Happy Monday! Can you believe it’s almost Christmas? And then it’s New Year’s Eve? This month is flying by! Before we know it it’ll be 2022. For today’s Blogmas post, my amazing friend Riyah from Riyah Speaks wrote a guest post for my blog! Riyah is a lifestyle and self-care blogger and has so many great posts and resources that can help you improve your mental health. Make sure you visit her blog and get to know her!
If you missed yesterday’s or any other Blogmas posts, you can check them out here.
Are you struggling with time management lately? You are not alone. Most people routinely feel stressed for not being productive the way they are supposed to be.
The good news is that you can prevent this stress by using time management strategies to become more efficient.
Why use those strategies? Well, it is pretty simple – Time is your most valuable asset, so you don’t want to waste it.
So without further ado, let us take you through our ten best time management tips and tricks you can put to use in your life!
1. The Power of Mornings
Laura Vanderkam, a career development writer, suggests that individuals have more willpower in the early morning than the rest of the day, regardless of whether they are morning or night.
Following this idea, you can utilize the time in the morning to do more productive things, such as reading, training, planning, and making decisions accordingly with a fresh mind.
“But… I’m not a morning person. I feel like I’ve been beaten with a bat as soon as I wake up!”
If that’s the case, you can gradually develop the habit of waking up early if you are not a morning person.
2. Keeping a Productivity Diary
Keeping a diary is perhaps one of the best things you can do in monitoring your routine activities and the results that come from them.
This simple habit will enable you to define your goals, express yourself, and even reflect on past actions, as well as record your progress.
In keeping a diary like this, you’ll have the chance to see everything on paper and get a better idea of the time that specific tasks consume and the results they yield.
3. No Multitasking
Time management expert, Dave Crenshaw in his book The Myth of Multitasking: How “Doing It All” Gets Nothing Done, says that: “When someone tells me that they are good at multitasking, I know they’re inefficient. Saying that you’re a good multitasker is the same as saying that you’re good at using a less effective method to get things done.”
And whether you want to believe it or not, this might just turn out to be the exact truth for most people.
Focus your undivided attention on the task at hand to get it as quickly and efficiently done as possible.
4. Ultradian rhythms
Ultradian rhythms are defined as the natural rhythms that the body cycles through every 90-120 minutes.
Peretz Lavie coined this term, promoting the idea that you should work when your energy levels are high and rest when you feel tired.
If you want to boost your productivity, consider following your ultradian rhythms and avoid working when your body and mind only offer resistance to that work.
5. Using Your Phone Effectively
Phones have controlled our professional and personal lives ever since the first smartphone was introduced to the world.
And though phones can make us anxious and even depressed, they can also be a very effective tool to boost productivity when used correctly.
To entirely focus, start by removing instant stimuli from your main screen and concentrating on the essential tasks.
Use the applications that help your work process and avoid diving into those news feed scrolling sessions.
Remember that a phone is just a tool, and if you don’t use it correctly, you might smash your nail (metaphorically).
6. Productivity Apps
Speaking of phones, the best way to be productive through phones is to install productivity applications.
There are various applications that you can use – one of them is Focus@Will.
Apps like Focus@Will allow you to stay on the right track by removing all the distractions.
Look out for those apps and find the one that suits you best!
7. Meditation
Like mindfulness, meditation is a mental exercise capable of realizing many things, including your unconscious actions that rob you of time.
Besides that, meditation may help you clear your mind and bring about a better focus, thus managing your actions and time more effectively.
People who meditate regularly can avoid distractions and focus on essential tasks.
The best thing? Meditation can massively help you manage stress and even overcome procrastination.
So hey, don’t forget to pay some attention to your inner world.
8. Effective Use Of Caffeine
Caffeine is the most potent mental and physical stimulant and can make or break your productivity.
The right amount of caffeine can increase mental focus and output, but too much can make you feel anxious.
So really, analyze your coffee intake and judge it objectively – Is it helping you, or is it burning you out?
If the latter is true, then consider using caffeine only in moments when you need it (i.e., when you are tired or just need a kickstart).
Ultimately, aim for no more than 2 cups a day. That will provide a healthy amount of caffeine to promote focus and mental output without leading to a caffeine crash or any other undesired side effects caused by excessive caffeine consumption.
9. Power nap
Did you know that personalities like Da Vinci and Einstein adored power naps in the afternoon?
Power naps work because they allow you to deprive the senses of information and, thus, get into a more relaxed, playful state of mind.
Additionally, the fact that you’re not processing something from the outside allows your body and mind to get a brief, powerful energy rejuvenation.
Ever felt the energy from a quality sleep session? Well, the power nap is the same, but on a smaller scale, so do use that, but be careful not to fall asleep!
10. Practice the art of saying “No.”
Overcommitting can permanently affect your productivity, and frequently, it can rob you of your own time.
As per PsychologyToday, the extreme desire to please everyone and always say yes comes from our intrinsic fear of causing clash, dissatisfaction, or upset by declining to help those around us.
This is why you should learn the art of saying no and be your best productive self, despite anything else!
Final Thoughts
In a dynamic world like ours, the effective management of time and effort is something to pay attention to, as you may quickly swerve towards a burnout, accompanied by a severe lack of time.
The secret to achieving balance is analyzing yourself, your schedule, keeping track of your habits. Once you reach the balance point, time management will be seamless at the end of the day.
Stay productive, stay efficient!
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