Raise your hand if every single day you feel like you have run out of time. If you are like most of us, there just doesn’t seem to be enough hours in the day to accomplish everything on our plates. This leaves us feeling stressed out, frustrated, and depleted.
What if I told you that there is actually plenty of time available to check off all those daily tasks we need to complete? Indeed, one of the fastest ways to improve your quality of life and recapture a sense of positivity is by employing some basic time management strategies. However, to make it happen you’ll need to exercise some self-discipline. If you are up for the challenge, read on.
Why We Need Some Structure in Our Lives
Even the carefree hippies of the sixties eventually figured out that a satisfying life requires a certain amount of structure. While we all have a little bit of hedonist in us, if that tendency isn’t reined in, we’ll find ourselves frittering our days away and accomplishing nothing.
Once we accept that life just works better when our days have some order to them, we can embrace the idea of time management. This doesn’t mean you must plan every minute of your day, but rather to create space for all the things that matter to you during your waking hours.
What is Work-Life Balance?
Over the past few decades, life has become increasingly more frantic and demanding. Simply put, more is expected of us from not only external forces but also from ourselves. We truly want to measure up to a perceived societal standard of excellence, and wind up comparing ourselves to others.
When the desire to “do it all” results in poor mental health or even illness, you come to realize that your work-life balance is out of whack. A healthy work-life balance allows enough time in your schedule to accomplish your daily work duties, while also leaving some energy and time for the things that bring you pleasure in life.
7 Time Management Tips to Improve Quality of Life
To achieve a balanced life that’s rooted in positivity, consider using these 7 time management tips:
- Stay accountable. Most of us are guilty of straying off track and scrolling our social media feeds when we should be working. We may not even be aware of how much time we waste scrolling or shopping online each day. To gain more time for meaningful activities, limit social media to one hour in the evenings.
- Create a to-do list. It is never wise to trust our memories for keeping track of daily tasks and appointments. Instead, start each day by making a to-do list. This simple action helps you prioritize your day and keep you on track. As you complete each task, cross it off the list and enjoy a sense of accomplishment.
- Learn to say no. Your kind-hearted nature is wonderful, but it can also cause you to say “yes” to too many requests or favors. As hard as it is to decline invitations or requests to volunteer your time, learn to say no to many of them. This allows you to participate in a few choice causes, without over taxing your schedule.
- Use time management tools. Each of us has a preference when it comes to keeping track of our daily activities. Whether you prefer the paper-and-pen weekly planner or are better suited for time management apps like Todoist or RescueTime, these tools help you organize and monitor daily tasks and appointments.
- Tackle the hardest task first. Whether you are a stay-at-home mom or a C.E.O., when faced with a daily list of projects or tasks, it’s best to tackle the hardest, most time-consuming one first. Once that one is in the hopper, you will feel lighter and better able to focus on the next ones.
- Give yourself realistic time limits. When planning your days, be sure to allot realistic time frames for each task. This prevents you from piling too many projects or demands on your time in a given day. Allow yourself an adequate amount of time to perform each task and you’ll keep stress levels under control.
- Include exercise in your schedule. The best way to ensure you get enough physical activity in your routine is to actually schedule it into your day. It’s just smart to designate a time slot for exercise, like taking a walk, a jog, or a yoga class, as exercise improves mood and reduces stress.
Our state of mind relies heavily on keeping stress levels in check. One of the best ways to protect our positive mindset is to practice better time management habits – and that includes leaving time to enjoy hobbies or any activity you are passionate about. Now that is a healthy work-life balance.
