How can you organize and improve your time?
Most people want to have more time, they think they'll be able to get more done. The truth is that you're unlikely to get more done with more time, because there's a major saboteur in this area: procrastination. Human beings tend to dilute their tasks in the time available, so even if they have more time, they procrastinate and take longer to get things done. Have you ever heard of the phrase: if you want to ask someone for help, ask a busy person? People who are commonly seen as busy are the ones who are better at organizing their time and manage to fit a lot of activities into their routine, so they can set aside a specific time to help you, unlike those who have little and are slow to take action because they know they'll have plenty of time (but, believe me, that time will run out before you know it).
As well as helping you to get more done, a plan makes it easier to manage your tasks so that you don't miss important deadlines. It also prevents you, for example, from making two appointments at the same time or committing to something that you won't be able to handle. In other words, it basically helps you to be responsible with your time, to know your limits and not to exceed them. This is beneficial both for your work, as it results in greater efficiency, quality and, therefore, better competence, and for your personal life, as you are able to effectively move towards your objectives, breaking out of inertia and completing your goals with mastery.
In today's context, where most people have many tasks and short deadlines to meet, good time organization has become a priority for anyone who wants to achieve success. Many professionals try to deal with as many obligations as possible during their working hours and end up not carrying out all their activities effectively most of the time, which leads to rework, overload and stress. Learning how to manage time effectively is fundamental to establishing a more productive and peaceful routine. This prevents physical and mental exhaustion, poor nutrition and even a lack of creativity. This challenge, however, requires a lot of commitment and discipline.
The first step to getting organized is to set goals (remember the posts on mastery and goals?). Once you have a general idea of everything that needs to be done, with the deadlines and estimated durations, all you have to do is divide the big tasks into smaller ones and divide them into the time available in a realistic and intelligent way. For example, if you want to get a job, something that doesn't happen overnight and involves a lot of preparation beforehand, first list everything you think needs to be done, from updating your CV, and set dates for each stage so that you don't overload yourself. This is your macro organizational calendar, which should change very little, only in the event of major unforeseen events.
With this basic control, you can already get a good idea of the effort you will have to put in. Then, on a weekly basis (or daily, if you prefer), you analyze the week's planning and organize it in micro terms, separating the activities into days or shifts. Finally, every day, you take the time to evaluate what you've done that day and, if you've missed anything, you reorganize it for a future date, not just by putting it on the next day, but by thinking about the urgency and importance of this and the other tasks already scheduled. Remember that most of the time life doesn't go according to plan, so review the reasons why the schedule didn't work out, learn what you can improve, change what you can and get organized again.
You're probably thinking "I already know that, but what about it?" or "I've already tried it and it didn't work". First of all, if you already know this and haven't tried it in practice, it's as if you didn't know it, like buying a car and leaving it in the garage. If you're one of those who have tried it, tell me, how many times? Was it a day, a week? Tell me, when you first learned to walk, did you get it right? Habits take time to form, persist in trying for at least 3 weeks.
I'm already going to break down some of the arguments used against the idea of programming yourself like this:
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This method will make my schedule rigid, I'll be limited like this.
No, the idea isn't to lock you in. Quite the opposite, thinking in advance about the tasks to be carried out helps reduce stress, reduces unforeseen events and improves your routine, making it more dynamic and organized. A good tip if you have a problem with this is just to determine the day you're going to do it, not the shifts or times. In the end, you'll realize that this strategy actually brings you a huge sense of freedom, as you'll be in control of your time.
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Then I'll just work/study and I won't enjoy life or rest.
No, that's not true either. Part of organization is knowing how to set aside free time to ensure your mental health and emotional stability. Later on, I'll mention some good rules to follow for better organization!
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I don't have an agenda to make these notes.
It's not a problem if you don't have or don't like an agenda, whether physical or digital. Look for an app (Trello perhaps), try out a planner, stick post-it notes on your bedroom wall, send the next day's tasks to your individual WhatsApp group (who doesn't have a conversation with themselves, right?), write them down in your diary... There are many options, including software, websites, apps and physical tools, from bullet journals to notepads
Have you thought of anything else that's stopping you? Everything has a solution, you just have to look for it. A few simple tips can be applied to help you manage your time better in order to find a balance between body and mind and between personal and professional life. Here they are:
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Master list - it's what will give you focus when there's time left in your routine, take the opportunity to get ahead of what's on the list, nothing like the feeling of doing more than planned, right?
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Pomodoro - this is a very good technique for dividing time, it consists of 25 minutes of total concentration and 5 minutes of rest (the values may vary), the key is to really follow it, to set the time and start and stop as punctually as possible, as well as making good use of the rest time. There are several apps for this technique, or you can simply set your timer/alarm clock on your phone.
