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Down To The Deadline: How to Make the Most of Your Time

Making the most of your time is a very important life skill. Proper time management can offer you free time, better mental health, and can help you build a better life overall for yourself.

The best way to start making the most of your time is to begin by planning. You cannot make the best use of your time if you only complete tasks as you feel like doing them. That method of time management can only lead to procrastination and a huge amount of stress as well as guilt. Creating a plan for your time can help you make the best possible decisions about your life and your time. The best way to start your planning process is to examine how you currently use your time.

It is easy to misjudge the amount of time you may have. Building a schedule of the things you do each day will help you realize how much time you do or do not have at your disposal. Be sure to include how many hours you spend working, how many hours you spend planning, and how many hours you have free. Consider all of the activities you engage in. Do not forget to include things like the time you spend sleeping, the time you spend in the car waiting to pick up Suzy from soccer practice, and the time you spend grocery shopping for your family. Being honest about these things can only help you build a better ideal schedule so you can make the most of your time.

Once you've figured out how much time you currently spend on your various life activities, make a schedule of how much time you should spend on each activity on a daily basis. For example, consider your sleeping habits. If you currently sleep for eight hours each night, but you know you would function just as well on five or six hours of sleep, change your schedule accordingly. Little things like this can add hours to your schedule each day. It is also important that you only put things into your schedule that you know will work for you. One case in point might be that if you schedule yourself to work on your computer at ten each evening, but you know your baby wakes up at ten for a night feeding, you are only setting yourself up to lose productivity time. Once you have made your new schedule, post it where it might serve as a reminder of the tasks you should be completing on a scheduled basis.

This new schedule is only a starting point for managing your time better. You should also consider making both daily and weekly lists of tasks that need to be completed. Additionally, it might help to make lists of long terms tasks that need to be completed as well. Your lists should be specific enough for you to understand the task just by glancing at the list. Be sure to include the task deadline, so you know how much time you have to finish it. You should also prioritize the list as you make it. In this way, the list will be far more effective than simply slopping down deadlines on your calendar.

The next thing you will need to do is work on fitting your weekly list into your weekly schedule. You must decide what you will do, and how it fits into the schedule you have made for yourself. If, on a continual basis, things simply are not fitting into your schedule, perhaps it is time to revise that schedule. It may also be time to take some things off of your lists. It is important to remember, as you begin to reach a revision process that it is okay to say no to tasks you simply do not have time to undertake. If these tasks pertain to work, talk to your boss. If you are your own boss, consider contacting your clients to let them know of your time constraints. If the tasks pertain to your domestic life, talk to your significant other and your children about helping out with the tasks you feel unable to complete. Be sure to have a bit of flexible time in your schedule each day. Flexible time can offer you extra time if a task is left unfinished, or it can provide you leisure time if you have met all of your goals for the day.