Alright, I lied A bit. This post will not grant you an unlimited amount of time, But it will help you "Stretch it a bit." It's like being frugal. You can make things last a bit longer.
Create A Daily Plan!
I feel naked without my planner. I have no idea what to do, Or how to go about my day. I often find myself procrastinating or avoiding the things I know I need to do When I don't use my planner.
Even a small to-do can do wonders for your productivity.
Although there are a lot of great Moleskine Planners out there, that makes the whole process more fun! Sometimes a fancy planner can be costly. But If you only have to buy it once a year, Or every two years. It can give you so much time back, That it makes it all worth it.
Leave Enough Time for things
We often underestimate how much time it will take to accomplish a task. So make sure you leave enough time. Don't be afraid to set a timer and time the activity A FEW TIMES to see how long it truly takes you. I say a few times, Because the first time, You may rush through the task, Knowing the timer is chipping away.
So timing it a few times will give you a more accurate perspective.
Set Realistic Deadlines
Same as the above. But if you have a 6-month long goal, That could take a year. That may not be more harmful than good. Although I like my deadlines to be a little "Shorter" Than necessary. That way I speed to my goal faster. There's a saying that things expand to fill the allotted space, And I agree 100% I often make the mistake of thinking " I can do all this today, and that's it. " But I also want some "personal time." But because I gave myself the approval to spend the whole day on it... What happens? Exactly that. No free time for me, Instead something that would take a normal person a couple of hours ends up taking me a full day.
So make sure to set realistic, But obtainable, Challenging deadlines to meet your goal.
Learn to Say No
I've had to use that No a little more frequently lately. I might be going on a short vacation soon, And I've been super stressed. Of Course, it seems that everyone needs my help all the sudden ( I swear it always happens that way.)
Don't feel bad when you have to say no, Sometimes you have to put yourself first. And it's perfectly okay! If people aren't understanding about that, you may want to consider your friendship with that person.
You can stretch your time further with practice. It doesn't happen overnight, Sometimes it takes habit building to get to the point where you are extra productive that you don't have to think about it. I've been keeping a planner for almost ten years now! And it helps a ton!
What are your other favorite time-saving tactics?
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They say it takes 27 days to create a habit. Repetition and consistency help solidify those habits. Having and actually using a functional planner is a major accomplishment and you should take pride in the fact that you have been able use one for the last decade. That's discipline.
I have the tasks that I require to accomplish written down the night before on my tablet which also syncs to my phone. I attempt to embrace technology as much as I can no matter how much of a neophyte I am. I find this a matter of convenience since my phone is never out of arms reach, which is funny because I don't make many calls on it.
My biggest hurdle is the time frame it requires to complete the tasks, since I find it always takes longer, costs more money and is usually harder or more involved than initially expected. So to that end, I will accomplish all the tasks at what I deem are matters of importance until the list is complete or I can move it to the next day.
It's a challenge but just like anything else, practice makes perfect. Thanks for the reinforcement, it came at just the right time.
@kaylinart, I appreciate this article. I have heard "Leave Enough Time for things" called buffer time. It is the empty space that you need to schedule for the things that you do not yet know that you needed to schedule.
Having just moved back the US, I find that I have to book a 15-30 minute appointment with someone about 2-3 in advance. What if there was a real emergency? What if my need should be addresses immediately? Not sure of the answer, but it seems that a lot of people don't have time for the little unexpected things that happen everyday.
Thanks for your information. I do think that what you mentioned is right and should be useful. But I have to say I have tried most of it but still fail. The main problem for my is the delay habbit...I just used to delay everything until the last minute. That's work for those things have deadline, but don't work for a lot of thing don't have...I am still suffering..
You have? Aww! I need to figure out some new tips for people like you! I have that problem sometimes too. If it's a task that doesn't sound very fun, I avoid it as much as possible.
Yes, please. It actually affecting my life..like when i want to learn something, I just delay it...and wasting my time..
There are some anti-procrastination techniques on YouTube which may help you.
It's pretty hard to beat procrastination. It's possible that you have to change a lot.
Sometimes I had similar problems so I started meditation which helped me a lot. Additionally I read a book about mindfulness and now I'm more motivated and finish most of my work on time.
You have to find the right technique for yourself and it is a good start that you tried the tips @kaylinart gave us. You simply have to try more and more until you find something that helps.
You sound like you have energy issues and maybe like thecoach replied it may be something you can fix with medicine o, simple vitamins or diet change. Good luck! I know how it feels.
This post received a 1.7% upvote from @randowhale thanks to @kaylinart! For more information, click here!
Nice pics as usual, very short but educative. The truth is that he who fail to plan, will plan to fail, planing will keep you focus and make things easier for you. Time is money and need to be managed properly. Keep it coming dear.
Thank you! EXACTLY I Love that quote,
Fail to plan, Plan to fail! I live my life this way.
