Managing a busy lifestyle effectively means that we need to be good at time management, and we can learn to improve this precious skill. You don't have to be stuck with the same amount of time each day, or even every week. You can use tools and techniques to help make your days more organised, efficient, and productive.
When managing our daily schedules, we all want to do more with less time, and that's exactly what effective time management does! It allows us the freedom to choose, so we can work on those things that matter most in our lives without feeling rushed or stretched too thin by commitments outside our control (such as family obligations).
While many different techniques can help you become more effective at managing your time, here are five easy ways to start. Write down everything that needs to be done today, either by hand or on your computer. Include both work-related tasks and personal commitments. This will help you see how much time you have available for each item.
Time Management
Time management is a crucial skill that can help you achieve your goals. If you're feeling overwhelmed with all the tasks on your plate and don't know where to start, here are some tips for time management:
- Prioritise what needs to be done first. Write down all your tasks in order of importance so that you know which ones are most important to complete first. Then work from top to bottom until each task has been completed before moving on to the next one on your list. This will help keep things organised and allow for better planning overall!
- Don't procrastinate! Putting off an assignment only makes it harder in the long run because once it's done, there's no more time left over for procrastination—and who wants that?! Instead of putting things off until later (or never), try tackling them right away so they aren't hanging over your head anymore!
Busy Lifestyle Solutions
- Use the Pomodoro technique. The Pomodoro technique is a time management strategy that divides work into intervals of typically 25 minutes each, separated by brief breaks.
- Prioritise tasks according to importance and urgency.
- Prioritise projects using a project management tool like Trello or Asana if you have one available to you at work or school, but if not, then make sure your schedule reflects this priority by using whatever tools are available: calendars, planners, checklists, etc. Because I can create separate calendars for work and home, set reminders for important events, and manage all of my daily activities in one location, Google Calendar is a very useful tool!
- Use your calendar wisely; don't overbook yourself! This will only lead to frustration when something inevitably comes up unexpectedly, causing conflicts with other commitments already made on those days/timeslots
Prioritise tasks according to importance and urgency. Prioritise projects using a project management tool like Trello or Asana if you have one available to you at work or school, but if not, then make sure your schedule reflects this priority by using whatever tools are available: calendars, planners, checklists, etc. I find Google Calendar very helpful because it allows me to create multiple calendars (work/home), set reminders for important events, and keep track of my daily activities all in one place! Use your calendar wisely; don't overbook yourself!
This will only lead to frustration when something inevitably comes up unexpectedly, causing conflicts with other commitments already made on those days/timeslots: If you're like me, then you probably have a lot going on. Between work, school, and all your other commitments, it can feel like there's no way to get everything done. However, if you start using the right tools (like those mentioned above), prioritise tasks according to importance and urgency, and use your calendar wisely, then you'll be surprised by how much more productive you can become!