10 Ways To Effectively Manage Your Time

You’ll find that time always moves fast when you want it to, and slow when you don’t. But every minute comes at a cost – when you realize you’ve managed your time in all the wrong ways. Consequently – when you find yourself in this type of time crunch – it wears on you both physically and mentally. That’s why we came up with these 10 ways to effectively manage your time – so you don’t have to deal with the stress that comes with incomplete tasks!

1. Create A Plan.

We are often aware of what needs to be done – long before it’s due – yet frequently fail to follow it to completion. By creating a plan, however, you not only keep yourself organized – but save yourself time in the process. Fortunately, this can easily be done by a calendar, planner, post it, or other tracking methods. Just make sure you decide what’s best for you, and plan accordingly. You can even make it fun by using markers, paints, stencils, and other such tools to decorate your schedule – making it easier to distinguish between the tasks for each day.

2. Stick To Your Agenda.

Once you’ve created your plan, it’s important that you stick to it. This may be difficult at times when busier days arise because you’ll want nothing more than to push tasks to the next day. Doing this, however, carries its own set of consequences – as you find yourself having to readjust your whole schedule while struggling to get caught up. In turn, keep yourself motivated in a way that best fits you – whether it be through alarms, reminders, or inspirational posts. These can all serve in reminding you of how much better you’ll feel when your rest day transpires.

3. Get Ahead Of The Game.

Downtime – throughout the week – offers you the perfect opportunity to get ahead. In doing this, you’ll be able to free up your weekend – to spend time with friends/family – or even allow yourself to rest for that upcoming Monday. Just don’t overwhelm yourself; instead, make use of time gaps – to finish off the smaller tasks. You’ll find that 15 minutes can go along way in completing your agenda.

4. Spread Out Your Tasks.

Some make the mistake of cramming their schedule – into a day – which only allows for more stress. In turn, don’t be afraid to spread your tasks out – this doesn’t make you any less of a hard worker. In fact, the real problem lies in trying to complete all tasks at the last minute. Fortunately, by spreading out your tasks, you can avoid this hassle. Just be sure and be smart with your time by starting tasks early – before the estimated – and/or required – time in which they’re due.

5. Start Your To-Do List Early.

We’ve all heard of how “the early bird gets the worm.” Well, this can apply to you too when you make a choice to get started early. For those who sleep in this might pose as rough – but in dedicating yourself to doing so you’ll find much more time for yourself. Fortunately, the earlier you start, the earlier you finish – but when starting out, just be sure to allow yourself breaks so that your mind can rest.

6. Rid Yourself of Distractions.

One of the biggest reasons why people fail to manage their time effectively is due to distraction. Take a moment and look around you; in doing so, you are likely to find at least one thing that stifles you in completing your stuff on time. Keep in mind that distractions don’t just include things – but people and places as well. Fortunately, you’ll find that by distancing yourself your tasks get done twice as fast – benefitting you in the long run.

7. Eliminate Hold-Backs.

What’s holding you back – or better yet – what takes up the most of your time? This is something to consider prior to creating your plan – or schedule. In doing so, you’ll be able to better discern what is benefitting you from what’s hindering you. Fortunately, when you rid yourself of such holdbacks, your priorities rise to the surface – allowing you to effectively manage your time.

8. Remember That “Sometimes Less Is More.”

A little goes a long way; this is something to remember as you go about each day. It doesn’t matter if you’ve completed all of your tasks for the day, or 7 out of 10. Just continue to stay motivated, rather than to beat yourself up about tasks unfinished. After all, a little bit of something is much better than completing a whole lot of nothing.

9. Maintain A Clean Environment.

One of the greatest keys to time management stems – not only from who you surround yourself with – but where you surround yourself in. In other words, if you’re environment is in disarray – than your time management will prove to be a direct reflection of that. Fortunately, when you keep your space clean – and organized – you will find yourself a lot more likely to do the same when it comes to your tasks. This will also help you to feel better mentally enabling you to get a lot more accomplished than you may have otherwise – while helping you to effectively manage your time in a whole new way.

10. Always Stay Focused.

The last thing you need to remember is to stay focused. Don’t break away from the plan that you’ve created, but don’t overdo it either. Instead, keep your eyes on the prize – and remain goal-oriented. Picturing the tasks at hand – being completed as you go about each one – can help you concentrate on the now. Little exercises such as these can help you effectively manage your time – rather than to dread the plan or schedule which you’ve created for yourself.

Time should be a friend rather than a foe, and with these 10 ways to effectively manage your time, you can make that possible. Be sure to share – and let us know your favorites – in the comments below!