What’s your relationship with time?
Is it your nemesis? Do you constantly feel like you want more of it?
Does it go too slow or too fast for your taste?
Lemme give ya the cold hard truth here, ok?
Time is just time.
If you try to battle it, you’re literally having a one-sided relationship.
Like me and my best friend Amy Pohler. She doesn’t know we’re besties (yet) but we totally are.
I mean, we’re both super dope DJs. #DJSpicyCacaoLatte #IYKYK
It’s just a matter of… yup, time.
Anywho.
So let’s say you wanna get better at managing your precious time.
Because it IS precious. Once it’s gone, it’s gone.
I’ve got 4 crazy simple hacks to help you organize your time better… so you finally focus on those goals you have for yourself.
And achieve them easier… and yep, faster.
4 Easy AF Time Management Hacks for Busy People
Time management hack #1: Make your calendar your best friend.
If you’re not currently using your phone calendar by now, you’re missing out on probably the simplest hack there is.
I literally put everything in my phone cal.
It’s synced with my work cal, my fam cal, all the cals.
It’s cool if you use a paper calendar. I know some people prefer that.
But how many times have you been on the go and someone asks to meet with you at a certain time… if you can make a certain date for an appointment…
And you’re like “Uhhhhhh. Let me get back to ya.”
The beautiful thing about your phone calendar is… it can actually send you reminders of all.the.things you need to do.
And it’s free.
Ok I guess that’s two beautiful things. *shrug* LOL
You can even get your whole fam on a shared digital calendar.
So your hubs can no longer say, “I didn’t know I was supposed to pick her up today…” when your poor child walks home, drenched like a sea rat.
(Are there sea rats? I feel like there should be.)
When you use a calendar consistently, your brain can actually relax.
You know your shiz is taken care of and when you make a habit of scheduling your commitments (and daily to-dos)...
...you’ll actually end up with more time… and less anxiety.
Not to mention, you’ve documented all of the actions that will help you reach your goals… whether they’re personal or work-related.
Time management hack #2: Give yourself breaks and honor them.
Since we’re talking about calendars…
Use yours not just for scheduling meetings and appointments; build your breaks into it as well.
TME (time management experts, yes that’s a thing LOL) agree your breaks should total about two hours for every eight or nine hour day.
Personally, I always schedule daily “exercise breaks.”
Even a “social break” or two for a quick check-in with a friend.
Give yourself a proper lunch hour… and stick to it.
Or if you take only 30 minutes, prep your lunch the night before, so you’re not wolfing food down.
So here’s your big takeaway...
Treat your time like you would a client or someone you respect.
Don’t scrap your self-care time so you can squeeze more shiz into your schedule.
So often we put ourselves last. We give our time to others and don’t respect our own needs.
My friend, that.ends.now.
You won’t be able to reach your goals if you’re exhausted AF. Take care of yourself… give yourself breaks… and use your calendar to help you stay on track.
Time management hack #3: Practice the Pomodoro Technique.
This is an OG hack… but it still works like a charm.
The Pomodoro Technique was actually developed back in the ‘70s. And while it’s been refined over the years, this is how it works…
- Schedule a five-minute break after every 25-minute block of work/tasks.
- Do that four times in a row; then schedule a 15-20 minute break after that.
The thing is… our brains are not meant to focus on things for huge chunks of time.
So when you apply this technique, it’s actually AMAZING how it generates greater productivity.
It’s designed to literally give your brain time to clear between tasks.
Trivia fact: Pomodoro is Italian for tomato – and this technique is called Pomodoro because the dude who devised it used a tomato-shaped kitchen timer! 🍅
(And how dare you for judging me for knowing this, LOL)
- The last part of the Pomodoro Technique involves scheduling an endpoint to your day.
And sticking to it.
Hold yourself accountable to this.
If you work with others, be super clear about when you’re outtie 5000.
If you’re on your own, do the same friggin’ thing.
It’s called boundaries. And they’re good for ya.
Oh and one more thing. If you’re a desk worker… and you’re on your computer for much of the day…
Turn that shiz off when you’re done for the day. Like, literally O-F-F.
This creates a clear separation between work time and downtime. And you’ll actually be more relaxed in your off hours.
Which means you’ll be more productive when you’re on. #micdrop
Time management hack #4: Limit your daily task load.
Time management experts also advise not overloading each day with as many tasks as possible…
Yep, busy moms, I see you.
So instead of packing in the to-dos and scheduling every single moment of the day…
Try following the 1-3-5 Rule.
One big task (and make it the first one you tackle each morning)...
Then three medium tasks…
And five small tasks interspersed throughout the day.
I’m seriously trying to live by this right now.
I find that the trick to doing this well is by blocking calendar time for it.
I told ya I love my calendar, right? LOL
What I’ve learned is that scheduling big old tasks all day long is self-defeating.
For me, it literally causes anxiety.
So I’m taking my own pro tip here and slowing down… breaking tasks out this way… and using my calendar.
You know what? I feel less overwhelmed when I practice this. And my productivity is actually better.
Which means not only am I more grounded… I actually find that I hit my goals with more ease.
The secret is consistency.
And to help you with both your time management and your consistency in building new habits with your time…
It’s awesome for new habits – and it breaks down your habit into 21 day chunks. Because many experts say it takes 21 days to create a new habit.
Oh… and one last thing.
I’m going to be sharing some news next week…
I’m bringing back my fav challenge: The Reclaim Your Time Challenge. WHOOOHOOO!
In it, we’ll break down time and task management into a proven system even the busiest person can handle.
So stay tuned...
I’m curious.
What’s your biggest challenge with time? Do you have a healthy or unhealthy relationship with time?
Let me know here in the comments…
And I’ll see ya online.
XO,
Hayley
BTW: I couldn’t stop thinking about sea rats as I wrote this. So I googled. While there isn’t an official sea rat in existence, this thing comes pretty close.
It’s a grenadier and its nickname is “rattail.” Enjoy your nightmares. XO