How to Use Your Time Wisely

When people complain about “wasted time” they are usually upset because they haven’t accomplish what they really wanted to do with their time. The problem is that many people let time slip through their fingers without accomplishing much because they devote their time to unnecessary and unimportant activities. As a result, they constantly feel that they have too much to do at work, at school, or at home and too little time to do it. They struggle with time pressure and this makes their life more stressful.

If you struggle with time management you are not alone. However, you can do something to solve this problem. 

Start by following these five steps:

1. Monitor your use of time

The first step toward better time management is to monitor your use of time to see where it all goes. To analyze where your time goes, you need to review your time log and create a weekly time use summary. At the end of each week, you should analyze how your time was allocated. 

In addition, based on your personal roles and responsibilities, create categories of time use such as studying, childcare, housework, work at the office, work at home, eating and sleeping. Then, for each day, add up the hours allocated to each category. Your records will help you make informed decisions about reallocating your time.

2. Clarify your goals

The truth is you can’t wisely allocate your time unless you decide what you want to accomplish with your time. You need to have clearly and specifically defined written goals in every area of your life. In addition, there are many benefits you’ll enjoy when your goals are written down in a way that is clear, easy to follow, and provides all the information you need at a glance. 

The reason why I can do so much in less time is simple—I have written goals, a good plan of action, and a time-management log. This makes it easier for me to see the next step to take for every goal, in every area of my life, and to prioritize my work. 

3. Plan your activities using a schedule

After you’ve written down all the goals you can think of, you have to figure out which goals are the most important to you, and order them in terms of priority. These priorities should guide you as you plan your activities on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. As I mentioned before, you’ll enjoy great benefits when your goals are written down. By doing this it will be easier for you to plan your activities on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis.

4. Break down big goals and projects

To avoid the tendency of putting off larger projects, break them down into smaller manageable components, and give yourself an immediate deadline for completing each component. That’s why I urge you to develop the habit of putting your goals down on paper. 

5. Increase your efficiency

It is worth noting that although increasing efficiency isn’t a key to better time management, it is not irrelevant either. One of the problems many people make is to hop from one thing to another or juggle too many tasks at once. To solve this problem, learn to tackle one task at a time. Jumping from one problem to another is inefficient and time-consuming. Make it a new habit to stick to one task until it is complete.

The Bottom Line

Wasted time is time devoted to unnecessary and unimportant activities. You must identify the various ways in which you let time slip through your fingers without accomplishing much and resolve to curb it.

To Your Success,

Gerard Ndzebir