Make Time Work for You

It’s a question that most people ask each day: Have I used my time wisely? If you feel that your time is often out of your control and you’re not accomplishing what’s important in life, here are some tips on how to make time work for you.

• Establish clear goals and priorities. You can increase the chances that you’ll lead the life you want if you clarify your personal and career goals and priorities. Using the latest whiz-bang time management tool won't help if you don't have a clear idea of what you're trying to accomplish.
• Take time to make time. The most important time of the day may be the initial 10 or 15 minutes you use to plan the rest of your day. Create solitude and plan in detail. Schedule appointments with yourself and create well-defined time blocks for priority tasks and communications.
• Combat distractions. Small distractions throughout the day can waste substantial time without you even noticing. Attending to every electronic message as it arrives, and continually checking your Instagram, Facebook or Twitter feed, prevents you from focusing on priorities. Try designating specific times within your schedule to reply to messages and posts. Keep your phone calls (particularly personal calls) brief and to the point.
• Document your doings. Keeping a simple diary of how you spend your time throughout the day is a powerful way to discover how you can make time work better for you. On a handy notepad, you could track each activity, when you started and stopped that activity, and any observations you may have. Such a time diary:
  • Helps you identify patterns and trends (favorable or otherwise) in how you’re spending time.
  • Helps you second-guess yourself if you’re considering spending time on non-priority activities.
  • Helps you gauge whether your activities match up with your priorities (e.g., you consider family time important, yet actually spend many of your evenings watching TV).
• Optimize your commute. When you’re taking public transportation, walking or driving to work daily, those hours add up. Why not use that time to (safely) listen to podcasts or other educational content that can help you learn new things, nurture your curiosity and gain perspective?
• Use bits and pieces of time. Fill waiting time by doing other things. It helps to keep pen, paper and something to read with you. Also, many tasks can be finished in only a few minutes; complete them simultaneously to avoid wasting time. For example, you can water your plants while dinner is cooking.
• Learn to say “no” outside of work. If the job and other commitments are stretching you toward your limits, it’s important to be more selective about the activities you take on outside of work. Don’t overschedule yourself; it can lead to feeling overwhelmed and stressed out.