Time Management
Tricks
By Jessica Costa
Time
management is a challenging skill to develop, yet it is something that can
improve your daily life. It can be overwhelming to keep up with chores, manage
school/work and still have a social life. Practicing these time management
skills will help make these tasks less overwhelming. For example, some chores,
like washing dishes, are usually done daily. While other chores, such as
laundry, can be done every 2 to 3 days. Trying to remember everything can cause
the brain to feel like it is imploding from all that weight. Fortunately, there
are several ways to help balance time between everything without being too
overwhelming.
Post-it Notes are good to use as a small reminder backed up with
some other tricks. The most important part is to make sure that they are well-
placed. They are most effective when they are in a spot that you look at every day.
In high school, I placed post- it- notes on my bedroom mirror because that was
right by my door. You should play around with different spots to figure out the
best place.
Whiteboard should also be placed in an area where it can be easily
seen for most days. These are slightly more effective because there are
different styles of whiteboards that can be used. You can buy a simple blank
one for customization for multiple tasks. If it is challenging to plan out the weeks or months
then a calendar whiteboard would be the better choice. You could purchase
different colored markers to represent a different day or a different task. The
choice of their meaning is up to you.
Picture Chart is friendlier for
visual thinkers and younger children. While writing reminders down is a popular
trick, it is not the perfect tool for everyone. Pictures can be completely
personalized to represent different tasks. Some of them can be easy. Dishes
could be a picture of a plate and silverware or laundry could be a shirt. You
can choose which image works best for your memory.
Phone Reminders are helpful if you frequently use technology. The limitation
with the previous tips is that they remain at home. A phone alarm can be
personalized to the specific time and day it has to be done. You can set up how
frequently the reminders go off. However, you should make sure that the alarms are
set to vibrate during work/ class.
A Daily Planner could be a
better alternative if you prefer not to use the smart phone. You can use them to
write or draw- in your goals for the day. Similar to white boards, you can
utilize custom color codes of your own choice. The notebooks can come in
different sizes to your personal taste.
It is
important to remember that it will take some practice and time to figure out
which one or combination of these tips would work best for you. Start with one
strategy for a certain length of time. If that does not work, then try a
different strategy until it becomes part of a natural routine. Not all of these
strategies will be a perfect fit for every person. It can be frustrating when a
strategy works for a short time and then does not seem to work at all. With
enough practice, these tricks will ease into becoming part of your routine.
Time management is the process of planning and controlling your time efficiently. Time management is important in every aspect of work life. It is no secret that effective time management skills make you more productive and efficient as a working professional. I mostly use this "Phone Reminders" that you also shared with us. With this thing, we can manage our time efficiently. Effective time management skills can have a positive impact on your work and life in general.
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