Time Management Tricks to Help You Save Time Every Day
Do you know what’s the common thing between a student who has good grades and makes money by working a job at the same time, an employee hustling on the side to start an online business, an entrepreneur, a bestselling author, and a mother who runs a successful company?
People like that make the most of their day simply because they know how to manage their time well so they can have just enough of it to get done what’s important. Together with that, they use their free time strategically and effectively and adjust depending on the life stage they are at.
You can do the same and it all begins with the most basic principles of time management.
These include:
Stop doing the things that bring you no progress.
Do more of the rest.
Track everything.
Have a to-do list.
Prioritize.
Sleep well.
Define and eliminate distractions.
Single-task.
While these can help you manage your time better and let go of the stress that goes together with living in a rush and being busy with too many tasks on your list, it doesn’t mean you’ll be saving time every day.
To do that, you’ll need to rely on some little but effective tricks. Here are some:
Make the right choice at any moment.
Life is all about choices. At every minute of the day, you’re making a choice what to invest your precious time in. With so many distractions and temptations around and so many possible things to be doing, it’s easy to rarely make the best decision.
That’s why you need to get better at this. Whenever you’re about to start working on a project, say ‘yes’ to what a friend offers, begin reading a new book or watching a movie, or head to a certain place, stop for a moment and ask yourself if this really is the best you could be doing at this moment.
This simple practice can help you realize when you’re just wasting time, procrastinating or doing something because another person suggested it.
The more you make the right choices, the more of your time will you get back.
Upgrade your morning routine.
Waking up early is a must for anyone who wants to boost their productivity and focus and get more done. The morning should also be filled with positive and healthy activities such as a workout, a nutritious breakfast, journaling and preparing for the day.
But why stop there? Turn your mornings into the most fruitful part of your day by adding these few elements to it which will help you save a ton of time later in the day:
Write your to-do list.
Empty your inbox.
Schedule meetings and calls.
Plan what to do first.
Leave room for free-time activities and plan these too.
Prep your meals for the rest of the day.
Check your weekly calendar to see what else you have going on the next few days.
Leave social media and reading news for later in the day.
Prepare your clothes and get out ready to win the day.
Prepare for the time-wasters.
If you want to achieve success, you must prepare for failure. The same goes for wasting time.
If you don’t want anything in your day to come up which will lead to wasting precious time and leaving important tasks for the next day, do your best to make sure it doesn’t happen.
Often, that’s people calling us and asking for things. Unless it’s emergency, you should let them know when not to contact you. That would be your peak time during the day when you’re focused on work-related activities.
Allowing tasks to pile up is another bad habit and you can avoid the pressure it causes by completing each small task the moment it shows up.
What about family gatherings, friends inviting you over, celebrations or any other special occasion that seems to be happening every week and which takes a lot of your time and energy? Not to mention it often makes you distracted for days before and after that. Well, you’ll need to be ruthless with your time.
Time management is for serious individuals who know what they want in life and aren’t afraid to get it. That means saying ‘no’ often, making sacrifices and even disappointing people.
In the end, it’s all worth it as you’re staying true to yourself and your time is in your hands.
Eat with productivity in mind.
If you want to take your time management skills to the next level, you’ll need to change some of your daily habits too. Your diet is one area that could use improvement.
First, you might need to ditch the foods that are making you lazy, distracted, and moody. And replace them with fruits, veggies, nuts, proteins and the right type of carbs – which are all products that naturally boost your productivity and allow you to do more work in fewer hours.
Additionally, there are some superfoods you can add for more concentration and a clear mind.
Use these time management tricks to understand how to better manage your time. Give each new technique a week or two before it becomes your new habit so you can move onto the next one and improve your skills more
