If there were anything we all wish we could have more of, it would be time. Right up there with money, time is one of the most sought-after luxuries. It’s even more elusive than money because time is something we can’t get back. Once it’s gone, it’s gone, and there’s nothing you can do about it. It is why our generations have become more conscientious about how we spend our time so that we get the most out of our day, and therefore, our lives. Here are six tips on how to efficiently manage your time.
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Schedule At Least A Day In Advance
Waking up and trying to figure out what you have to tackle first is a waste of time. It is much better to have a game plan for your day, and as soon as you are ready, you are focused on going from one thing to the next. It should encompass every aspect of your time, personal, business, and leisure. You want to plan in a way that creates balance, and that is based on your top priorities, leaving the less essential things for last.
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Use Time Saving Apps
Going to the bank is a thing of the past unless you rent a safety deposit box or are withdrawing an abundant amount of cash, you shouldn’t be setting foot into a bank at all. Everything you need to pay can virtually be done online. Now with the use of PayPal and apps like Facebook Messenger and Google Wallet you needn’t be bothered waiting in line to make payments, deposits or withdrawals.
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Set A Deadline To Do Complicated Tasks
Pressure helps to get your mind off creativity and weighing options to focusing on the most immediate course of action. Your mind will respond to the pressure of having less time than it needs to do things that would typically take you twice as long. You deny yourself the luxury of getting everything how you like it, to get the job done. We can’t do this all the time, but it sure helps when we have to face an assignment that is larger than average.
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Say No And Be Unavailable
This one seems a little rude, but seriously, don’t let other people steal away your precious time. Only commit to things that you want to, or that represent growth in some way, either as a learning experience or by expressing a challenge to you in some way.
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Apply The Two Minute Rule
Never put off something that requires a minimum amount of your time. You will probably spend more time avoiding to respond to an email than you would, sitting down and writing it. The same goes for filling out a form or scheduling a doctor’s appointment. So when you can, commit to doing the task for two minutes and be done with it.
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Prioritize
So, to prioritize is the number one thing, but we saved the best for last. Identifying the three most important things you have to do in a day. It will help to get things done, but it also has an overflow effect by you not dragging stuff for days and days. It will help you feel more motivated once the big horrible task is over and done with.
