If you can’t seem to get everything you need done in 24 hours, there might be some relief on the horizon. While you can’t really turn the clock back or stop time, there may be a way to add some time – at least an extra hour – to your day.
For example, you might be able to give yourself more time each day if you treat time management like you treat money management. Say what?
The following money habits according to Wisebread.com might just help you build some more time so that you can finally get to those things done that are typically on the bottom of your to-do list.
1. Track how you spend your time
Just as tracking where your money goes is key to budgeting, tracking your time-usage can be equally as important for cutting unnecessary time wasters. For example, simply realizing where your hours are spent can help you to reclaim more time for important tasks. In other words, cut back time on Facebook and Twitter to do more important tasks on your long to-do list, the web site suggests.
There are many ways to track how you spend your time, from the pen and paper to apps. Any of these options will show you how you spend your time and may help you to figure out where to take back a few minutes or two, the web site suggests.
2. Limit unnecessary spending
Keep your time spent searching on the Internet to a minimum if you are just searching to search for the heck of it. Also, remember the Internet is not the only time waster you might be up against. Try setting a timer to remind you how much time you have spent watching TV, listening to music, or just reading the newspaper. Setting a timer could force you to move on to the next task to keep your day from being sucked away before your very eyes, the web site suggests.
Believe it or not, these time leaks are often the cause when you feel like there are not enough hours in the day. Once you start limiting unnecessary time spending, you may find you have much more time than you thought, the web site suggests.
3. Invest in your future
Healthy finances don’t come without saving and investing your money, right? Well, healthy time management requires the same type of investment. What does time investment look like? Think of it like creating morning and evening rituals, and taking the time to visit your to-do list on a daily basis, the web site suggests.
4. Create daily rituals
Mundane morning and evening rituals can help you to consistently go from one task to another. Having a morning ritual means you can give your work tasks your full attention after you have made the transition into work time. On the flips side, make sure you create space between work and sleep. In other words, try not to answer a work email at midnight when you are supposed to be in bed. Create an evening ritual such as turning off computer screens might help you to sleep better and keep work from invading on your time, the web site suggests.
Also, be sure to take 15-20 minutes to reassess your calendar and to-do lists for the following day. This will help keep plans, meetings, or deadlines from being forgotten, and let you be more efficient when you get to work, web site suggests.
5. Prioritize
An important part of getting control of your finances is prioritizing specific financial goals and following through on them. You know you only have a finite amount of money; so you recognize your need to focus on one financial goal at a time. Healthy time management requires similar prioritizing, even though it can be harder to recognize that your time is finite, the web site suggests.
This is why it’s important to identify the most important tasks you need to complete daily. Realistically, there should be no more than three important tasks on your to-do list. Tackling these priority tasks will help you to move on to bigger projects and possibly eliminate the stress you feel after a day of chaotic business. Feeling as if you made progress may help you to jump back into work the next day, which can help eliminate time-wasting and procrastinating, the web site suggests.
6. Plan for Fun Stuff
Just as being able to treat yourself to a little indulgence while you are trying to save money can keep you motivated to stay on the straight and narrow, having a few breaks here and there in your schedule may help you stay on task while you are working. Breaks give the mind a chance to refresh and refocus, and are an important part of a productive daily routine, the web site suggests.
With the help of some or all of these tips, you should be able to get more out of your day and who knows, get to the bottom of your to-do list that you have been putting off forever.
