“The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot.” -” ― Michael Altshuler. In our busy lives we tend to allow time to slip away when we could be using it to accomplish the things that need to be done. As life passes by, and responsibilities pile up it is easy to get distracted and fall of track. Luckily, we are in control of our lives, and how we want to manage our own time. There are many great ways we can get back on track and use our time wisely. By getting organised, regaining focus of our goals, and ultimately learning to prioritize we are guaranteed success in time management to create a better, more efficient life style.
Prioritizing to manage time effectively
How do we get our priorities straight in order to manage our time efficiently?
Between school, family, jobs, extra curricular activities and not to mention, generally taking care of ourselves, it is easy to push the important or somewhat draining tasks to the back burner in order to enjoy the fun things in life. Although this system of procrastination is all so familiar to many people, it can lead to chaos and in the end, you are left with too much to do and not enough time to do it. When we talk about managing our time, it is good to think of it as a map, or a schedule. Now, you have to fill it in so that what is most important gets done first, in order to enjoy the activities you do for pleasure. Having well structured priorities is a major key in efficiently managing your time.
What are the benefits of prioritizing?
We all know the feeling of falling behind and wondering how to get back on track, by having a good strategy to prioritize we are able to avoid a great deal of stress. Also, our overall work ethic can benefit and in the end we end up having less work to do. By managing our time though prioritizing we are able to spend the time needed on certain tasks therefore we are not rushed, and will be able to complete the task properly instead of rushing and later wasting time going back to fix the sloppy job.
Tips on prioritizing
- Be realistic- when prioritizing, and planning your time, be realistic with yourself. Make sure to give yourself enough time to complete the tasks at hand in order to avoid being rushed.
- Family and friends are at the top- Although work, and school are our main focus when prioritizing, we should look at our family and friends with great importance. Having a balanced lifestyle between work and play is extremely important in creating a happy life.
- Utilize the knowledge of your strengths and weaknesses – It is helpful to think about what you are able to do with ease, and what takes more effort when it comes to tackling tasks. If you know something is going to take up more time as it will be more challenging, it is best to get that done first.
- Create a list- create a list of all your responsibilities and day to day tasks, and determining the order of importance will help to visualize your priorities and keep you on track.
Being Organized
It is hard enough to try and stay on top of every responsibility you may have, but it is even more difficult to do so when you are unorganized. Organization is essential to having good time management skills.
When you are unorganized it can set you behind, and it can stress you out when it could have been avoided. For example: you forgot about an assignment for class that is due the next day, so you are up late trying to finish it. When you get up in the morning, you cannot find any clean clothes because you forgot to do laundry and to prepare the night before. This makes you late for the bus, so you are late for school.
There are many benefits to being organized. You are less likely to forget a task, procrastinate, or lose important items. You will not be as stressed out or overwhelmed because you will already have your day planned out, you will know exactly when you will have things done. Lastly you will feel more motivated to get tasks done and be more productive.
Ways to help you stay organized:
- To-do list, prioritize what needs to be done
- Calendar or planner
- Prepare the night before
- Avoid procrastination
- Declutter notes, your work space, etc.
- Set up a work space with most used commonly used tools
- Limit distractions
- Schedule small tasks
- Set up a reward or break for when you get some things done
At first it may be hard to keep up with a list or a set of rules, but eventually it will become a habit and will be extremely helpful to you for school, home, or work. These tips will help you manage your time better and will keep you from wasting the time that you need.
Minimizing Distractions
We all have those days where we don’t feel like doing what we need to do, distractions are usually what people use to avoid their responsibilities and leave them to the last minute. Theres always going to be something you don’t want to do, whether it be an assignment for a class, something for work or even housework, but you eventually have to do it anyways. It is nearly impossible to get rid of all of the distractions in peoples lives, you just need to find a few tips that work for you to help minimize distractions around you in order to be productive.
Some of the common distractions are:
- Technology
- Social Media
- Internet
- Other People
Strategies to Prevent Distractions
- Be prepared: Make sure you have everything you could possibly need to avoid having to get up
- Prioritize what not to do – keep your focus on what is important
- Switch everything off – turn off your phone so you have no access to social media or anything that can easily distract you
- Give yourself a reward – this may motivate you to finish your work if you have something to look forward to at the end
- Work according to your learning style – don’t force yourself to memorize things if you find you learn best when you draw pictures, take notes as you go, etc.
When you prioritize your tasks, keep organized, and minimize your distractions, your time management skills will build and you’ll save lots of time in the future.
How do you keep your time managed well? Are there any tips or strategy’s that you use that are not listed? Comment below and let people know! Share your thoughts and ideas with each other and with us!
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References
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Manktelow, J., Eyre, E., Jackson, K., Cook, L., Edwards, S., Bishop, L., . . . Moss, I. (2017). Minimizing Distractions: 10 Ways to Take Control of Your Day. Retrieved October 06, 2017, from https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/distractions.htm
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