates and deadlines, ballet classes and laundry schedules. Figure out what needs to be done by what day and what’s happening when.
By having a guideline of due dates, you’ll avoid doing things as they pop-up (unless absolutely necessary) and will keep you on the path to productivity.
Keeping track of the plan can be as simple as jotting it down grocery list style to dropping it into your Google calendar. Just be sure to do it!
Does the thought of planning out your entire week overwhelm you? Start small by looking ahead to the next 1-2 days.
Prioritize
You’ve written out everything that needs to be done for the week. Good job! Now you need to build your roadmap.
You can’t get everything done in one day, but that’s why you’re coming up with a plan. So take a deep breath and know that you’ve got this!
Now, choose the top 3 priorities for the week that are non-negotiables. Those things are best done first, as long as timeframes allow, so they are not left hanging over your head.
After those 3 high-priority tasks are identified, you can get to working on the rest. Organizing your tasks by priority can be a useful way to determine the order they get done in. I like to color code my list like this:
Red Tasks: Urgent and need to be taken care of immediately
Yellow Tasks: Need to be taken care of in a timely manner, but can wait until Wednesday
Green Tasks: Would be nice to complete, but won’t stop the world if they don’t get done this week
Having a visual helps to guide your To-Do list with clarity.
Do Not Multitask
This strategy is not for the faint of heart. It takes discipline. It takes strength. It takes the ability to stop scrolling through Facebook. Tough, I know!
But despite popular belief, multitasking is actually more harmful than helpful to your productivity. Do you ever have days where you feel like you’ve been bouncing from tab to tab in your internet browser and don’t finish one project wholly but instead are left with a few half done tasks? Happens pretty frequently, huh?
That’s because your focus isn’t keeping up and switching gears with you while you juggle multiple things simultaneously. Use your brain power for good and hone in one ONE thing at a time to get it done right!
Rise Early
While this isn't for everyone, waking even an hour earlier than what you’re used to can make you feel like you’ve discovered some secret new time summoning trick.
You can drink your coffee, take your morning stroll, and get your self-care session in before anyone else rises. Do you hear that? It’s peace and quiet calling your name!
Say ‘NO’ to Distractions
Some of the biggest time suckers include pointless scrolling, visiting your inbox every hour, or hitting ‘add to cart’ in your Prime account. Word of advice...don’t do it. Put limits on when you check your emails. Put your phone face-down so you’re not tempted to check it during productivity hours.
Time Block
You’ve planned and prioritized. Now it’s time to time block.Chunk your days into sections, so to speak, that are assigned to specific tasks. Here’s an example:
8:30-9:00: check and address emails
9:00-9:30: engage on social media platforms
9:30-11:30: complete work related tasks
Bonus Tip: This can be broken down into even more definite blocks based on what needs to be done.
11:30-12:30: take a walk, get some fresh air, and eat lunch away from your desk!
So on and so forth. Time blocking does take some discipline because when your block is over it’s over, regardless of what you’ve gotten done.
Delegate Work
Have you tried these time management tips but are still feeling stressed about getting it all done, all the time? It may be time to consider outsourcing some of the things you feel comfortable handing off. Can’t find space in your schedule to create killer content for your IG? Hire a social media manager. Struggling to fill your email scheduler with information for your list? A Virtual Assistant may be the way to go. You can even hire a cleaning company to help stay on top of some of the chores that are piling up at home.
Sleep
It’s proven that not getting adequate shut-eye (I don’t mean 4 hours a night ) will put a wrench in your productivity.
Sometimes stress deters sleep as the list of everything you need to do tomorrow runs through your head. Use an app such as Calm, rub lavender oil onto your temples, hit the pillow and get to snoozing.
You’ll wake up refreshed, and possibly early, ready to take on the day and all it has in store for you!
CHOOSE A FEW TIME MANAGEMENT TIPS
Leave a comment below and let us know what works for you!