Time management.
We love the thought of it. We hate actually doing it. But we all wish we could do better at making the most of our time.
Or...at least I do. ;)
Working 30-35 hours a week since the beginning of the month, I've came to realize just how quickly time slips by. I get up, get ready for work, and scoot out the door with coffee in hand. By the time I get home, I have homework to attend to, blog posts to write, emails to respond to, actual writing to do, friends to chat with, TV shows to binge... *cough* Anyway, you get the idea.
However, in an effort to stay sane, I'm learning to...juggle, shall we say. And it's working. Slowly but surely, I'm figuring out how to get everything done—maybe not when I'd like, but in a reasonable amount of time. ;)
So here's a few random time-saving tricks that I've found helpful. Maybe they'll be beneficial to y'all as well.
Make a schedule—and stick to it.
Honestly, I can't stress this enough. If you don't have a plan, that's already a mark against you. Because how can you manage your time if you're spending time trying to figure out what you need to do? An elaborate, detailed agenda for each day, week, and month isn't necessary. Even a list of specific things you need to complete that day/week is super helpful—that's what I've been doing lately. The important part is that you figure out what you need to do—and when—and then get it done.Unsubscribe from junk email lists.
You know those adsy emails you receive that you're not at all interested in? The ones you don't even look at or delete without a thought? Do yourself a favor and take a few seconds to scroll to the bottom and click unsubscribe. When the only emails you're receiving are things you actually will read, reply to, or they're something of importance, "doing emails" will be quicker and simpler. And so much less annoying.Avoid YouTube like the plague.
Or like bug bites, because that's basically what it is. Seriously. You scratch once (watch a video) and you end up scratching (watching random/stupid videos) for hours. It's bad, y'all. Almost every time I dare go to the edge of that Deep Black Hole to watch one harmless thing, then 57 minutes later, I find myself watching videos of people trying to pronounce town names in Ohio...or something equally pointless. (Side note—who came up with that wicked "you might also like..." feature?! Sick-minded humans, I tell ya...) Nothing wrong with some enjoyment in your free time, but if you have stuff to do, get away from that time-squelching.Waiting on something or someone? Reply to blog comments, emails, or messages on your phone. Sure, it's not as easy as a "real" keyboard, but you're saving time.
Eating lunch alone? Catch up on social media or read a few pages in a book.
Dying to finish the book but you need to get ready for the day? Read while you brush your teeth, get dressed, fix your hair, eat breakfast, walk to the car... you get my point. Again, not super easy, but it's absolutely possible to multitask in such a way—reading a book could be replaced with many things in this instance. If I can do it, I'm confident anyone can. xD
So yup, there's that! Hope you found this helpful—and that you're able to forgive me for that weird bug analogy. Not sure what happened there...my poor caffeinated brain... *cough*
