Stressed? You may need to re-evaluate your to-do list
When life gets busy, it’s easy to allow your mind to feel cluttered and disorganized. In school and business alike, responsibilities pile up quickly. Managing your time and responsibilities is essential for maximizing productivity and success. While professionals usually have their time management skills under control, everyone is bound to step off track every once in a while.
Whether your schedule is far too fast-paced or your time management skills just need some polishing, the following tips will help you discipline yourself to manage your time wisely.
DON’T: Create an over-elaborate schedule
Many people, myself included, work efficiently with a schedule. Making a schedule to organize your time can be useful, however keeping up with an over-specific schedule can increase stress. Setting 1-2 goals each day for the upcoming week can be a lot less overwhelming than trying to follow lengthy to-do lists. However, if a long to-do list is unavoidable, listing your tasks in order of importance and eliminating unnecessary tasks will help you feel more productive and less overwhelmed by the end of the day.
DO: Pay attention to the near future
Looking ahead for upcoming due dates will help prepare you to make the time for those projects. Even if you don’t start working on tasks immediately, reviewing your upcoming schedule makes you aware of upcoming responsibilities, so that it’s easy to manage your time accordingly.
DON’T: Overwork yourself
Although exhaustion is sometimes inevitable, it’s important to be aware of how hard you’re working. As a student, certain aspects of my life are unrelated to school, such as going out with friends, or working at my part-time job. Being aware of my responsibilities at school helps me make decisions that will ultimately decrease my stress levels. For example, if I know I have a lot on my plate, I may choose to stay home from an outing with friends, or to give a shift away. Though the areas of life outside of work are different for everyone, the concept can be transferred easily. Being aware of your stress levels both inside and outside of work will give you the ability to decide what additional activities you can and cannot healthily fit into your schedule.
DO: Fit rest time into your schedule
Be sure to incorporate resting time into your schedule no matter what. Make it your goal to have at least a few minutes each day to meditate, stretch, go for a walk, lay down, read, or do anything else non-work related that brings you enjoyment. This will help your day feel more balanced, decrease stress, increase productivity during working hours, and improve your ultimate happiness.
Time management is an excellent way to be productive, maintain balance, and decrease stress. Although individuals organize their time differently, these simple tips can be incorporated into any schedule. You may already have a general time management system in place, but which tips will you use to perfect this skill?
You may already have a general time management system in place, but which tips will you use to perfect this skill?Thanks for reading don’t forget to share/tweet/like our blog just underneath this paragraph. And don’t forget, we’re always here to help with your business productivity needs.
Lauren Dempsey is a student and writer who blogs for CornerStone Dynamics Inc. Lauren’s blogs explore the editorial calendar from a student’s perspective.