2022 has been a wild ride – and it’s only May. In the craziness of the modern world, where demand for our constant attention is at an all-time high – it’s easy to feel the pressure of struggling to keep a healthy, balanced life.
Schedule management is a tricky thing to balance, but once you do you will be healthier and happier. If you find yourself not having enough time in a day, you are either overloaded or not utilizing your time efficiently.
Efficiency is a highly underrated characteristic – most people are under the impression that efficient people rush through everything, but that’s not true – they are just better at using their time.
If you are struggling to find enough hours in the day, below are ten creative ways to add more time to your schedule:
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Never Skimp On Sleep
Many people think that the easiest way to get more hours out of their days is by cutting down on sleep. That can have the opposite effect on your schedule because you will feel tired and sluggish the entire day – instead of rested and productive.
Every person has their own optimal sleeping time, some of us need a full eight hours, and others cope on a maximum of six. Whatever your number is, ensure that you get it every night, and you don’t skimp for the sake of a false sense of efficiency.
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Schedule Your Day
Being organized and making lists is nothing to be ashamed about. If you prefer to schedule your day down to the last minute, remember that unforeseen things happen, and those are outside of our control.
Instead of hyper-scheduling, choose to list the things you plan to accomplish or finish by the end of that day – and then stick to that schedule! Schedules are an effective way to manage your time, and they help you see how much free time you have each day for calmer activities.
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Learn to Prioritize
There will be days when the demand for your time will be so high that you won’t be able to fit in everything. The most vital thing to realise when that happens is that it is perfectly acceptable to say no.
Society has demonized that word, and often people are wrongly accused of being selfish or lazy if they don’t say yes to everything. Learn to shake that feeling and press ahead by only committing yourself to things you have time for – your priorities will be important here.
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Cut Down On Screen Time
Almost all of us are guilty of spending an inordinate amount of time on our phones, laptops, or in front of TVs – so don’t worry about that. Screen time is dangerous because time seems to move a lot quicker when watching cat videos.
Instead of checking your email before bed each night, get into a healthier habit of meditating. Meditation will center your mind and promote a better night’s rest.
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Cut The Unnecessary Out
Time-wasting activities are sneaky, and they catch you by surprise. Take a visit to the grocery store as an example – you can lose over an hour out of your day just by getting bread and milk. Instead of wasting your time doing that – use an online grocery delivery service.
By cutting out the time-wasters from your day, you will suddenly find yourself having extra time.
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Find Out When You’re Most Productive
We all have different pushes and pulls during our day. These can be tiring when they don’t get managed or are not expected. That means that during the day, your energy levels will ebb and flow.
While some of this can be attributed to your diet, each person just naturally has their own specific time where they are most productive during the day. That is how we get night owls who are better suited to nightshift work. Whichever way you lean, make sure you define your productive time.
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Manage Chores
Household chores can pile up when you ignore them, and sadly that doesn’t end well for anyone. Instead of waiting for the chores to get to be too much, stay ahead of them by drawing up a manageable chore schedule.
Do one room a day, and no more – that way you will always be cleaning something each day, but it won’t overwhelm you.
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Minimize Interruptions
Interruptions are the bane of any organized person’s day. These periods have a way of throwing you off completely, and sometimes it is a struggle to get back to the task you were doing.
If you find yourself regularly getting interrupted each day, try to get to the root cause of the interruptions. If you are a stay-at-home mom, try looking for ways to help you help your children self-manage their time.
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Adjust Your Attitude
Your outlook and attitude determine your success. That is no secret, and it’s not some artsy theory either – the way you think about your schedule will directly impact how you get through it.
If you feel overwhelmed before you even get out of bed in the morning, you will not be likely to succeed. Take the time to identify and address your mental habits before you try to gain control of your day.
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Keep Yourself In Check
During the day, the busier you get, the faster time seems to pass. If you are repeatedly left without enough time in each day to stick to your schedule, then you need to go back and analyze the way you spend your time.
It is perfectly natural to run out of time occasionally and not check all your boxes for the day, but if that starts to become the status quo – you need to figure out why. Your time is precious and better served with loved ones and friends – so do everything in your power to spend less time doing the things that don’t matter as much.
