Time is one of those things that you either have plenty of or you never have enough. Time management is one of those skills that some people are born with like speaking or walking and some of us spend our entire life learning how to master it. There are so many quotes and sayings about how if you don't learn to manage your time you waste the most powerful commodity you may have. My entire life I have been struggling to manage time, but now since I've had my son I believe I'm starting to get a handle on it. There's a lot that changes when you have a child and a lot you learn. Some skills that you spend your entire life trying to learn you end up learning in a heart beat when you have someone else that depends on you for his or her every need. I wouldn't say that I have mastered the skill of time management but I can tell you that I am getting better at it.
Over the past four months I have learned a lot, and time management is one of those things. There are few things that I believe are crucial when it comes to time management, and I would like to share with you guys.
1. Prepare in advance.
I'm the type of person who used to buy planners all the time but barely utilized them. I have not only learned what type of planner works for me, but also how to utilize it properly. With that being said, plan everything in advance. First of all get yourself a good planner that works for you, then write everything that you are planning to do in your planner, major tasks, minor tasks, scheduled meetings/events/classes, write every single thing down. Take ten to fifteen minutes every night, even if it takes you an hour take that time and plan your next day. By doing this you don't have to worry about forgetting anything because it is all written down and because it is all written down you won't have any sleepless nights worrying about trying to remember what you have to do tomorrow. Instead, you will get a great night's sleep.
2. Schedule your time.
Scheduling your time means scheduling everything on your planner, like I mentioned above schedule everything major and minor things. By scheduling everything you reduce your stress because everything is written down and increase your productivity since you know what needs to get done and by when. There is a quote by Stephen Covey which states " The key is not to prioritize your schedule, but to schedule your priorities." This quote explains how we should schedule everything. Meaning make a list of everything that needs to be done that day and then from that list pick out top three. Out of those top 3 prioritize which task needs your immediate attention and work on that first then move on to the next and so on and so forth. Overall make sure that that the top 3 list is done before the end of that given day. By doing this, you increase your productivity and give yourself a sense of ease to relax.
3. Start Early.
Start early as in start your day early! Wake up early, all successful people wake up around 5 a.m. The earlier you start your day the earlier you will get done with your work. Waking up early gives you time to plan your day,and in the morning you can glance at what the day holds for you and if you need to add anything else to your schedule you can. Plus waking up early gives you time to do a quick reflection/ meditation/prayer time. Waking up early also gives you the opportunity to work out in the morning so you have energy for the rest of your day and keeps you happy! The only way you can wake up early and well rested is if you go to bed early. By going to bed early I mean sleep early. It does not mean at all that you lay in your bed and look at your phone screen checking your Facebook, Instagram or Twitter feed. Start winding down early, I know it takes me a while to sleep so I would suggest if you want to be asleep at 10:00 p.m. then start getting to bed around 8:30 or 9:00 p.m, so you have plenty of time to wind down and finally fall asleep.
4. Increase Productivity.
In order to increase your productivity only you know when you work best. Some of us are wide awake and fully alert early in the morning, which means we get all our important and tedious tasks done then. Some of us are night owls; we do our best work at night. Only you can figure out when your prime productive time is, and work with that to increase your productivity and manage your time. Because the more productive you are the more things you will get done hence saving yourself some time.
Basically in order to be very successful in time management you need to plan ahead so you know what to focus on for that particular day, schedule your time, and stick to it. What I mean is schedule your major/minor tasks, even phone calls or friends with friends and family and stick to that exact schedule or at least try you hardest to stick to it. Waking up early has lots of benefits you get your work done early, and it also gives you time to start your day with some meditation or self reflection. Most importantly know your productivity time, meaning when you are most alert. That way you know what needs to get done because of how much energy you are willing to put it. These are some of the things I've learned in the past four months to help me manage my time, hope this helps you as much as it has helped me.
