"Lack of direction, not lack of time, is the problem. We all have twenty-four hours day." - Zig Ziglar
Time management has always topped your list of skills to be learnt. But still it is marked red and you are struggling to manage your time to get most out of your day. Whenever you think of time management you start looking for things like "master time management skills in 3 days or may be a week". Hold on, please stop. It's just not possible. First thing first, you should know that to master any thing you have to practice it, daily, continuously, religiously. Do you remember your karate classes or dance class or may be piano classes? You practiced daily to learn that, Right? Similarly to be a Pro at managing your time you have to practice it, Daily.
From my experience and after reading different books and articles on time management, I prepared a list of things which are common and easy to apply in your life. These are the practices which bring change from the day one.
1. Plan your day. This is the basic thing you have to do. Plan your day a night before. Make a to-do list for the day, writing every task you have to do the next day. This will save you a lot of time, which you mostly spend on deciding or thinking what to do. By writing down everything you inform your subconscious mind, of your plan. So while you sleep, your subconscious mind is working on the execution of it. Also, you will not have any chance to miss out important things to be done. Another reason to write down your tasks is that this "to-do list" also acts as a motivating factor when you check mark your list once the tasks are done.
2. Prioritize your tasks. Once you have your to-do list ready. Prioritize your tasks on the basis of importance and urgency. First, you won't miss anything urgent, say electricity bill due for payment. And of course it'll de-clutter your mind, of all confusions and mess.
3. Limit Social media usage. You are ready to start your with your to-do list. But you couldn't find time to complete multiple tasks. Where did the time go? You were busy whole day but haven't done much. Then why and where were you busy, doing what? Answer is scrolling through the Facebook feeds, Instagram stories, Twitter and the list goes on. Yes. You need to limit your social media time. Try to keep it for evenings. Limit it for 15-30 mins a day. And you'll notice that now you have more time to accomplish your to-do list goal.
4. Productivity zone. Sit and analyze your day. Find out at what time of the day you are most productive. It can be different for everyone. You may find yourself more productive in morning whereas your friend may work better at night. So decide and then use that time efficiently and effectively to finish your projects or to learn some new skills etc. This way you'll be able to do more in less time.
5. Eat that frog. We all know this saying. If it's your job to eat a frog then eat it first thing in the morning. This implies Do the most important work first and so on. And if you have to eat two frogs then eat the ugly or bigger one, first. This is similar to prioritizing your tasks and doing it in the order of importance and urgency.
6. Reward yourself. Always reward your self when you have achieved what you planned for the day. It motivates you. And you get back to work with more energy and enthusiasm. A little appreciation and reward to yourself will make a huge difference and can be your biggest motivating factor.
These are few ways to get more out of the same 24 hours. Try to apply these in your routine and be ready to welcome the change in your time management skills.
"The bad news is time flies, the good news is you are the pilot". - Michael Altshuler
Share your way of managing time. How do you do it??
Do share your ideas, thoughts and queries.
Good Luck!