Do you feel that we all have 24 hours in a day but how do some people get so much done! I have had people asking me this all the time because I used to be a college student, I juggled academics and running a business. In this blog post, I am sharing some interactive exercises to manage your time more efficiently.
💡Tip #1: Do a Brain Dump
Till the time you keep things-to-do in your head, they will seem big and blurry. Once you get them on paper and actually see them in front of you, things feel a little less messy. (Trust me this tip is a real live saver).
You can try doing this with a pen. Hold a pen in your hand at a distance. You'll be able to see it clearly. Try to bring it close enough to touch the tip of your nose and you'll see it'll seem blurry. This is exactly what happens in life as well.
Keep a diary or a list on your phone and keep noting down what you need to do with the deadlines. E.g. try writing getting the car from the service centre instead of writing car.
💡Tip #2: Do a Time-Audit
Try to take a day or two to understand where you spend most of your time. Record your time in a journal or keep logging it into your calendar. At the end of the time tracking, see all the categories you spent your time in. For example, maybe you spent 3 hours watching Netflix which = entertainment and maybe 1 hour for studying which = academics.
But what you'll see more is that you lose those 5-10 minutes many times a day checking the notification you get and replying to them or checking emails, etc.
💡Tip #3: Try to divide your work based on topics instead of time.
Here is an example, instead of devoting 5 hours to study each day (which really doesn't make sense to me), divide time based on topics you want to study and then see how much time do you think it would take to complete those. This goes with the Netflix series as well! See how many episodes are there and divide it up in the coming days instead of binge-watching it all in one go (but truth be said, binge-watching feels better, so set aside your reward day to binge instead of splitting).
💡Tip #4: Try to Turn off Notifications
This has been a major game-changer for me. In the beginning, I felt that I'm missing out on the messages that I am getting. But now I am so used to my phone notifications tab empty and clear that looking at anyone else's phone filled with notifications makes me feel annoyed. Plus the notifications are designed in a way that pumps up your hormones every time you see them. If the first thing you see in the morning is your social media notifications then you might end up checking them as well.
💡Tip #5: Divide Your Tasks - Delegate or Pile
Sometimes you start doing a lot of tasks that you don't really need to do. Make a list of tasks that you do usually. See what you can delegate and what you can pair together.
When you do tasks together you end up doing the same tasks in less time because you have compiled multiple similar tasks together. E.g. washing the dishes the moment you go to keep the plate in the kitchen instead of piling up plates and spending half-hour to just wash the dishes.
💡Tip #6: The Good To-Do
People tend to stuff up their to-dos with their daily routine stuff and then realize that they are cutting off things on their to-do but not getting anything done. Keep your habit to-dos and your tasks to-do lists separate because habits are something you'll do every day. If you'll keep checking them off you'll think that yes you are getting something done from your to-do list but you are not really making progress on your big goals.
Reality Check✅
You really do have the time. If you think that you don't, then you're either coming up with an excuse, or you're trying to escape something. See what you're hiding from or why you are trying to avoid doing something?
Also, you do not need to have a plan for every single day. It is okay to sail without a map and have fun.