It can be hard to maintain that focus. Geez way to post a ton of great quotes hehe.
Thanks i glad you like it. Your welcome
@KayLinArt... You consistently come with great ideas to write about and Yes, I believe You wrote a post about what to write about... :'D
...and one of the hardest things for me, is to say no, especially to friends.
Anyway, Thank You 4 another Great Post !!
Have a Good Weekend !!
Aww No problem :) You have a great weekend too! I didn't think of it in the same way you did! I love that you came up with ideas slightly different than me :)
I agree with most of your points however I will add that you should have a solid reminder or guide that will help you to maintain your schedules..or you might over do sometimes..good point , always like your posts.
Dont forget to check out my post for a link to collect free crypto..a once in a life time opportunity.
WOw! So right! Heheh I'll look into it thank you .
Welcome my friend...keep steeming and more success to you.
Thank you
welcome
:)
@kaylinart - Really nice and simple explanation of how we can get a bit organized and stretch our time. I have always thought the three Ds (Do, Delegate, Dump) can help in time management but you bring up an important aspect of 'saying No' into the picture as well. Thanks. Upvoted.
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WOW! How haven't I heard of the Do, Delegate, And dump? That is perfect.
I have always been preaching Do, Delegate and Dump to my team. My father mentioned that a long time ago to me. Please feel free to use in your articles.
Please do not DUMP visiting my blogs :) LOL
I checked them out hehe :) I didn't DUMP them lOL
Great writeup, @kaylinart. Creating a plan is important, but following through is usually the challenge. That's why minimizing distractions as much as possible is key. Also, saying "no" is a very powerful thing. People should embrace the power of "no" more often...especially with time-wasting activities (which vary from person to person).
Up'd and resteemed, my friend! Cheers!
So true! Following through is the hardest part for sure!
I love that you brought up minimizing distractions! Hehe thats just as important.
Im struggling with time so much, so much to do and to finish. I dont even have the time to read this post at the moment. Will do so later.
OMG LOL!
Hahah I feel the same way, it's so easy to overwhelm ourselves with projects.
Another great post! Learning to utilize time management and disciplining yourself towards it can take some work, however it's an essential part of time and does wonders.
I've found that using a planner for school, work, and business endeavors especially has propelled my time management skills to no end.
Leaving enough time for things and setting realistic deadlines are also an important part, and I'm glad you've mentioned that as well. Once you have planned things, I've also noticed how setting goals, making them realistic, and acting upon them works much easier on time constraints!
I do want to speak on the delaying portion, the procrastination: to that I say, understand and know the reason as to why you plan these things. Perhaps write down WHY you are motivated to do what you plan in a certain time, and if not, try to find a purpose and motivation.
Procrastination can be tough to overcome, especially if you are feeling discouraged and exhausted, however at some point we know that we have to step up and take the initiative or else ultimately those goals we set won't get done, and the time we plan will be wasted. Anyway, thanks for the post, I've enjoyed reading!
~FD
@kaylinart
I use the Pomodoro technique. I make my list of daily tasks, then start the timer and do the one by one. And have breaks in-between. I find that the breaks actually increase my productivity.
Here's the timer I currently use: https://pomodoro.cc/
Wow! Thank you for linking to the timer! I LOVE The pomodoro technique, I have a little pumpkin timer on my desk that I use for that one. Everyone deserves breaks even short ones,
I mastered the first tips, but I still have problems saying "no", urgh...
It's definitely one of the harder ones :( I have that problem too.
I know, right? I just... I don't know, I'm afraid of offending someone, and then become even more rude trying to avoid it. Paradox.
Hahah I know exactly what you mean! I get the same way. And it's starting to get easier to offend people it seems. Which sucks. Because I feel like later on, Humans will have to talk very slowly and think carefully on what we want to say. Which is not good!
Nice article! I think I also need a daily plan!
Thanks :) It could really end up helping you.
"Make the best of the time one has been gifted" is a quote I like. I use a text file - things to do and goals for the day, coming days, coming weeks, and coming months. Things can be pushed forward or back so it remains flexible and breathable - and not to rigid :-) Some people drift, some use their time :-)
Wow! Really nice quote! I never thought of using a text file! That is a great idea for people who may like to use digital stuff better. WIth my planner I'm old fashioned and like my physical pen and paper.
Hi Kaylin - yes, many use complex time management tools - but a text file simplifies and speeds things up - and again, makes things less rigid. Yes, paper and pen will hold more energy as its all in the physical. Great article :-)
So true :) Different methods work for different people hehe. Sometimes lugging around the physical book gets obnoxious so your method simplifies things.
Well, to be honest, I feel like I'm in a constant fight with time and timing. 🙂
As well it took me some time to even realize that constant chase of mine.
