How well do you manage time? Most of us may answer, “ok, ok, types.” However, you may often feel like there is not enough time in a day.
What do you think is the reason? Do you find yourself wasting time? Do you procrastinate? Maybe you spend time watching TV/Netflix, using social media (unproductive), chatting with friends, etc.
After all of these things, you don’t get time to do something productive. Do you know why? Because you procrastinate a lot.
Here is the first thing you have to do before managing your time. Ask yourself a question, What is my goal? What do I have to do next?
You know what? These 2 are the most powerful questions that will help you get back on track. In this blog, I’ll show you how it can be done.
Why Time Management?
Firstly, let us see why do we have to manage time. Managing time is an essential thing that everyone must follow. Time is like sand; as sand doesn’t stay in your hand, time also doesn’t last. It keeps running and never comes back.
“My favorite things in life don’t cost any money. It’s really clear that the most precious resource we all have is time.” – Steve Jobs
You must have at least 1 thing from these 2 in your mind, which makes you read this post.
- To utilize your time productively and properly
- Have a goal that you need to achieve
It is crucial to have a goal and a strong will to start it because it will give you the reason to start and never stop.
How Can You Manage Time?
Let’s see how you can manage time and make it productive.
The best way of managing time is to make a to-do list for every day. It should contain the things to be done and be time-based. Let me show you the perfect method of doing it.
You must follow the method I am showing you, for 21 days. There is a saying that if you follow anything for 21 days, it’ll become a habit. Even a day not following it can break the chain. If you take a break in between, no matter the reason, you have to start the cycle again from day 1.
Now, I’ll show you the steps you need to follow.
1. Setting a Goal
The first thing you have to do is, set a goal before starting, as it will motivate you to follow the to-do list. A goal can be:
- Personality Goal:- Something that you want to improve in yourself, i.e., you want to learn/improve language, want to become fit and healthy, develop good communication skills, etc
- Materialistic goal:- Something that you can buy, i.e., want to buy a computer, mobile, car, house, etc.
- Financial goal:- Want to earn a specific amount, eg. I want to have a monthly income of at least Rs. 1 Lakh.
2. Way to Create a TimeTable
Creating a timetable can help you a lot in managing your time. However, you need to keep a few steps in mind for making a timetable.
- Time-based: It becomes specific, on what time you want to do which work. That makes you do all the work at a particular time.
- Include 2 Things: You should have 2 things in mind. Personal Development (learn/improve language, learn a skill, etc.), Health and Fitness (do gym, yoga, etc.).
- Consistency: Consistency is the key. You should be consistent when following you’re to-do list. If you miss even a day, you start to procrastinate, and you’ll eventually stop doing it.
This is the way that you have to create a schedule. The first column should be of the timing, where it should contain the start and end times. The second column should consist of the tasks. The third column is for tracking whether we have to complete the task or not.
3. Keep track
You should always keep track of your timetable. You should analyze your daily routine if you are missing something or if you are doing it correctly or not. Ask yourself a question, do you manage time properly?
If you have missed a task for the day, try not to continue the same thing on the other days. This will make you understand where you are lacking and what you are missing.
When to Create it?
The best time to create your timetable is to make it the night before. If you do it the night before, you can start it directly from the next day, and you’ll be waking up at the time you have set. Otherwise, if you create it in the morning, you’ll be making it after you wake up, wasting your morning time.
At this time, you can conclude the whole day’s timetable and create the timetable as well.
Where to Create it?
Now, you have everything clear how to do it and when to do it. But, you may have a question about, Where to create the timetable to manage time, on the phone or on paper?
Everyone must have a different perspective. Some of you would like to do it on the phone, and some would like it on paper. I like to create it on paper. So let’s see some advantages and disadvantages of both.
Phones have been an essential part of our life. Whether you are sleeping, working, gyming, etc., you’ll always have it by your side. This can be an advantage because you will always have your timetable. You also have many apps that help you monitor your timetable with time, but many apps are complex to understand.
When your phone is switched off, your timetable is out-of-sight and out of mind as well. Apart from all these advantages, it can also lead to other phone-based distractions such as games, social media, etc.
It is simple to create a timetable on paper. Most of the time, the simplest are the best. It’s just quick and simple. You don’t have to open your phone or app to keep track of it. The disadvantage of this is that you cannot re-order it or you’ll not be carrying it everywhere.
You can have your personal review. The phone or paper? It’s all your choice.
Which one do you choose? Please share your experiences in the comments below.
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