I’d like to once again talk about the topic of “how to improve time management” because it is such a pressing problem. For everyone. It’s true that some people are better at it and some are worse. But I believe that it doesn’t matter how good you are, or how good you think you are at managing your time, there will always be things to improve on.
Now, I know that you’ve probably read an enormous amount of articles and blogs offering you a variety of techniques and giving advice on what to DO every day that will save you a bunch of time. But here’s the thing, learning those techniques may take a lot of time, and practicing to make sure you master them can be even more time-consuming. But time is what you’re actually what you are trying to save. Ironic, isn’t it?
So instead of talking about the things you should do to save time, let’s focus on what you should NOT do to save a significant amount of time.
Control procrastination
Procrastination is probably our greatest enemy. It holds us under some sort of a spell, giving us a sense of control of the situation. While in reality, we are just making everything worse. When you say “I can do it now, but I’ll just leave for tomorrow” you’re actually telling yourself that you’ve got this, you control the situation and that’s why you can let yourself do it later. However, come tomorrow you will probably have the same thoughts and feelings, which will make you push your tasks even further until right before the deadline. Procrastination is probably the #1 problem causing factor when it comes to healthy time management. However, some say that it is more complicated as it involves other psychological factor than just laziness.
Leave social media behind
I know that to some it might sound crazy and impossible, but if you want to have solid time management skills and functioning routines nowadays, social media is something you must let go of.
How many times do you check your phone during the day? How many at work? During boring meetings? Even the bathroom?? This is just ridiculous. The time we spend on just staring at our screens, browsing social networks just so we don’t stay bored can accumulate to hours every day!
And it’s not just that.
On top of making you waste hours every day, social media distracts you from your daily tasks by constantly cutting your thought process. Have you ever received a Facebook or LinkedIn notification that distracted you while working, and then once you got back to your tasks you forgot where you were? Let me assure you that you’re not alone.
Long story short, not being on social media will increase the amount of your free time tremendously.
Organize your life step by step – not all at once
One of the most tiring and time-consuming activities is putting everything in order. Whether it’s clearing your own brain or simply tidying up, one thing you should not do is trying to get everything in order at once. This tip is mainly directed to naturally unorganized people, but it can be applicable to anyone.
Making order should be done in incremental steps and not be sudden. The reason people crave order is that it brings stability – a state that sudden actions and changes will not bring, and might even put you further away from it.
Time management is a complicated concept because it is so difficult to master. But do yourself a favor and don’t get overwhelmed with a million guides and tips because that is just going to make things more complicated for you. At the end of the day, the things which will help you the most are self-discipline, and developing healthy habits.
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