5 Tips for Better Time Management
If you're new around here, here's my story: I'm a wife, dog mom, graduate student, I work two jobs (one is my own business which is like 5 jobs in itself), I workout 6 days a week, I blog (surprise), etc. etc. etc. So yes, I have a full plate AND I KNOW YOU DO, TOO! We all have tons of balls in the air. But please keep in mind that while it may seem like I always have my life together over on the IG, I DON'T (lol seriously guys). But these are some things that I do to help manage my time as efficiently as possible. Productivity is one of my love languages!
one. Find a planning system that works for you.
If you know you're never going to write in a paper planner then don't get one. Maybe you’re an app kind of gal. Or maybe you’re like me and you’re all about that digital planning life. Whatever it is, figure out what works for you and commit to using it. One way to manage your time well is to know where you’re spending it. Having a planner that allows you to wake up and know what you need to do each day will save you so much time because you won’t be waking up just staring at your to-do list.
two. Schedule everything as if it's an appointment.
I schedule my workouts, my homework time, and when I go to the bathroom (only kidding). But seriously, anything that I can pair with a specific time, I do. Having a specific time to get something done keeps me on track and focused on the task at hand. I work from home and am very intentional about scheduling out my work tasks, too.
three. Make a game plan the night and/or week before.
On Sunday evenings I typically broadly map out the week ahead and then each night I spend 5-10 minutes planning the details for the following day. I lay out outfits, pack meals, make sure I know all of the following day's timed appointments, etc. I wake up knowing what I have to tackle that day and it's so helpful.
four. Give yourself wiggle room.
Some days I get the sense of burn out and NEED to take a mental break. I make sure to honor that and take a few minutes to either read, work on lettering, or walk the dogs without feeling guilty about it. Typically if I ignore this sense of burn out and just try to plow through my to-dos I end up taking SO long to complete anything and it's just unproductive. Mental breaks are vital to staying productive.
five. Make sure you have a driven mindset.
Point blank - if you want to accomplish something, you will. Make sure that your mentality lines up with the goals that you're going after. How bad do you want it? If it's bad enough, you'll find a way to make it happen. Be honest with yourself. Are you working toward something that you don't really want? Maybe that's why you're struggling to get it all done in a day.
(BONUS)
six. Don't turn down help.
I put this as a bonus, because I am SO bad about this. I'm working on it. My husband is constantly asking me what he can do to ease my load, and I never let him actually help. I continue to do the laundry, cleaning, cooking, etc all by myself because I'm too prideful to ask for help. NOT OKAY. I'm seriously working on it.
seven. Put your phone in another room.
This one is the easiest and one of the most impactful. You don’t realize how much time you spend scrolling until you look up and an hour has passed. When I know I am trying to really hone in and get stuff done I literally put my phone in another room because I know that I usually cave into the temptation of it sitting right next to me.
Do you have any more tips for time management?