Almost 60% of Americans struggle with managing tasks on a daily basis.
With the busy lives we try to lead, it can be difficult to keep up with everything we need to do, especially if our time management skills are lacking. We become forgetful, overwhelmed, stressed, and anxious, which all interfere with how our mind and body interact and get things done.
If that sounds like a problem you may be dealing with, keep reading! We have five time management tips and strategies that can help you be more successful with your business and your life. You may even find yourself doubling your income simply by changing some of your habits.
Table of Contents
1. Create To-Do Lists
One of the most important things you can do to be more productive during the day is to make a to-do list the night before. Right before you head to bed, write down the most important things that you need to accomplish the next day.
This can be done on paper, your computer, or a list making app.
When making a to-do list, follow these guidelines:
- Make the number of things on your to-do list doable
- Prioritize your to-do list with must-do items, priority items, and items that can wait if you do not get to them
Once you write these things down, highlight the three most important items that you need to get done. We can often procrastinate on the important items and find ourselves working on the items that just keep us busy. However, this won’t get you where you need to be.
2. Get Plenty of Sleep
About 70 million Americans have sleep disorders and 7-20% of Americans report not getting enough sleep each night. This could be due to many reasons, but a few of these reasons could be attributed to the following:
- Not being able to shut off your brain from your thoughts
- Spending too much time on technology
- Working late into the night and then trying to go to sleep
The good news is that there are ways to combat these reasons. You’ll get more sleep if you do the following:
- Create a nighttime routine
- Shut down your brain and body an hour before bed
- Stay off your phone and laptop an hour before bed
- Clear your brain of your thoughts by writing down what you accomplished during the day
- Carve out strategic thinking time during the week so you don’t use it at night
These tips should have you falling asleep faster and staying asleep so that you are managing tasks appropriately during the day!
3. Find Where You Are Most Productive
Productivity hacks do not always need to be writing a to-do list or writing everything down in a calendar. It can also be finding a place where you feel your best and where your productivity skills come out.
Ask yourself: Are you more productive at home at your desk or do you find that working in a coffee shop helps you get more done?
Do you prefer music in the background, or do you like complete silence with nothing but your thoughts?
Do you tend to get more done when you wake up in the mornings or in the middle of the afternoon?
Once you ask yourself these questions and start following what you think is best for yourself, your time management skills will skyrocket!
4. Take Time For Yourself
It may seem counterproductive, but setting time apart for you to focus on yourself and not your business can actually help you be more productive in the long run.
If you do too much, you’ll end up burning out and your productivity will plummet. Even with these tips, you’ll notice that your time management has declined and life has become a bit tougher.
However, if you choose to take time for yourself, you’re giving yourself the energy to keep going.
Try these:
- Exercise 3-5 times per week
- Practice mindfulness and meditation
- Cook for yourself a few nights per week
- Enjoy a night out with friends
- Read a book on the weekends
- Take a day off of work completely
In addition to taking care of yourself with self-care tactics, limits should also be set on tasks. This means that work should end at a certain point in the night (unless you start later because of when you are most productive). Set times and stick to them to make sure you do not burn out.
5. Drink Water and Eat Healthily
It may come as a surprise, but dehydration can severely inhibit your productivity and time management skills. Eating sugary and fatty foods can also cause us to crash in the middle of the day, which will also affect our productivity.
To reduce the likelihood of this happening, most billionaires like Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates sip on their water consistently throughout the day.
Aim for at least eight glasses of water per day. There are also water bottles out there that have times and amounts to keep you on track during the day!
Managing Tasks With These Productivity Hacks
Being successful is not always about how much you work, but about how good you are at managing tasks that are put in front of you.
By creating to-do lists, getting more sleep, and taking care of yourself and your wants and needs, you will find yourself being more productive. You’ll probably be even happier, too!
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