Here’s a riddle for you. What is more precious than gold, but cannot be bought, earned or saved?
If you answered “time,” you are correct. In the span of our existence, time is the most precious commodity we have. When we’re younger, it seems to crawl, but as we get older, it flies by faster than a jet plane. Although many would argue that we don’t have enough time, it could also be said that we don’t use our time wisely enough. Whether you’re a full time employee, student, parent or all of the above, a good way to minimize your stress and use your time more wisely is to practice proper time management. With that said, here are a few tips to help you manage your time more effectively:
- Learn to prioritize. Don’t be a drama queen. Not every task needs to be done right this second. In fact, if you take the time to assess the things you need to do, some things are probably less important than others. In order to avoid feeling overwhelmed, utilize your time wisely, and prioritize tasks by deadlines, distinct categories and difficulty level.
- Get organized. Do you always misplace your keys? Do you have trouble finding your homework? Does your backpack look more like a trash bag? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, this section is for you. Getting organized is not only helpful in the classroom, but is also a useful life skill that can help you complete all your day-to-day activities more efficiently and save you time. A good way to start organizing your life is to cut out clutter and put things back in their proper place.
- Use a planner. Speaking of organizing your life, organize your time by using a daily planner. Generally speaking, there are two types of planners: the paper kind and the smartphone kind. Both have their advantages. Paper planners allow you more flexibility to customize your weekly schedule by color coding dates and adding notes and details. Smartphone planners allow you the ability to add alerts and sync your Outlook calendar or Google calendar to your phone. Try using both types of planners to discover which one is a better fit for you.
