How to Manage Your Time

Time management is something that I struggled with for awhile, especially when I have a lot to do. It can be really easy to get overwhelmed by everything and just do nothing. Sometimes that just isn’t an option and we need to get things done.

Now that I am a teacher, blogger, and work multiple other side jobs, it requires me to manage my time very well. If I don’t, nothing would get done and I’d suffer in other aspects of my life. For example, if I don’t plan to meal prep for the week, I can guarantee you I’m eating Ramen noodles for dinner.

In order to make everything work nicely in my life, I have to manage my time and I do this in a few different ways.

1. Write out everything you need to get done with your time.

I am terrible at remembering things, absolutely terrible. If I don’t have everything listed out somewhere, it isn’t getting done and definitely is getting forgotten. I know this about myself though and that’s why I have everything written out. By seeing everything in one place, I am able to see the tasks that I need to complete. This then can be used to manage your time.

2. Block out your time.

Once I have my list that needs to get done, I am able to block out my time to complete these tasks. This doesn’t need to be anything fancy, find what works for you. Some people like to have written lists with time assigned to each task. Other people love to time block using Google Calendar, I do love doing this for my appointments and side jobs. I prefer to have a note in my phone with the time I plan to work on that specific task.

I typically do this for unscheduled time, like the weekend. I tend to let the weekend slip by, if I don’t plan it out. The reason I like to make a list in my notes on my phone is because I can check it off as it is completed, can easily add tasks, and can easily adjust my schedule. Also, this allows me to easily see everything I have accomplished over the weekend by Sunday night.

3. Prioritize your tasks.

Like I said before, I need to write everything down, or I forget to complete things. So, I always have multiple lists going for different things. For example, I have daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly tasks that I list out. This helps me with completion, but also with budgeting because I can plan out oil changes, car registration, etc. and have the funds saved for these things.

By prioritizing tasks, it becomes more manageable. Instead of seeing all of the tasks, you can focus on the most important tasks that need to get done that day. Once your daily tasks are done, you can move on to other things that aren’t as much of a priority.

4. Make sure it’s manageable.

I am definitely one to create a to do list that is totally unrealistic and then things just don’t get done. Make sure you know what is manageable for you, be realistic with yourself. It’s not going to help you accomplish anything if you put unrealistic things on your list.

For example, I had on my weekend list to declutter my room. Do you think I ever did it? NOPE. It was too large of a task for me, so it just never got done. Instead I put on my weekend list to declutter my dresser and I was able to accomplish that. Then I did my bathroom because I was feeling motivated and wanted to with my extra time.

Breaking larger tasks into smaller tasks is a great way to accomplish things more efficiently. You’re also much more likely to accomplish it because you are much more motivated once tasks start getting completed.

You need to find a strategy that works for you.

Ultimately it comes down to what works for you. These are some strategies that I have found to work for me and hopefully can help you manage your time better. We all know that accomplish big money goals require some serious time management, especially if you’re working side jobs. How do you manage your time?