Time Management and Checklists

Time management is difficult to do. If you don’t manage your time you waste it. I feel like I’ve been wasting a considerable amount of time lately.

Until this week. I’ve been focusing my energy on cleaning up the messy corners in the bedroom of my life. Time management has been one of the most neglected aspects of my own life.

So here are some of the time management tips I’ve been implementing. And I have to say, it’s worked rather well over the past week.

1. Create a checklist. This may seem like common sense, but the times when I felt the most anxiety were when I didn’t write the things down that I needed to accomplish! It’s overwhelming to carry everything around in your head. Do yourself a favor an put pen to paper.  Even if it’s a spew of nonsense and trivial tasks on paper, it will help you accomplish things that need to be done. I use Evernote to create my checklists. The format is clean and professional. And to be honest it’s simply gratifying to check each box.
2. Prioritize said checklist. What are the things that absolutely need to be taken care of today? Order your list by importance.
3. Check one thing off at a time. Don’t be overwhelmed with the length of your list. Whether it was 3 items or 30 items, it shouldn’t matter. FOCUS ON ONE TASK AT A TIME. I can’t believe how many times I’ve created a list and thrown it away because it intimidated me. Small steps and unidivided focus will conquer the list and the your necessary tasks of your day.
4. Set time constraints. If you’re like me then you’re easily distracted by any little thing (I used to think it was a curse, but now I’ve changed my narrative to creative genius…). If this is the case then setting time constraints for certain tasks will help tremendously. For example if you’re writing a paper and you don’t want to spend all day on it (SPEAKING FROM EXPERIENCE), give yourself 10 minutes for the outline and 40 minutes to complete each paragraph. This only works if you’re willing to be honest with yourself about your work. Don’t like to yourself, get the business done.
5. Wake up and hour or two earlier than usual. I know I know, you don’t get enough sleep as it is, right? I guarantee if you make a check list and finish early you’ll have time to head to sleep and hour or two earlier. Waking up early gives you more time to accomplish goals and visualize where you want to be at the end of the day. Plus, I do some of my most creative thinking in the early hours when my mind if refreshed. I don’t know if it’s the same for everyone, but it’s worth a shot right? It’s rough but you can learn the discipline. I believe in you.
6. Make a list of the important things you need to accomplish tomorrow the night before. Plan ahead! That way the next day you’ll have a rough idea of what needs to be handled and how your day will look.
7. Stay the course. Developing good habits isn’t easy. It doesn’t happen over night, either. We have to stay deliberate about how we spend our time and what we allow into our lives; life is shaped by how you spend your time.

Time is both a currency and an illusion. We’re wizards, and we can take charge of our lives by harnessing it’s power. We control time, time shouldn’t control us. Make the most of your day and start creating a checklist for each important task. I guarantee it will help you accomplish the things, and chisel you way to a goal or two.

Warm wishes and happy checking,

~musicalwayfarer