Are you looking to organize your time more effectively? Here are 7 time management tips that will help you organize your time and your life!
Organizing your time in this day and age is a must! Between work, the kids, taking care of the house, and all the other things we are in charge of, it can be a crazy world and time can really get away from you! I'm sure you know the feeling when you sit down at the end of the night and you look around and try to figure out what happened to the day! It's over and nothing you wanted to get done is complete and you’re just not sure what happened. So just how do you stay focused? The key is organizing your time. These 7 Time Management Tips to Organize Your Life will help plan each day so you can accomplish the tasks you wish to get done without distractions.
7 Time Management Tips to Organize Your Life
Plan You’re Day – Planning your day the night before is always a great idea. Sit down and start a list (on paper or an electronic device) of all the things that need to be done the next day. Start the list with any appointments that are scheduled or places that you need to be at at a certain time. I find it easier to make the list on the hour or half hour that way you actually have a time that you need to complete said task. Don't plan too many things on your list because inevitably you will fail. Give yourself plenty of time to complete each task and have a list set aside of things that you need to do but just don't have time for. If you find yourself ahead of schedule you can throw one of these extras in. Always mark off each task as it is completed. This will give you a feeling of accomplishment and will help keep you on track.
Time Blocking – Time blocking is a great time management technique used to effectively organize you time. I am a visual person and a little more old school than I want to be so my time blocking is done on a regular old fashioned wall calendar. If I have something that needs done…. let's say cleaning out a cabinet I write it on the calendar for a day in the future and I block out a period of my time… let's say 3 hours. Now what time blocking does is lets you think about the activity well in advance and gives you time to prepare for it. Use a timer when you begin your task and make sure you take plenty of breaks. No need to burn yourself out here! I make a game of beating the clock knowing that if I complete the task beforehand I will get a few minutes for myself as a reward at the end.
Have a Daily Routine – When you have a daily routine that you follow everything will run more smoothly. You will get used to the routine and will learn to complete these tasks efficiently. Whether you complete these tasks in a block of time in the morning or throughout the day is up to you and what works better for your schedule.
Organize – Not only should you be organized with calendars and lists, but your home will run better if everything is organized and kept in its place. Taking time to find a missing item is time that could be spent completing your tasks. Take a block of time every weekend and begin organizing everything in your home. This will take time so don't expect to complete it in one weekend. Instead work on a goal of having a more organized home within the next 6 months to a year.
Focus – Keep your mind on track and focused on what needs to be done. Limit your phone and internet usage while you are working on your to-do list. Many times I find that an hour or two has been lost just because I picked up my phone. Set aside personal time for browsing the internet and talking to family and friends.
Ask for Help – It is really hard to ask for help but you can't do everything yourself! Make a list of tasks for the kids and spouse to help out around the home. There are plenty of chores for kids of all ages and trust me when I say they will eventually get used to the idea. If you explain to them that when you receive help it frees up valuable time that you could spend with them it may help them better understand.
Take Time for Yourself – When trying to organize your time often times we forget that we need a little “me” time. Use your time blocking system and block a little time for you daily. I like my “me” time bright and early in the morning before everyone else is awake. Now some may think I am a little crazy here but when I set the alarm early and I have my morning cup of coffee outside listening to the birds sing their beautiful morning song I can feel the stress melt away. It gives me more energy than you could possible imagine and gives me the perfect start to a day. I often work on my lists at this time because in the morning my focus is spot on!
Bonus Time Management Tip: Sync all of your online calendars with your smart phone calendar. Then anything you agree to via Google, Facebook, or LinkedIn is added to your master calendar on your phone. You can set alarms to go off 2 hours in advance. Alea likes to set 2 alarms: One to go off 2 hours before the event, so she can wind down on what ever she is involved in and another to go off 10 – 30 minutes in advance depending on driving time. This prevents her from becoming distracted and leaving late.
What time management tips have you found save you time and keep you organized?
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