We all know the struggle. You wake up in the morning and decide to shred your to-do list and leave some important things behind. However, one thing leads to another. Before you realize it, the sun is setting and you hardly wipe the first item off the list. Wait…Where did you go today? You have come to work. You attended that meeting. You replied to those emails. So, what is going on with your to-do list not shrinking but your motivation is not shrinking? You will most likely experience poor time management.
Time can be said to be one of our most precious resources. If we use it well, we can achieve great results, but it’s easy to get distracted. It’s like, you know, friends’ replays on TV, over-sending emails, or millions of digital tidbits are vying for your attention. That being said, let’s talk about how to take back your time so that you can start working on your to-do list like an NFL star. Here are five simple strategies that can put you on track to achieve this year’s goals.
Valentino’s costume
Observe and track
Before you can change the way you spend time, you must check how you currently use it. This may mean carrying a notebook with you for a few days or a week, and keeping track of how you spend the day. Try to be a fly on the wall without changing your behavior first. Then, once you have some data, or should I say bad words, you can see where your time is wasted, wasted, or misallocated. Do you spend a lot of time on Instagram? Do you spend most of your day responding to emails and a few hours dealing with new projects? Look at your goals, analyze how they correspond to the way you allocate time, and adjust accordingly.
Planning time
In order to really solve this day and use your time like a boss, you must have a plan. You should never wake up without deciding what your day will be like. Every Sunday night, I recommend making a plan for the week-sit down and flesh out a general map of your schedule. This does not mean planning your day to every minute like a cruise director, but to list the key tasks to be completed every day and any appointments, dinners, fitness dates, etc. you are doing. This will help you understand more clearly what you need to do and avoid wasting time watching cat videos instead of buying groceries.
exclude
It is important to remember that you cannot do everything at once. Whether you want to start a business from scratch or just want to protect your time more, you have to make some sacrifices and trade-offs to make progress. Doing less will actually help you accomplish more in the end. If you make a to-do list for yourself that lasts for miles and a day, you will take a closer look at it, feel overwhelmed, and eventually want to self-sabotage. Try to think about what you will do if you can only do three to four tasks a day and stick to it. Don’t over-plan your day, or you will soon be overwhelmed.
Start with the most difficult thing
Once you have planned your day and determined some tasks to be completed that day, it’s time to start. The best way to ensure that you will not let up is to start the day with the most difficult and least attractive task. In this way, you can complete it, and each subsequent project seems to be getting easier and easier. Usually, we are more motivated earlier in the day, so prepare for success by honing the most challenging feat of the day and going downhill from there. Your morale and sense of accomplishment will also be higher, making you like your own cheerleader all day.
Single task it
I tend to start a task, and then a random thought will pop into my mind and tear me in another direction. My natural state is to open several tabs in my brain at once, and then jump back and forth from one tab to another. However, I learned that this actually prevents me from seeing anything from start to finish and extends each item. Single task processing is difficult today, but it is indeed the most effective and effective way to complete the work. Turn off your phone, close all unnecessary tabs, set a timer, and then start completing a task (only one) until you complete it, or until you actually complete it within the specified time.
Managing your time is trickier than it sounds. Fortunately, by implementing a few simple exercises, you can start to accomplish more important things, thereby freeing up time to do more of your favorite things. Now this is the motivation.
