When people talk about time management, as discussed by mindtools.com, they are usually referring to the experts that go into businesses to make them more productive. Most of the advice they give involves the company being more organized and the same principles can apply to life.
People that are organized are usually healthier both physically and mentally, and they are also the ones that have learned to manage their time – so having an organized life works.
Break The Day Down
Everyone knows there are 24 hours in a day, and the first thing you need to do is to break that down into compartments. You need eight hours for sleep, for instance, and you could be at work for another eight hours. That leaves just one more lot of eight hours for everything else you want to fit in. This is the time you have some choice over and you should use it wisely.
Exercise
Everyone should allow time for exercise, as it is vitally important to a healthy lifestyle. It does not have to be at a gym. It could be a walk, or maybe you join a dancing class, as that can be very good exercise. Some people like to do exercises at home. Whichever you opt for, you should average 30 minutes each day. This may involve doing one hour one day and nothing the next but, however it happens, make this part of your time management plan.
Housework And Cooking
Things like housework and cooking you either love or hate but they are necessities of life. You should allow the time to be able to keep on top of the housework, as then it is not such a huge task. Your cooking time will vary depending on what dish you are preparing, but use an average amount of time in your plan.
Saving Time When Making Decisions
We’ve all been in a situation where you’ve gone online to maybe buy some new clothes or a video game and end up wracked with indecision, wasting a whole evening flicking between tabs in an effort to find the best deal. However, much time could be saved here if you know where to look.
Comparison sites exist across dozens of sectors to help you find the best deals and offers. Doing some retail therapy? Google’s “Shopping” function compares the best prices across hundreds of sites. Want to play some casino games online? Sites such as canadacasino.net compare the top casinos to find you free spins and deposit bonuses to make your money go further. Save yourself an evening of hassle by letting the internet do all the legwork for you.
Family Time
You are running out of time now to fit everything in, but family time is something that should take priority, as mentioned by lifeadvancer.com. Whether you have children and want to spend time with them, or you want to visit your parents or other relations, you should be able to do so. Time spent with family has been shown in studies to be one of the finest things for our mental health, and it has to be fitted in somewhere.
This Is Where Time Management Comes In
You have used all your time up and have not even allowed for an occasional night out or a day out shopping. Of course, you will have more spare hours at weekends because of not going to work, but there are other ways you can manage your time too.
For instance, you could take a walk in your lunchtime. The fresh air is good for you as well as the walk, and you will return to your workstation refreshed and raring to go. That is half an hour a day saved, but what else could you do? You could spend a couple of hours at the weekend preparing and freezing meals ahead. Then, when you get home from work, you will only have to heat them to eat them. Overall, this could easily save you another four or five hours each week.
Sleeping, you time, and family time should not be compromised at all but you have just saved as much as seven hours a week by changing things slightly, and that is almost the spare hours of another day.
