Time Management Tips for Balancing a Busy Lifestyle
How many times have we said, “I just did not have time today.” While we mean it, how did that just happen when we had every intention of getting something done? Balancing home life and work life is difficult, especially if you don’t have a system in place to support your success. For some, a calendar on their phone is enough. For others, they may require an additional app or planner to support them.
I am going to give you my top 3 tips for balancing your time to ensure you get everything done.
1. Be Realistic with Your To Do List
I am the master of under estimating how long something takes. My husband has taught me to overestimate the time something takes so I can be realistic in my list I make given how many hours are available in a day. In my head, everything takes about 5 minutes, but being accurate with the time allocations on your to-do list will help you feel accomplished rather than defeated because you underestimated and missed some things as a result.
2. Make a List and Check It Off
It’s the actual exercise of writing your list and marking through the items once you have completed them that leaves you with a sense of accomplishment. You want to go to bed feeling like you managed your day rather than your day managed you.
3 Communicate Your Time Allocations
When I walk into a meeting or appointment, I make it a habit to mention the time frame I have allowed for this meeting so it is clear when I must leave or exit and I stick to it. Time is money and if we don’t protect it, someone else will gladly spend it for us. State your allotted time and more importantly, stick to it. When you do this once, people respect it and learn how to best work with you given your clear expectations around your time.
When you respect your time and communicate the importance of being on time and doing things in a timely manner, others will respect it and relate with you in this way. Teach people how to operate best with you and value yourself enough to set clear guidelines and boundaries around your time management. If you don’t respect it, others won’t either.