We all know at least one person that often makes us think, “How do they do it all??”
Consider this: You have the same 24 hours that they do. The difference lies within how those hours are used. That’s why we wanted to share these 5 tips for better time management with you. The secret to high achievement isn’t always doing more, but doing things more effectively.
- Wake up early
This is a simple solution to the excuse that there aren’t enough hours in the day. According to the Huffington Post, most successful CEOs, executives, and self-made millionaires wake up between 4am and 7am. Even if you aren’t a morning person, being able to get a headstart on your own terms leads to feelings of having more control over your life. Also, willpower is the highest early in the morning, which allows you to get more done before distractions increase and other obligations need to be fulfilled.
- Give yourself a bed time
In order to wake up earlier, you need to consistently go to bed at a reasonable time. Pulling an all-nighter to get more work done actually works against you and your abilities to be more productive. There’s very little that you can do effectively if you’re tired. The recommended amount of sleep is between 7-8 hours a night. Earlier bedtimes are linked with better moods, increased overall health, weight loss, greater amounts of energy, and higher rates of productivity. Rest is a weapon. Use it!
- Make a to-do list every day
Make sure that you are very clear on what needs to be done and how much time you should spend doing it. I suggest taking about 5-10 minutes the night before to jot down what you want to accomplish the next day. Prioritize your tasks, set a reminder for each one, and stick to it. Knowing exactly what needs to be done will cut down on the time spent staring into space or trying to remember all of the things that you didn’t think you needed to write down.
- Plan your meals
It’s astonishing how much of our daily time is spent on activities revolving around food. Just think about how much time it takes to figure out what to eat, prepare it (or worse, hopping into the drive-thru line), eating it, ect. And depending on what we eat and how much of it, we may get too full which makes us feel sluggish and unproductive.
Breakfast, being our first meal of the day, is critical because it acts as fuel to jumpstart our brain and body. Take a few minutes to plan your breakfast for the next morning and prep it the night before to save you time. Similarly, meal prepping your lunch and dinner will not only save you time, but it saves so much money and tends to be healthier than if you slapped a meal together at the last minute. Make sure that what you plan for your meals is something that will fuel your brain and body so that you can get more accomplished throughout the day!
- Get organized
Clutter has a psychological effect on the brain making it less creative and productive. Not to mention, we spend too much time looking for things that we’ve misplaced. Make sure that your workspace is clean and organized. Fill your space with things that inspire you – make it a place that you want to be. Also, make sure that everything you may need while working is within reach so that you won’t have a reason to leave your workspace in order to go and get it. This increases the chance that you may get distracted by one thing or another along the way and end up wasting time that could be used to knock out the tasks on your to-do list.
Bonus Tip! – Write out your current daily routine. This will make it easier to pinpoint extra time available to do more of the things you need and want to do, while also showing you what unproductive activities you can cut back on or cut out all together.
Trust me, the time is there. The challenge is being consistent and disciplined enough to use it wisely. I’ll leave you with a quote from John C. Maxwell:
You will never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine.
