There’s only so many hours in the day. Do you find yourself running out of time? Do you leave most tasks for the last minute and then end up backed up with work for months? Below are 10 tips to managing your time better and wiser starting today !

1. Start the week by planning out your to-do‘s for the week in a planner or a calendar. Note which days you will be busy and which days you will be free. This will help you know how much free time you actually have to get things done. Knowing what times are dedicated for work, personal time, errands, etc, helps you know how much time you really have to get important tasks done. For example, if you are normally busy on Wednesday and Thursday evening, you know that on the weekend you would want to get things do for Monday -Tuesday. Always try to be at least 1-2 days ahead of schedule in your planning. Even if its just by anticipating what’s ahead.
2. Set a timer. We all know there is more than one task that needs to get done all the time. Set a timer for each task, so that you can hold yourself accountable for getting it done in a reasonable time frame. Especially when working from the home. The lines are blurred between work time and personal time. Setting a timer between each task will help you become self aware of the time, and how much time you should actually be spending on a task.
3. Set work hours. Decide how much time a day you are dedicating to work, so that you can know how much time you have for your own personal errands.
4. Get errands done in batches. Do not run errands sporadically , unless something comes up. Choose a day or two out of the week that you will dedicate to errands, and keep those errands within those boundaries. Leave time for other items on your to-do list.
5. Set a goal. Set a goal for yourself that is realistic for whatever tasks it is you have to complete. Some task can be more long -term or temporary. Will you need one month? two months? 6 months? 1 year? How much of your time will you have to dedicate day-to-day?
6. Set reminders on your phone. We all have our phones on hand 24.7 at this point. Have back-up reminders on your phone for items on your to-do list that are urgently important to stay on top of.
7. Set screen time limits on your devices. Sometimes the reason for all the procrastination is all the time spent behind screens getting lost in the memes of the internet. Set a screen time limit for the apps that distract you the most. Trust me once you start getting those pop up alerts that you have passed your screen time, you will have no other choice but to look at the work you left behind.
8. Make a daily to-do list. Start your day with a daily to-do list. This will allow you to know if today is a day you can be laid back or a day that you have to manage your time better. Not every day has to be a day that you are running against the clock. Know the days that you have to be on top of your work and time, and the days that you can take it easy and set your pace.
9. Set imaginary due dates. When a task is a priority and needs to be done as soon as possible, it is a good strategy to set an imaginary due date. For example, if the assignment is due on Friday, pretend it is due on Wednesday. Having it done on Wednesday, will allow you two days to look it over and make any last minute edits that you would not have time to notice otherwise.
10. Know when to say no. Our social lives get in the way of our work and school lives all the time.Knowing when to say no to events when you have pending items on your to-do list is the first step towards saving you a lot of sleepless nights. For instance, if you know you have to submit those plans by midnight, I don’t think tonight is the night to go out for happy hour with the old crew from college.

What do you do to manage your time better and wiser ? Comment down below.

Jules 💜