10 Ways to Use Your Time Efficiently
We live in a world where everything happens so quickly. It is very easy for us to lose another hour without even realising. Then we often find ourselves complaining that we do not have enough time to do something or complete a task. Truth is, oftentimes we spend our time inefficiently, and that is by procrastinating. We tell ourselves we will do our tasks tomorrow, but tomorrow will never come, and so our present time is wasted. Perhaps it is time to put a stop to this bad habit and start to apply some game-changer healthy habits that will help you spend your time more efficiently, and in turn, improve your overall lifestyle.
1. Stop giving excuses.
Excuses will not make your tasks any easier. Stop giving yourself stupid excuses to do your tasks in the future because you will end up doing it at the very last minute anyway. If you can do something today, do it today. If the task is too large to be done in a day, break it down and plan to do little by little each day. The earlier you can get something done, the quicker you can stop being stressed out over it.
2. Set reminders for your tasks.
One of the reasons why we might forget about our tasks is because we forgot about them. We might write them down in our planner or notes, and ended up not checking on them. This is where your digital gadgets can come in handy. Most of us would have our phones with us almost all the time, so make use of the alarm and reminders on your phone to remind yourself of the tasks you have to get done. If you don’t want to use your phone, you can also write them down post-it notes and stick them somewhere where you will take notice of. If you don't remind yourself the task will end up at the back of your head.
3. If you have a list of tasks, prioritize.
To-do lists can be a very effective tool to help you tackle the tasks you have to do, but don’t just write them down altogether. Having too many tasks on your list can be overwhelming. You should try to list down the 3 most important tasks on your list and work on them first. Not prioritising your tasks will help create a false sense of accomplishment in your brain, where you will only work on the easy ones and will constantly take breaks as you feel like you “deserve” them.
4. Wake up early in the morning.
Waking up early might seem like an over-glorified tip to be more productive, but it is true that by waking up earlier, you have more time to work on tasks or chores, thus you are spending your time more effectively. Although some people might work better later in the day, by adopting the habit of waking up early more often, overtime, you will find that you can actually work effectively in the morning too.
5. Make use of all the free time you have.
It is alright to take breaks from working, but if you are working, don’t use your free time on social media or games or any other unproductive things. Do something productive, it doesn’t even have to be work-related. Do something you like, read a book, learn something, tidying up your desk, and so on. This will keep up with the momentum and prevents you from slacking off.
6. “Eat the frog” first thing in the morning.
If you have a difficult and easy task on hand, you should do the former first. Doing the hardest task in the morning will make the rest of your day pass by smoother and you will worry less, as the task you dread more is already done. Plus, your brain is more refreshed in the morning, that’s why it is a great time to be challenging your brain on tasks that need more thinking.
7. Allow breaks in between working on your tasks.
Working for a long time continuously will only make you feel demotivated to continue with what you are doing, which will result in procrastination. You’ll think that because you work for a longer time, you deserve a longer break, but once you’d taken the break, it will be more difficult to get back in. It is important to know when breaks are needing for you to refresh your mind.
8. Take shortcuts.
An easy way to explain this is through the saying “work smart, not hard.” Although it is a good thing to work hard, sometimes you need to know which path is more suitable for you to go with. If you can find an easier way to complete a task, then you will be able to get through all the other tasks much quicker.
9. Eliminate distractions.
Often times we find ourselves unable to focus on our work because our phones are nearby and the notification keeps on popping up, or that you are tempted to go on social media to pass time. It is fine to go on your phone when you are on your break, but when you are working, try to get rid of anything that causes you to lose focus on your task. It’s not just your phone, it could be the TV or even a noisy background.
10. Follow along basic routines.
A great way for you to use your time efficiently is to do things that you do every day by following along a routine, whether it be your morning or night routine, your meals, or just basic things that you have to do every day. Once you are used to a routine, it will take lesser time and effort to work on them, in turn, help to allow more time for you in a day.
So these are 10 ways for you to kickstart a better lifestyle by implementing some time-efficiency habits. Don’t waste any more time, start spending your time more efficiently starting from this very second.
Comments