I find that some days the time speeds by so fast that I have no time to complete all the tasks I had planned to do. Then I find some days go by so slow but still, nothing I want seems to ever gets done. Do you see my issue? It’s like I never have enough time to get those things that need to be done, done. Weird isn’t it, I thought so and to try to change that I added one more thing to do every night; journaling. I journaled about my day, what I did and what I needed to do so I would have a good understanding of where my time went and where my opportunity to get things done went. Over the two weeks I did this journaling I found the same repetitive answers of where I spent all of my time. Take a look and maybe you do the same things.
1. Social Media
Here we go with the main one; social media, as I just said that let me postpone writing this and go check Instagram… be right back. Okay so back to what I was saying, social media causes a very large distraction in my life and probably yours too. You’ll tell yourself you are just going to look for a few minutes and that is it but then you log on and four hours go by. You end up liking almost everyone’s pictures and will see your sisters boyfriends profile so you click on his profile to creep it a little bit but then you see a picture of him and another girl from a year ago so, what do you do? You go to her profile… then the list just continues on. And don’t even get me started on those cute puppy videos, you’ll have me there for hours looking at dogs.
2. Not making Lists
One of my favorite things to manage my time is to have a planner and make lists. To do lists, a set of goals lists, grocery lists, but to make those even more doable take a planner and plan the days you do each thing on. So not only do you have a schedule but you also get to be relieved when you can accomplish those things for work and personal health each day. It makes a huge difference.
3. Cooking and Eating
Not only does this help manage your time better it also keeps you healthier. Pre-planning your meals can be a fun Sunday night activity. I like to try something new each week and so I am a lover of Facebook; with all those awesome recipe sites. My favorite is a site called “TASTY” and wow are those recipes tasty! Try preplanning if you know you waste your time with cooking every day.
4. Sleeping Too Much
My sleep schedule is never the same as the week before but I find when I wake up early in the morning I am much more active. I accomplish tasks and I am less of a procrastinator. Waking up early gives you more opportunity to do the things you like while the world’s still asleep. Stop spending all those hours sleeping when you can wake up and admire life.
5. Not Sleeping Enough
As mentioned, waking up early is important for accomplishing the tasks you want for the day, although at the same time you need to have enough sleep. The average person needs 7-8 hours a night for them to be proactive and in their best mindsets each day. Aim for an early bedtime if you’d like to do both; sleep and work.
6. Drinking Enough Water
This may not be the case for everyone but I find myself to be more prone to doing activities when I am drinking plenty of water. I know you’re supposed to drink an amount of 2L per day but I personally can tell the difference for when I do and do not drink the desired amount; maybe you can too. On the days I do hit that 2L I can work non-stop! I don’t know who said 2L was the desired amount but they sure were right!
7. Set a Time Limit for Desired Tasks
I know for many people – me included – sitting down for six hours to write that paper is just not exciting. I found setting time limits helped so much. I’d sit and tell myself I’d be there for two hours, put my phone on silent and work non-stop for two hours. No time for chit chat, for bathroom breaks or for food, those two hours are dedicated to the task desired. It actually works, I swear.
8. Exercise and Eat Healthy
Not only do we need these two things to keep our bodies in line, we need them to keep our minds in line too. Without healthy eating and exercise, we turn into the walking dead, not able to do anything productive. It also creates mood swings, which isn’t the greatest for getting work done.
There are a lot more ways to manage your time better, but these may help you stop procrastinating. You can choose whether or not you like these ideas but if you do decide to give it a try, make sure to put in your full effort. It’ll change your life, just try and see what magic unfolds.
Featured image via Windows on Unsplash
