Time Management: A Simple Guide How To Get The Most Out Of Your Time

If you're like most people, your days are packed with demands on your time. It can be a real challenge to get things done, especially when it feels like you never seem to have enough hours in the day. Time is one the few things, that no person has enough of. When you have even a little bit of extra time, it can seem impossible to find something productive to do with it. You may be tempted to take a nap or watch television instead, but those activities will not improve your life in any meaningful way. What you need are some small changes to your everyday routine, that will give you more time and energy for the things that matter most. Time is the most precious resource we have, but it's also one of the easiest to waste.

The Common Problems With Time Management

Probably the most common reason people give for why they never seem to have enough time is "no time to do it" and it's really quite simple; we just don't do it. If you are saying "I don't have time to do that" then you are giving yourself a temporary solution to the problem, which does not solve it in the long run. Time has no feelings; it can't "resent" something, that it wasn't responsible for creating in the first place.

Another reason people give for why they don't have enough time is "too busy" and this can be a very difficult excuse to confront especially if you are the one using it. If you find yourself saying "I'm just too busy" then you are really applying the "no time" excuse above. Too busy can be another way of saying "I choose not to spend the time" and the difference between the two is that "I don't have time" is a cop out. You are giving up on the possibility of actually making the time, because you don't think you have the willpower to make it.

Finally, there is the "good enough" reason; this is probably the most common one and it's really the only one that matters. If you are simply too lazy to do something, then you should just find a way to make it so you don't feel lazy. You should just find a way to make the bad habits, bad choices and mistakes worth it. You need to find a way to be happy and satisfied with the life you have; you can't keep on punishing yourself by giving in to your less noble desires.

Why Is It Important To Get The Most Out Of Your Time?

Time is the one constant that we cannot change. No matter how hard we try we cannot get more of it; it is simply a fact of life. What we can do is decide how we will spend it. This is why it is so important to maximize the use of each hour, that we do have. We will never get more time; it will simply be spent in different ways. That means we need to start taking better care of it now. It is important to get the most out of your time, because every minute we are alive is a minute, that could be better spent and we will never get those back.

In order to do this we need to start living a little bit more intentionally. Instead of simply taking each day as it comes, we will start making plans to live them out in the most fulfilling way possible. Even if it means setting aside certain hours for leisure, we will set them aside for that purpose. What matters is that we actually do it.

How To Start Making Time With Priorities

There is a difference between having priorities and making priorities. As soon as we start making our own decisions, we are making time. In order to start making the decisions, that will make your time more valuable you will need to start doing a few things differently.

The very first thing that you need to do is to create an "executive summary" of your life. This should be a list of all the things, that are most important to you. Think about your values, your reason for being, your lifestyle, your beliefs; everything that is most important to you should be included here. When you have finished, print it out and keep it somewhere you can find it. You should also move it over a day so that it is dated for tomorrow. This is so that you don't forget about what is truly important in the ever changing present.

The second thing that you can do is decide what is really important to you tomorrow. What are you going to choose to spend your time on? If you choose television, the internet, or video games, then you are giving up on the things that really matter. You will not have as much time tomorrow, but it is not too late to choose something else.

The third thing that you can do is decide how much time you are going to dedicate to each of these things. You might choose to spend the same amount of time on each, and that would be perfectly fine as well. The only thing that you cannot do is choose to not do any of them at all. This would be the ultimate waste of time and would be very bad for you.

Plan Your Day The Night Before

Maybe you won't be able to control the passage of time, but you can control how you spend it. You should always choose to spend it on things that are more important, than anything else. If you can't give up on it, then you should still make the best out of it. You don't have to go one hundred percent, you just have to go better, than you are right now.

Think about everything, that you are going to do tomorrow, next week and the week after that. Make a list of everything that is going to happen. If you're having a hard time, then write down how you are going to spend the time that you have. You should try to do things, that will stretch the time that you have out as long as possible. Doing things that are unhealthy or that fill the time with unimportant things only stretches it out for a little bit. Remember that you can always change things up, but you can't change time.

Things To Avoid When Using Time Wisely

Doing too much of anything will only make the time you have go by faster. It is only by making the right choices on small things, that you will start to see any difference. Choose your battles; don't overextend yourself. You will only end up feeling worse about everything that you are doing.

• Television

Television is a dangerous past time. A lot of people spend more time on here, than they should. It is very easy to get sucked into it and be led down a dark path. You can watch the same television show over and over again and still not get a sense of what is going on. People will argue about politics, religion and sometimes the shows themselves. You never learn anything new, you just end up with a bunch of opinions, that are all based on what you have heard. You will only hear news, that makes you nervous, angry and afraid.

• Internet

The internet is one big black hole, that you could fall into and never get out. You spend hours upon hours a day on here and never know when you are going to get interrupted. You could spend the rest of your life on here, if you let yourself. The internet is a great place to visit, but you should try to keep away from it as much as possible.

• Social Media

This is yet another way, that you could blow your time. The amount of time that we spend on social media is completely unnecessary. This is something that should be fun and exciting, but instead it is just a way for you to avoid doing other things that you don't want to do. This isn't a bad thing in itself, but it is something that you should keep in check. It is just as bad for your emotional health as it is for your social one.

• Games And Video Games

This is a common one, and quite frankly a very bad one. Video games and computer games are just a form of escape for a lot of people. They are a quick fix and an easy way out. The problem with them is that they can start to feel like real life. You put all of your time into it and it starts to consume your whole life. You have to take breaks from it in order to really make progress.

Conclusion:

Time management isn’t just a set of strategies for getting more done in your day to day life, it’s a way of looking at life and becoming more productive. Make time for what’s important. Set a schedule and stick to it. Include breaks in your day for relaxation and joy, too! If you follow these tips, you’ll be able to get more things done with less stress.

In this article, I have provided you with some time-management tips, that can help you be more productive. I hope these tips have been helpful!

Thank you for reading.