Five ways to manage your time
It seems like we never have enough time to go around. Between work, family, friends, chores and hobbies, we are often forced to make decisions about which ones we cut out in order to have enough time for others. If you find yourself struggling to find a balance between your social and work life, here are 5 ways you can manage your time more effectively.
Look for your time stealers
You know that you don't have enough time, but do you know where your time is going? By tracking your time and finding out what you spend most of your day on, you may be able to eliminate your time wasters. Maybe you spend more time than you think on e-mails, or maybe there is a piece of software that can help you with the repetitive tasks clogging up your time.
Just by keeping track of where your time goes you can often help you eliminate things you fill your time with that you don't need or even want to do.
Make a to-do list
Having a list of goals for the day can help you be more productive, by reminding you of what you need to get done in a day. List the most important tasks first, and then complete those first thing in the morning before you do anything else. By putting the most important tasks first, you'll still be able to feel good about your day even if other things come up later in the day.
Don't be a perfectionist
If you're guilty of editing the first chapter of your novel endlessly, without ever finishing the rest of the book, you're a perfectionist. The same goes for everything else in your life. It's not necessary to make every meal a fine dining experience, or delay a project because it isn't perfect yet—chances are no one will notice anyway. Instead of striving for perfect, make “Good enough” your goal.
Stay focused
When you begin a task, keep going until it is entirely complete. This can be a struggle, especially if you're trying to clean your house with kids underfoot or manage a team that constantly needs your attention. While you can't always help interruptions, you can avoid stopping in the middle of a project to check your e-mail, or switching cleaning tasks because you keep noticing new things that need done.
Know yourself
Are you 100% helpless before your first cup of coffee, but get a boost in the afternoon? Are you bright-eyed and bushy-tailed in the morning, but feel like you need a nap by lunch? Take advantage of your highest energy times to get your most important tasks done. The more you know yourself, the more efficient you'll be.
Managing your time is important because it will allow you to not only be more productive, but to get more out of your life. We all want time for our hobbies, our friends, and work too. By maximizing use of our time, we can have it all.
Read more on time management below: