Oct 1: Planning for Progress
So I am preemptively writing this “planning” post. Ironic much? When this is posted, I will be glammed up, competing in the WA Ironman, when in actuality it is Sunday, Sept 18th. I am sprawled across my workspace, planner out, to-do lists piling up– staying ahead of the game; planning the next three months of content and posts for Living Whole
One of the BEST life hacks I can let people know about is PROPER PLANNING. So here are my ten tips for how to manage your time for success and sanity because chances are that, at some time in your life you have or still feel like you can’t get everything done you need to.
Practicing some of the following techniques can allow you to effectively optimize your time:
- Carry a schedule or planner. This will help you understand how much you can get done during the course of a day and where your time and energy is actually going. You’ll see how much time is spent where and how much time is wasted on unproductive tasks, hobbies, and just plainly crap you do to avoid being productive.
- Any action important to your success should have a time assigned to it. To-do lists are a great tool to utilize. Schedule tasks and create time blocks for high-priority tasks. Schedule when they will begin and end. Have the discipline to keep them.
- Plan to spend 15 minutes a day on a new task or hobby that engages your mind for refreshing variety. This could prompt some creative spark as well.
- Schedule time also for interruptions. Plan time to break away from what you’re doing.
- Take the first 10 minutes of every day to plan your day. Don’t start your day until you complete your time plan. The most important time of your day is the time you schedule to schedule time. I have found that if you have an idea of the week ahead already planned, these 10 minutes are really just a huddle to start your day effectively and make sure nothing else was missed or forgotten. Effective planning for optimal time use.
- Take a breather every 30-45 minutes to revamp and recollect yourself.
- Put up a “Do not disturb” sign when you absolutely have to get work done or find a solitary place that allows you to be insanely productive.
- Practice not answering the phone just because it’s ringing, or answer e-mails just because they show up. Instead, schedule a time to answer email and return phone calls so that during those crucial times, you can work uninterrupted.
- Take out other distractions like Facebook, IG, and other forms of social media unless you use these tools to generate business.
- Remember that it’s impossible to get everything done so don’t be too hard on yourself.
