One of my friends asked me to write a blog post about time management, so that is exactly what I am going to do today. I thought that this would be a perfect topic for this time of year for many reasons. The first reason being that we are entering the holiday season soon. With all of the events and things that you have to get done during this time of year, it is stressful and hard to manage your time to do it all. The second reason is that people always need to improve there time management skills. Learning these tips now can help you out in everything that you do thus making it easier to get all of your tasks done. Thirdly I thought that it would be a great thing to write about now as we are heading into a new year, which means a fresh start. Striving to implement these tips into your routine can allow you to get a head start on achieving your goals for 2017. I hope that these tips help improve your time management and make you less stressed over all.

1. Breathe

The first step for time management is to take a moment and breathe. When we are plummeted with all of the tasks and things that we have to get done we begin to feel overwhelmed. Being overwhelmed can lead you to overthink the situation and procrastinate because you think that it will be impossible to get it all done.

2. Visualize

For me personally it helps for me to make a list of all the things that I need to get done. Try to write them in order from the most urgent to the least urgent. You will be able to not only see what you have to get done but will be sure that you will not forget anything. Try making up symbols for yourself such as the ones pictured below. I promise you that when you check things off your list you will feel so accomplished.

3. Time Block

Look at your list and determine when your deadline is to get that specific task done. You then want to determine the amount of time that it will take to complete that task. You can do this with an agenda. Knowing the amount of time you have will help you to decide how much of your day will need to focus on that task. Remember you need to focus the most urgent things first. Don’t worry about the other things, focus on one thing at a time to ensure that you will get it done on time and to the best of your ability. You can also set yourself a time goal for each task such as “I am going to work on as much as my research paper as possible till 5:00 and then clean my room till 5:30”

4. Start Early

Remember the saying “Don’t save for tomorrow what you can do today cause you never know what tomorrow may bring.” Following this principle will make managing your time so much easier. It will save you from cramming so much into one day in desperate attempts to get it all done. Instead it will be done in small chunks which will make it easier for you to get it completed on time.

5. Don’t over do it

Another good saying to remember is “Don’t bite off for then you can chew.” This means don’t try to put more on your plate then you think you can handle. Yes, some of the obligations that we have in life are out of our control. However there are some things that we can. This does not mean to never do things for yourself, this just means at times where you are faced with so many other obligations save yourself the stress by taking somethings off your list.

6. Don’t procrastinate

I know that the thing that affects everyones time management the most is procrastination. The key to avoiding procrastination is to just start. Remember that you must start to finish. You have to get it done no matter what, so there is no point in delaying getting started to just be more stressed later and not get it done. You will feel way more accomplished when you do! Another good tip to remember is that your brain can only focus on something for max 45 minutes so after that amount of time take a 5-10 minute break to keep your mind going strong.

7. Reward yourself

Staying on task and not procrastinating is never easy. I think that the best way to make sure that you make time management a habit and characteristic of yourself is to reward yourself. After getting done what you needed to do reward yourself by either having your favourite food, sitting on the couch to watch a movie or going shopping. By having the time to relax you can re-charge for what you have to do next.