Most people who have challenges when it comes to time management admit that they are always looking for solutions on how to become better. Books and articles have been written on why you should take control of how you use your time. Still, the question on how to do it lingers.
How to get better at time management
- Identify your time wasters:
There must be something that distracts you and consumes most of your time, making it hard for you to engage in other activities. Think about it – what do you spend most of your time doing? Could it be hanging out with friends? is it the many hours you stay glued on your television screen? Or could it be social media? You can only manage your time once you have established the things that stop you from doing other activities.
- Find a pattern:
Try to see if there is a pattern on what stops you from finishing tasks. Make a list of all the activities you have ever embarked on, and think about the reason why you decided to stop. Maybe it is distraction, but in other cases, you may realise that there are other factors such as fear, self sabotage, doubt and other factors that make it hard for you to complete tasks.
- Surround yourself with positive energy:
If you find yourself struggling with time management, reach out to someone who you think has successfully managed to take control of their time. Ask them to guide and mentor you so that you can do better. You should also read items on the same.
- Understand yourself:
This may sound like a cliche, but you cannot do better unless you know yourself. Know your strengths and weaknesses and use them to help in time management. If you understand yourself, you will be able to set realistic goals and a timeline to do everything.
- Have a reward system
Create a reward system where if you finish things on time, you reward yourself. This can be by taking yourself for a treat, watching your favourite movie, or even giving yourself an extra hour of sleep.
