Time Management: Catch the Clock
Last post, we mentioned how to make realistic goals. That's dandy and all, but how about when you're trying to find the time to do it? Do you split up your schedule by day, week, months??
As there are many ways to efficiently use your time, the outcome should almost always be productive or fulfilling, no matter how much of your task gets done.
With that said, we can still offer some more specific tips to utilize daylight (or moonlight if you're that kind of worker)
You should realize how your day goes before making a schedule around it. Is it contributed to working out, studying, or relaxing most of the day? What is it you're trying to balance or achieve on a daily/weekly basis? It would be sensible to separate the types of task by relative size; for example, a weekly challenge is to do your work-out regime two to three times a week, and a daily task would be to practice a new language with a game.
But these are still broad outlines, how do you know what time is best?
The key is being hyper aware of your habits and moods.
Are you an early bird?
Does your energy drop around the afternoon?
What kinds of snacks keep you from hunger?
Do you respond well to alarms or reminders?
By asking yourself these simple questions, you can better plan out your day, therefore your week! Of course variables like work, school, and social events often intervene, but that's why we'd advise 'soft' schedule days. Using them to nap, relax, and recuperate will keep you from burning out. That means you may have a plan that follows the normal routine, but if other duties stop you from completing your goal, it doesn't disrupt the flow of things.
And speaking of disrupt the flow, distractions like computers and phones are way too good at it. Silence your notifications, turn your devices off, limit the time you use them to 2-4 hours. And if you have to use them for work, get a site blocker so you aren't tempted to play or scroll endlessly on Twitter.
Here are other tips that may help with time management:
Make a "To-do" list (paper or electronic)
Do the longest or most important tasks first
Ignore your calling for perfection (it comes in the form of mistakes!)
Only take calls and converse if it's urgent
There's an abundance of helpful sites that go more in depth with how to make all of these steps come to pass, but it's possible that your spontaneity can't be timed or managed. The brightest minds need to be out in the sky sometimes, not trapped in a light bulb.
Hope you all find a way to catch the clock and come one step closer to winning!!
Let it be,
Zoe Nellum
@ZNBlogs Twitter/Tumblr