24 hours. We all have the same number of hours in our day, but how we use that time varies widely. How is it that some of us are able to accomplish so much with our days, and others seem to never quite get a handle on the best ways to use our precious hours?
One of the things I’ve learned about myself over the years is that I am a filler. When I have time, I fill it up. If I’m being honest, I usually over-fill my time. I love to have things to do and accomplish. It makes me feel productive and happy. I also think I’m just hardwired to run on a faster speed.
Being a chronic over-scheduler, it has become imperative that I stay in control of my days or else they can over-run me (Which has happened more times than I care to admit!). I’ve learned some tips and tricks over the years that have helped me maximize my time and make the most out of my days. I thought it would be fun to share what I’ve learned with you!
3 ways to maximize the time in your day
1. Write a daily to-do list
If it’s not on my to-do list, it’s not getting done. Every day I write out a list of the top things I want to accomplish that day. This grounds me and keeps me from getting distracted. With all the noise we are filtering out on a daily basis, my daily to-do list keeps me focused on what really matters. Plus, the satisfaction of checking off those daily to-dos is legit.
What I use: Schedule Pad
2. Schedule my time
Failing to schedule your time is the easiest way to ensure your day gets away from you or the focus of your life starts to tip out of balance. Life is a complex mix of work, family, fun, health, chores, travel, planning, and a myriad other things. Giving each of these aspects blocked time on your calendar ensures you spend time developing and nurturing all aspects of yourself.
Every month I make sure that I have time for Josh, time for girlfriends, time for adventure, time for work, and time for personal growth on my calendar. It helps to see everything laid out in the bigger picture and frees my mind from having to worry that I’m dropping the ball in some area of my life.
What I use: Microsoft Outlook and LifePlanner
3. Gamify my goals
Something I have really struggled with is making time for the things I don’t necessarily want to do, or the things that don’t come easily to me. I often feel like there’s not enough hours in the day to do the stuff I have to do and/or really want to do. It makes it easy for me to put the goals that will lead to my long-term happiness on the back-burner in exchange for immediate and short-term wins.
I can’t just add things like working out, tracking my calories, organizing my apartment, meditating, and reading books and articles to help my career growth to my daily schedule and expect they’ll get done. They’re not things I’m naturally in the habit of doing. To help prioritize these tasks I set weekly goals for each item and track my progress towards meeting them. I write down each goal so I can always see it and put a checkmark next to it when I complete a task. It’s a great feeling to make progress towards a continual goal and to challenge yourself to see how long you can keep your checkmark streak going. The ultimate goal is for these goals to become habits.
What I use: Habit Tracker Notepad
Questions of the Day: How do you get the most out of your day? Do you feel like it’s easy for the day to get away from you?
If I don’t make a to-do list, I will not get all my work done in a day. To-do lists are my bread and butter.
I’ve found that planning my day (and consequently, roughly scheduling out my time) has been a great aid in getting things done throughout the day. I feel so much more focused that way!
Time management is probably the key to success in all spheres of life.Your tips are always an eye opener.
All great tips, scheduling is probably the most important for me.
I have to make a to do list or I forget half the stuff on it. The only problem is when I lose my to-do list.j
I mostly work around a schedule. However, there are some unexpected events that throw me off the track. What I do to remedy that is to allocate some “free time” within the day so I can still finish what I have to do. Thanks for your tips. They are really helpful.
I start each day with a list of what I need to get accomplished. It’s so satisfying crossing things off one by one!
As I am getting older, I need my list. If it’s not on the list, it won’t get done. I have also learned to say no. For my sanity and peace of mind, is perfectly okay to say no sometimes
I have a to do list in my head, but I do need to write it down. I tend to think more about the to do list when I am exercising in the gym – which I try to do on a daily basis. Thanks for the article.
I need to make a running to do list. I try to remember what it is I have to do and I ALWAYS make a mess of things.
These are all great tips to maximize your time. I’m thankful for some ideas to use in my life.
I recognize that planner! I have the same one. I live by it and it makes my day so much smoother.
Such a great post, I usually find this happens to me, but I now have my organiser that is my life and never far from my clutches. I write everthing in it and plan my days out of what I need to do and it has helped so much
It’s all about time management and correct prioritization. I love setting goals and making a checklist.
Time management can be a challenge for me. I have to make my to do list everyday or I will forget something.
I have several goals I want to accomplish this year so setting weekly goals to accomplish long-term goals is a must for me! Your tips are realistic and good. I love my daily to-do lists because checking things off is so exciting. Great post!
Time management is the key to accomplishing so much more than we thought we could. I just recently really delved into this idea and am thrilled I did!
I really need to have a to-do list now. I used to have one and then I dropped this habit. Now I found my days are easily slipped away from me. Thanks for reminding me of that.
Such great tips! My problem is over doing my to-do list. I tend to think I can accomplish so much more than I can, so I pack a lot in. I need to set a reasonable daily goal for my list. Definitely saving this post so I can have a guideline to scheduling my time more efficiently!
I always prepare a daily to-do list and that way, I’m able to accomplish my day’s goals and remain productive. Normally, I break down my monthly goals into daily activities.
The day does get away from me very quickly. Especially true early in the a.m.. when I”m trying to be productive!
Such a useful post as I often struggle with maximizing my time. I do schedule my time but gamifying my tasks seems like a cool idea. I’ll give it a shot for sure.
I highly recommend making a to-do-list too. It’s really helpful. Just check the ones you’ve done and you also won’t forget the important things that need to be done.
I actually need more time management. my therapist advised its what i need to focus on now
thanks for the tips and tricks shared.
my mom and sister would love this!
I need more time management in my chaotic life. I try to write in my planner, but if I don’t I make a daily to do list and try to organize my schedule.
I have set myself big goals this year so your post was super helpful in offering advice in how to prioritise my time. One of the things I have started doing is to-do lists, they really help me and keep me focused on my goals.
I rarely do a to do list, but if I don’t write something down in my calendar, it doesn’t happen. I’ve found that I try to schedule and commit to fewer things and that has helped me be more productive and less stressed.
A great post with tips I could really do with . I have a more management related role now and struggle to make the most of my time so to start of with making a to do list is a great way . Keeping track of goals and how well you working towards it is another thing which you need to track and measure how you doing towards achieving it so tracking everyday Some great hints here I must say .
Effective time management is a must for everyone, specially for digital nomads and travel bloggers. Really helpful and practical tips you have shared here. I love using Trello for my to do thing, as its very easy to jot down any random thought which can be converted into an idea and moved across different boards as the task progresses.
These are such fantastic ideas to utilize maximum of your time and being productive. I am so happy to read this post. I do believe in writing down the “To Do List” which put things into prospective. Gamifying goals is such a cool idea. Thank you for this tip.