It wasn't any easy to discipline myself as first to create a daily plan. I thought I got it when I have done it. Hey, but no!
It was a much bigger challenge to follow it and stick with it.
Learning to say no! - OMG! - That was the toughest one. It seems like I didn't have that word in my dictionary for decades. Not to mention, how much many (consciously or unconsciously) abuse that absence. I almost had to take a course to get rid of this one. 😎
Bottom line, I'm still learning and developing in that area, sometimes with one step forward and two steps back, sometimes I manage to the other way around. 😉
Just one thing, instead of the timer, and when I really want to measure how long it would take me to finish some things, I rather use Stopwatch as with the timer on I found myself constantly checking how much time is still left.
But when I need to finish something in a certain amount of time, then the timer is a better one for me. 🙂
Aww thank you for sharing your personal experiences with all of this!
I'm glad you are working on developing! That is all you can expect from yourself. Big changes don't always happen overnight. A stopwatch works well too hehe.
HAHAHA!!! Liar Liar - pants on fire ;) - GREAT post! An organised individual... my kind of person!! Looking forward to reading more of your content!
Perhaps you might like some of my perspective on similar issues... :)
https://steemit.com/blog/@jaynie/no-more-knots
https://steemit.com/blog/@jaynie/how-to-b-tch-slap-your-stress-and-anxiety
Really enjoyed the post :)
Darn clickbait title - I thought I would get infinite time!
:P
Upvoted. For me the learning to say "no" has always been hard, but the one that has paid off the most.
So true! It does pay off.
Thanks for the tips, as for me I practise the power of delegation.
WOw! I love that one! I need to use that tactic more, Although sometimes it gets expensive.
Yes, it does not work most of the time if no monetary rewards attached to it!!
yes, I agree, having a daily plan helps me a lot. great article :D
I'm glad you see the benefits I do from planning, It certainly helps.
Or, do what you want without planning anything!
hahaha! True but you may not get what you want out of your day LOl.
I know. But for the sake of discussion, it was funnier!
Hhahaha! I really agree though. Sometimes planning does get a little stressful.
"Learn to say no" - this is great!
Exactly hehe :)
Nice tips!
Thank you .
Very nice photography and great article
Thank you hehe : )
to be time free you definitely have to say no sometimes. I always say: 'NO' is an answer too!
Right!!?
I'll try to schedule time with a timer. Although I think, nothing will help me :)
Why? Hehe Timer really helps me hehe.
Yes. We have to say no sometimes. This is is great post.
Exactly! Thank you so much !
<3
:)
Plan a good schedule I think that is one of good idea to have more time
Right? It totally is!
Nice topic Greetings Happy day
Thank you :)
I was distracted by your awesome sunglasses...
Hahah Sadly those aren't mine, But those are pretty nice sunglasses hehe.
Anything that saves time is a great thing. Thanks for that
Right? Time is such a valuable resource.
And don't forget to clear your mental space so you don't spend your days caught up in your head.
Exactly! That happens to me all the time XD it's a bad habit.
You could always live in a van. That will give you a lot of free time.
Wow hahah true! Thats a good one! It sadly doesn't work for everyone, but that would be a good way to see the world.
It all depends on what you want out of life. Sometimes you offset Freedom with luxuries and vice versa. The more money you have usually less time you have. It all depends what you want most. If you are a very social person, this is probably not the best lifestyle. Thank you for your response
I clicked her because i want eternal life....where can i buy some?
LOL! Sorry I don't know the answer to that one, But if you find it, Be sure to let me know LOL.
When i figure it out, youll be the first person i notify haha
YAY What A compliment hehe.
I'm working on saying no.....
Thats good! That one is one of the most important :)
But it's hard to reach.... sometimes its so easy to say yes and needs more argue to say no. And sometimes it's so much faster to do instad of sayind no and wait for other people to do.
So true! In those cases it may be faster to do it. you raise a great point on that! Arguing can waste a lot of time as well.
@kaylinart The simplest way is to just be alive, then you have 24 hours each day.
So true! Everyone gets that 24 hours, We just need to use it wisely.
You getting all serious on me? :)
But yeah, so true! :P
For now ;) Probably not later.
Life is one big joke, right? :)
I mean literally, society is so fucked up that it's actually funny.
LOL I agree so much with you on that hahahah!! It's way fucked up! I wonder if it will ever get un fucked up .
Of course it will, but probably not in our lifetimes anymore. So let's just accept it and chill on SteemIt while the rest of the world keeps murdering and extorting each other ;)
Time management is everything ☺️ very useful post 👍
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Thank you
Yes, I am frugal with money. Ok, be frugal with time and stretch it a bit. Oh, the eater of time is the procrastinator. Let the planner discipline the procrastinator.
No is a good word. Keeping Yes's and No's in balance check.
Great post! I feel naked without a planner too! LOL
Following you now!