Time Management Habits that Work
Do you ever feel overwhelmed at the end of the day and look back and realize you have nothing to show for it? The goals you've set for the day haven't been completed and you have no clue where the time went. If you want to live your vision and start ticking off your bucket list, you need to protect your time at all costs so you can work on your goals.
Time is your most valuable asset so don’t let anyone rob you of it—including yourself.
If there's somebody out there who is living the life you want, it's because they are out working you in one way or another. The good thing is, we all have the same 24 hours in a day. So if you really want to live bigger, be happier and start living life on your terms, you need to become more self-disciplined with your time because you own it. Nobody else.
Before we get into some proven time management hacks that will help you get more done, let's shine a light on some common negative habits to watch out for so they don't creep up and steal your precious time.
Common Time Wasters
Phone scrolling
A study from IDC Research found that 80 per cent of smartphone users start checking their mobile devices within 15 minutes of waking up every day. This is by far one of the worst habits because it will make you feel more stressed out and make it more difficult to start prioritizing your goals. Most people spend more than 2 hours a day just meaninglessly browsing. That could be time you put to better use.
Some solutions: If you have a smartphone, you can track just how much time you are on it and make it a goal to limit it. Ideally, you should silence your phone when doing deep focused work to prevent distractions. You can also set up specific notifications sounds so you only receive calls from important people in your life. Minimize the number of apps you have on your phone and sort them so that only the ones you really need are on the first page. If you find that you're spending too much time on an app, question how it's benefitting you? If it doesn't bring you value, then remove it. It is an obstacle in your way that is hindering your growth.
Binge Watching TV or Streaming Platforms
If you find yourself glued to the couch watching hours on end, know that this is not going to help you get where you want to go in life. It's another distraction. We're not saying don't watch tv, just set some boundaries by limiting how much you consume and when. Remember, TV was meant to be a source of entertainment not a way of life.
Some solutions: If there are specific things you want to watch at some point, you can either record them for later, add to your favorite list so you can go back to it when you have down time.
Pro tip: Never get pulled into a TV series or reality shows because they are created to be addicting so that you spend more time-consuming content, with all its commercials and infomercials instead of doing the things that are going to bring you closer to your dreams.
Checking email
This can be problematic for most working professionals.
Some solutions: Schedule times throughout your day maybe morning and night just a few minutes each to look at and address as needed otherwise it will eat up your day. Turn off notifications so they don't sound off and distract you while working. If someone needs to reach you, they can contact you via phone to let you know of its importance.
Minimizing Common Time Wasters
- Dedicate different devices for different tasks. For example, your computer is where you work. Your phone is for calls, chats, and checking social media. A tablet may be used for reading books.
- Physically schedule times for these activities which will help you manage your time more efficiently. After a while, it becomes routine, so you don't need to necessarily schedule it. This takes lots of self-discipline at the start, so you don't fall back into old habits.
Remember, if you find yourself having a moment of silence and you begin to feel the urge to do any of these time wasters when you have more important things to do, just find a means to remove the temptation. Don't try to fill that moment with noise. Silence can bring you clarity you need to sort out what's next.
It is crucial to be intentional of how and where you are spending your time. When you eliminate time wasters such as the above, you will free up time to so you can do things you love.
Proven Time Management Hacks
These are hacks that are going to set you free. You will find yourself with more time to do what you love if you apply any or ideally all of them.
Write Out One Thing to Do Daily
You will build up on this area but to start off let's just focus on the one top goal that you need to finish that day. Write it out on post it, calendar, to do list or whatever works for you. Block out time sufficient time for you to complete it Everything else you get done that day is just icing on the cake. After a few weeks of consistently getting the one thing done, you can expand to no more than three main goals per day. You still want to write it out and maybe try out software if you find that you need to take it everywhere you go. We like @moleskine_journey
Get Good at Saying No
Means if people come and ask you for things that you don't really need to do, then feel free to say no. Remember your time is valuable and you don't need to open every email, please everyone by doing everything all the time.
Do Focused, Uninterrupted Work
Whether you have a career, solopreneur or running a major company, you can probably get more work done in 4 hours of focused work than you could in 8 hours filled with interruptions. If you have the flexibility to isolate yourself so that can get work done, do that. If you don't, see if you can opt for noise cancelling headphones and play sounds proven to lift your mood such as nature sounds.
Block Out Time for Yourself Daily
Consider this your sacred time that no one is allowed to disturb. This could be your morning routine, evening routine or just taking time for self-care. You do you. Point is, just make you have a window of time for yourself distraction free. It could be as simple as working out, having tea, reading a book. You are in control of your time so make sure you're taking time for you. You'll be more refreshed so that you can handle everything life throws your way.
Automate Where Possible
Work smarter not harder right? There are tons of little tasks that take up you time that is really better suited for automation. This will save you time and prevent overwhelm.
Social Media Management - If you manage social media, you can use a scheduler so you don't feel like you have to be always on. We use Canva Pro to create and schedule our posts.
Calendar Management - Instead of going back and forth on your available times with your friends and colleagues, just share your calendar. We highly recommend Calendly.
Password Manager - Stop wasting time dealing with password recoveries. NordPass provides a secure storage vault for all your passwords that you can access no matter what device you're on.
Business Automation - If you want to automate business processes, Zapier provides automated workflows that do up to 100 steps saving you loads of time.
Delegate or Outsource the Things You Don't Want or Can't Do
There are going to be lots of tasks that you’re doing in your daily life that are better suited for someone else.
Think of time as money because it is. If it takes you a long time to complete something that someone else can do better than you, consider outsourcing it.
For example, if it takes you three hours every week to clean your house and you would rather be spending quality time with family or doing something else you love, then you may want to consider bringing someone in to help. You’re not only freeing up your time in the process, but you’re also providing someone else a source of income.
This is such an important topic that we've created an article on it which you can find here >>> The Secret to Achieving Your Goals Faster. (Note: Members only content which includes Worksheets)
Audit Your Day
At the end of the day, you need to audit either mentally or physically what you did right with your behaviors and improve where necessary.
After implementing these hacks, you'll free up all that wasted time so you can do all the things that need to get done and still have time to do what you enjoy.
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