I have battled my weaknesses in time management on and off for as long as I can remember. There are and always will be too many fun and shiny things (literally and figuratively) that can hook one’s attention and keep us from getting all the things we want to get done. Sleeping in on the weekend, spontaneous socializing, mindless tasks to procrastinate more important ones, and everyone’s favourite, going down the social media rabbit hole.

Not that life doesn’t happen. It will unfold organically as it always does; most of the time, a lot is out of our control. There’s also a lot of beauty in leisure and spontaneity. It’s not healthy to live in robot mode  marching quickly and efficiently from task to task at the cost of all fun and sufficient relaxation. Even if you consider yourself a 100% type A personality, there must be an element of fun and excitement in your routines, even if it comes from doing the tasks themselves.

However, the important thing is to remain focused (most of the time) on where the 24 hours of our day are going. This is especially important if there is an important project to complete or a goal we would like to achieve in the near or far future.

I can’t say that I’m a pro at time management even today, but I have built enough self-awareness to learn to manage it more effectively. I’ve taken the time to analyze the holes in my time management, and I’m here to share with you what has been working well for me so far.

Keep reading below for tips on staying better organized and productive that have helped me over the last few years.

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HOW I STAY ORGANIZED AND PRODUCTIVE

Early bedtime and wake-up times.

Regulating my sleep schedule has massively changed things for the better for me. My body clock has now grown accustomed to naturally falling asleep at around 11 PM, and I wake up by 6 AM (as in eyes open but not standing yet). I still rely on staggered alarms to wake up in the mornings – The first one is at 5 AM, which I snooze and then wake up fully for the next one at 6 AM. I wake up refreshed and ready to go.

(I’ve recently written an in-depth article about the benefits of high quality sleep which you can read HERE.)

Mindfulness techniques.

Mindfulness practice can look different for everyone depending on what your tastes and natural tendencies are. For me, I practice mindfulness through meditation shortly after waking up. You can also journal, do some natural breathing exercises, and get some movement through stretching or a quick jog or walk.

The goal of this is self-awareness. Mindfulness creates self-awareness over the long term, which helps you pay closer attention to what distracts you or where you mindlessly spend your time. Through mindfulness, I have reduced my phone use, started eating better, and improved my interpersonal relationships.

(I covered how meditation advanced my life in five key areas in this post if you are interested!).

Daily planner and habit tracker.

I was laid off during the pandemic, which forced me to start better managing my hours so I wouldn’t waste time aimlessly. I use a daily planner to schedule time for work, workouts, schoolwork, job applications, and all the other usual stuff that most of us deal with day-to-day.

A new addition to my self-organization techniques is a habit tracker. You can find these in digital forms such as an app, draw one out by hand, or create one in Excel on your computer. It essentially is a list of all my daily routines and tasks that I need to move through. Everything from meditation, journaling, and working out to ensuring I set aside time for social connection, drinking two litres of water, and taking my vitamins. You create a table and mark off each item as it’s completed.

It’s like an advanced version of regular list-making, which I also still do. But with a habit tracker it’s a bit more precise and you can evaluate where you might tend to fall off in motivation and consistency.

Here is a screenshot of what my habit tracker currently looks like. I created mine in Excel. (“X” means completed by the way, I promise I’m not bombing at all my tasks.)

Analyzing the real reason I procrastinate.

This one took some extra time to figure out, but it was worth it. I researched the causes of procrastination and at the root of it is a fear of failing at a task or not knowing how to do it or where to start.

According to this article in the Washington Post, procrastination is a kind of avoidant behaviour, “a coping mechanism gone awry in which people ‘give in to feel good.'”

Working towards a new project or trying your hand at a new habit or routine can bring up feelings of anxiety or dread. To get rid of this feeling, people procrastinate. The next time you want to reorganize your closet or make pasta sauce from scratch instead of working on university courses or your business, ask yourself why. You might just be afraid of feeling dumb at something new and gravitating towards something familiar and easier instead.

Managing my energy levels.

Eating properly, getting enough sleep, reducing my alcohol intake, and staying hydrated are some of the things I do to make sure I am feeling my best so that I can do everything I need to do in a day, week, or month.

Feeling sluggish and lethargic every morning, crashing at 3 PM and fixing it with coffee or sugar, and having trouble completing workouts correctly resulted from neglecting my health and, therefore, my productivity.

Focusing on three main projects at a time. 

What I mean by this is that I do my best work when I have no more than three projects in the orbit of my daily workload (and my mind). For example, at the moment, my three main projects that get the most of my time and attention are working on this blog, planning my upcoming month-long trip overseas, and job searching. These are the three big goals of my life currently. Past project combos have been my 9-5 job, finishing my university program, and the blog. For you, it could be a major fitness goal, starting a business, planning your wedding, or having a healthy pregnancy.

The number of projects you can take on at one time can vary for everyone. You may be able to concentrate amazingly on five or no more than two. Do whatever works for you. Just make sure you find the optimal balance so the results are impeccable.

Simplifying complex tasks into manageable parts. 

Sometimes when we think of the end goal that we would like to achieve for ourselves in any life arena, the sheer magnitude of it can scare us into not taking action whatsoever. Whether it’s losing a certain number of pounds, starting a successful, money-making business, or planning a once-in-a-lifetime event, thinking only of the outcome can cause action paralysis.

You need to take just one small step towards the next phase consistently. For example, if you are looking to start a business, instead of thinking:

“I want to be able to quit my job and make millions from my business within a year.” 

think more…

“This month, I will send ten emails to important individuals who can contribute to setting up the next phase of growth for the business.” 

This technique calms you down and helps guarantee success in the small steps which slowly builds confidence in yourself over time rather than self-sabotaging yourself with scary thoughts of intimidating outcomes.

Reducing unproductive leisure time. 

I am all for a good Netflix binge, catching up with my favourite Youtubers, and *ahem* stalking an ex-lover from time to time. But the difference between how I do those things now and how I did them in the past has changed. Before, I would lose track of time, getting lost in some meaningless and frivolous activity for hours on end and not bat an eyelid. Now I’m more strategic. I still feel the same urges I felt before, but I now allocate shorter amounts of time to them with a hard deadline.

Habit stacking.

In the book Atomic Habits, James Clear discusses the concept of habit stacking. Habit stacking is identifying a current habit you do each day efficiently and adding a new habit to it. For example, I give myself a facial massage while listening to a podcast I like daily or drink my green juice while reading a few pages from my book. Rather than pairing your new habit with a new time and location, you pair it with a current practice.

You can purchase a copy of the book Atomic Habits here. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in improving your daily habits and routines to maximize productivity. James Clear, the author, has been through many personal challenges which he shares in the book. He leverages his knowledge and experience to help readers meet their goals.

Designating suitable spaces and outfits with the right tasks. 

This one mainly applies to working from home. Allocating your bed only for sleeping or reading, your desk for working and studying, and your kitchen table for eating creates mental divisions for tasks that help you get them done.

This also applies to wearing the right clothes for the appropriate activities – Changing into work clothes from your sleep clothes when you’re working at your job and then from your work clothes into gym clothes when it’s time for working out helps your mind switch gears and get you into the right head space for the task at hand.

Thank you for taking the time to read this article. I hope that what you have read has somehow educated, informed, or inspired you. You can sign up for the mailing list below to receive special announcements directly to your inbox no more than once a month (We won’t spam you!).

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