Why are there only 24 hours to each day? Do you sometimes wish there are more hours each day? Do sometimes feel like you have billions of things to do each day and 24 hours is not enough?
Well, you can't do anything about adding more hours to each day. But you can make the most of the 24 hours you do have each day. Prioritize what you can get done and then move what you can't do to another day or delegate it to others. That way, you can be more productive.
To help you make sure that you are able to prioritize things in your day, here are some tips that you may want to consider:
Look at your day’s to-do list and begin your day by
starting with the most important item on your list.
There’s a psychological reason you want to do it this way. When you do the important tasks first and finish them, it gives you a feel-good release of hormones and it makes you feel more energized and more like tackling other items on your list.
Plus, you get to see that you’re making progress. If you start with the easiest task or the fastest task and put off the most important task, there’s a chance you may not get to it by the time the day ends – and then anxiety sets in.
Give everything you need to do a time limit.
Whether you’re a perfectionist or not, this is a good rule of thumb for anyone looking for better time management. When you keep tasks without a due date, the tendency is not to finish them quickly so they will pile up.
If can see the whole picture of what you need to accomplish within the time frame you have, you may be overwhelmed. The best way to tackle this is to break down the tasks you have to do.
For example, if your project has to be completed by a certain deadline, you should divide that project up by how long it will take to get the work done.
If the project will take 40 hours to complete and you have two weeks to get it done, you know you have to work on it 20 hours per week or 5 hours per day. And take into account interruptions and other obstacles that will get in the way.
Refuse opportunities that will take up too much of your time.
You can’t be involved in every activity and you can’t attend every single meeting that you’d like to. You’ll end up overworked and frazzled. If you work from home and there are several webinars you’d like to attend, but you’re already struggling with time management, there’s a way to decide which ones to choose.
You look at the ones that will give you the most benefit both personally and professionally. Sometimes there might be something you’re interested in, but it’s not conducive to a good time management schedule. That means you have to pass.
Don’t schedule anything back to back.
You have to have some time - even if it’s just a few minutes - where your mind can relax and get away. Mental exhaustion is often more draining than physical exhaustion.
Like your body, your brain can’t go full speed ahead on something without needing a time out every so often. In between your to-do list tasks, take a break and do something enjoyable – or do nothing at all.
Know that it’s okay not to do it all.
Forget about multi-tasking. When you are multi-tasking, you try to do several jobs all at once, which often end up poorly done - and that’s very frustrating especially if you have perfectionist tendencies.
You don’t have to accomplish everything in one day. Instead, concentrate on what’s right in front of you that has to be done first. Get that finished and then move on with the next item.
Take time off.
There can be a tendency to work full speed ahead, whatever it takes, to get all of the things done that you need to get done. Many people give up time with friends and family to try to gain more time.
They bring work home on weekends or they work on a to-do list all weekend around the house in an effort to get things done. Some people haven’t had a vacation in years - not because they can’t afford it - but because they don’t feel like they have the time.
But if you take time off, away from everything you need to do, you end up getting more done because your body, as well as your mind, needs time where it has absolutely nothing it “must” focus on.
0 Comments