Posted on 2021-06-15
By: Will Berkowitz
We live in a fast-paced world that involves days filled with different responsibilities. With so many tasks in a schedule, it can feel nearly impossible to balance all of life’s priorities. Therefore, you must set realistic goals and expectations for yourself for how much you can get done without burning out. Here is how to go about doing that:
The first step is hitting the pause button, stepping back, and planning ahead. To organize your thoughts, you should organize your surroundings. If you work in an office, decluttering your deskspace is imperative to declutter your mind. If you’re still working remotely, you should designate a room at home to your job and make it conducive to your work. This room should be separate from where you do every task in your home. Starting the day by making your bed, hanging/folding clothing, washing dishes, and other menial but productive tasks can jumpstart you in organizing your day.
Using a planner, schedule, or calendar are all effective methods for clarifying what you aim to complete by the end of your day. It is best to prioritize your tasks for the day and finish the most important tasks first. By doing this, you take the heaviest weight off your back first and have a downhill battle from there. It’s also a good idea to implement a routine to follow if you have consistently similar tasks.
While figuring out how to best manage your time, you must avoid distractions to the best of your ability. It’s necessary to be mindful of common distractions for yourself and to limit or cut those things out. It could be worth doing a dopamine detox on certain days of the week to keep yourself on track because we have too much access to cheap dopamine, and it can hinder us from being productive.
It’s also crucial that you don’t say yes to everything. Know your limits and create realistic expectations of yourself. If you say yes to too many things, you can overload your plate and end up crashing.
We’re all human, and we all struggle with time management. However, if you can create a realistic lifestyle that accounts for your work, personal life, health, and well-being, you can immensely improve your efficiency and time management.