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Organize your work or study environment - it may seem like it has nothing to do with time, but a messy place helps you to get distracted more easily and also makes it difficult to find the things you need, as well as generating anxiety and worry about tidying it up. Even more so in times of e-learning and home office, a clean desk can make a difference.
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Knowing how to estimate your tasks well - when planning, you're not sure how much time you'll actually spend and the more conscious you are about this, the better, especially when you underestimate the duration of an activity. That's why it's very important that you keep track of your past performance, which you can do with a habit tracker.
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Add your studies or work after you've already determined your health commitments and other fixed activities (focus on this item, which is a major point of error). Put in the time you're going to spend on sleep, food, hygiene, physical exercise, rest and everything else you can't do without before adding your tasks, so you can guarantee that you're only using the real time available.
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Know how to prioritize and delegate tasks - you don't have to do everything, even if work/college/school is demanding a lot of you, assess the importance, the urgency and, if you can delegate, delegate, it's the little things that can make a difference, like doing an email, picking up a parcel.
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Do things quickly on the spot - there's a rule called the two-minute rule, which says that if something takes less than two minutes to complete, do it on the spot. The objectives are threefold: firstly, it prevents you from constantly remembering what you're doing, in other words, it increases your concentration; secondly, it prevents you from accumulating too many microtasks at the end (which will then take more time); and thirdly, it ensures that the activities are done and not forgotten.
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Divide your time between different tasks - this simple fact will help you to rest your mind and you'll still be able to keep track of how long it will take you to finish each task (for example, if you spent 1 hour tidying your room and managed to get half of it done, and you spent 1 hour reading for some research and only managed to get 20% done, you'll clearly need to spend more time on research than on tidying, even if you didn't plan it that way).
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Take extra time into account - your organization needs to allow time for unforeseen events, whether it's new demands or more time than planned. Prevent unnecessary stress by planning ahead.
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Avoid procrastination - here it's the same logic as with 2-minute tasks: if you've planned a project to be done in 6 weeks, organize yourself to do 1/6 a week. If you procrastinate, you'll have to do everything in the last week, will there be time? Will it be of the highest possible quality? (This is also a theme that is in the planning)
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Make the most of every moment of your time - if you have time left over between two tasks, instead of wasting time on social media, read your to-do list, look at your schedule and do something. It could be anything from stretching or meditating to clearing out your inbox.
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Know how to say no and know how to negotiate - in addition to delegating, which has already been mentioned, it is important that you know how to talk to other people in order to fit deadlines into your routine. If you know it's going to be a busy week, you can ask for more time, and usually several activities can be postponed or relocated without harm.
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Stay focused and avoid distractions - several of the previous tips already help with focus, but there's also another very important one, which is to get into the habit of finishing what you've started before beginning another task. And, if you are interrupted, before you get completely unfocused, make a note that can help you get back on track more quickly.
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Work as a team - have you ever heard of asking a friend/family member to commit to something with you? It works! If you find it difficult to set a deadline on your own, get together with someone else. When more than one person is committed to the tasks, it's easier to manage the time, as one colleague helps the other. Teamwork can be much faster and more enjoyable than work that is done alone and without help.
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Have discipline and commitment - last but far from least, sticking to what you have planned is essential for successful time management. No one is going to do it for you, it just depends on your attitude.
Finally, don't forget 5 basic and important aspects:
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Visualize the achievement (hello dream map!) to motivate you and keep you focused;
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Count on unforeseen events, they will always happen, so be flexible;
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Make the most of your time with useful execution, without procrastination or distractions (your master list will help you here!);
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Understand the importance of rest and free time. These tips may seem like just one more item in your daily tasks, but they reflect positively on your productivity and your quality of life;
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And be happy with yourself! Even if you haven't (yet) achieved everything you planned, recognize the small achievements in the right direction!
Also avoid the 5 main mistakes:
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Not having limits - working more is not synonymous with earning more, watch out!
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Not having balance - you need to rest and have time for yourself, not just achieve your goals;
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Not being realistic - don't compare yourself to others, be your 1% best every day;
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Not being committed - postponing tasks can happen, it will happen a lot, it's always putting them off that can't;
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Not prioritizing - bring the previous 4 items together, start with what's most important to you!
Do you also suffer from these mistakes? What about lack of time? How do you deal with it? How is your time management? Have you been able to do what you set out to do? Have you been able to feel mastery with your life? This was a subject that was requested, which is super important, even more so with the pandemic!