How to Perfect Your Time Management Skills: Tips & Techniques that actually work!
Time is of the essence… and it’s the ultimate enemy!
Congratulations! If you’re reading this that means that you’re coming back for more AIL!
Good for you! In this week’s post, I’ll be discussing the power of time management. I know this might be a topic that most of us will either be an expert in. And some of us are a bit illiterate in this realm. If you find yourself struggling in this area then LISTEN UP! This one is for you.
Once upon a time, I didn’t follow a schedule which meant that I was out here free balling it. I didn’t think I needed to have a schedule to abide by. I thought to myself “There’s no point since I’m not that busy”. But, I found myself just floating around. At times I had so much time on my hands that I had no clue what to do with myself. I’d sleep in, and I’d spend hours out just bumming around watching T.V. I truly felt like I was wasting away. It was the fastest way for me to fall into depression. Just recently, I started to implement a schedule into my everyday life. A simple little planner that I picked up from a local Joann craft store has helped me so much. It’s crazy to think that a little planner could help me get my life straightened out. But, it did!
I thought I had an idea of how I should start planning my weeks out but… I was lost. Of course, I began searching for the best ways to plan my week and things like how to make a schedule. These videos, articles, etc. were all helpful but one thing I picked up on throughout my “extensive” (More like 2 hours) research was that scheduling is very personalized. With that being said I stopped to think about my daily priorities and from there I started my scheduling journey. So far, it’s been a game changer and the funny thing about all of this is that I recently had a course on time management. Perfect timing huh!?
So let’s get into what I’ve learned.
Do you know what your peak hours are? Your peak hours are when you’re the most productive. For myself, my peak hours are from 5AM to 12PM. Once 1 PM rolls around, I’m out! I’m no longer focused, easily distracted and whelp just overall I’m over it. To find out what your peak hours are just pay attention to yourself. When I get up in the morning I’m alert, I’m moving around, and I’m getting things done! The moment my mind begins to drift off I immediately know that it’s 1 o’clock. So the moment you feel distracted, unmotivated, and just over it marks the end of your peak hours. The sooner you get in tune with yourself, the sooner you’ll find yourself being more productive and in the long run successful in whatever it is you are trying to achieve!
These cute little kitchen timers take on a whole different meaning for me after learning about the Pomodoro Technique!
The Pomodoro Technique was founded in the late ’80s by Italian, Developer, and entrepreneur Francesco Cirillo. Cirillo, created this technique to help organize his schedule. The technique consists of time intervals of 25 mins of focused, high-productivity work. Once the 25 mins are up you are rewarded with a 4-5 min break. You will then repeat this process up to 4 times and after repeating this process four times you will increase your break time to 15-30 mins. After learning about this technique it occurred to me that I don’t allow myself any breaks. I guess in my “perfect world” I can work until the job is completely done. I realized that I do this at my 9-5 job as well. It’s an unhealthy habit of mine that I’m working on as of late. Science shows that taking breaks can help improve memory and increase concentration, supply energy, reduces stress, improves health, and can boost your overall performance. Read more here: 5 Benefits of Taking Breaks
. These are just a few things that I’ve started to incorporate into my everyday schedule and so far so good! Actually while typing out this post I’ve been using these techniques!
If I learn any more techniques or tips along the way I will definitely keep you guys posted! And if you have some effective time management tips and tricks of your own please leave a comment down below. It could definitely save us a whole lot of time! Thanks for stopping by and talk to you guys later!
