Time Management for The Hella Busy
‘Cuz ain’t nobody got time for everything.
We all have that one friend who seems to get everything perfect; their room is always clean, their makeup is always done, their notes are perfectly color coded and highlighted, and they somehow find time to volunteer for everything. NO, they didn’t sell their souls to the devil – odds are they have just learned the magic of time management. I know how daunting it can be to try and think about even the next hour of your life. By following these few tips – you will be well on your way to having a more well thought out & less stressful everyday life.
1. Get a Planner!!
My planner holds my heart- it is how I know if I can or can’t take someone’s shift at work. It keeps me from pulling all-nighter, but my planner also keeps me excited about upcoming events that I’ve made. Your planner doesn’t just have to be for your school assignments; this is your space to remind yourself of what’s going on in your life so you don’t end up feeling like your world’s crashing around you at two in the morning. (Been there done that. It’s probably also when I took the time to read articles like this to avoid my responsibilities). Your planner is what you make it!
I always bubble up with joy when it’s time to buy a new planner as there are so many cute ones to choose from! I always make sure it’s small enough to fit into my everyday bag but large enough to write my chaotic schedules in. Picking a schedule can be tough. My suggestion? If you are a big picture person, invest in a monthly view planner – that way you can write down everything that’s happening and feel like you have a better grasp of what you should be doing each day. If you have a crazy busy week EVERY week – I would suggest a weekly planner with large daily sections. This makes it easy to make lists of what needs to get done each day ( for those of you who needs it cut down even more they even make planners that divide the day into hours – much like your phone calendar). If you’re like me, you probably need a little bit of everything – which in case there are many options. I’ve listed a few of my favorite planners below, but places like Amazon and Target are ALWAYS a good place to start:
Erin Condren:
These planners are really what you make of them; you can customize it to the high heavens!
Bloom Planners:
Totally cute! They even have what’s called Vision Planner that helps you achieve your goals.
Kate Spade:
https://www.katespade.com/home/desk-stationery/agendas/
Fashionistas, these are for you. The quality of the product for the price is well worth it.
2. Choose Your Struggles
Time management isn’t about doing everything all the time – but rather delegating your time to the things that will help you most at that specific instance. For example, if you know that a clean room helps keep you from being overwhelmed, plan out a ten minute chunk of your day to do some light cleaning (making the bed, putting clothes away, and taking out the trash in your room). This DOESN’T mean finally cleaning out your closet or finally cleaning out the grubby sink. This will only leave you feeling more stressed out and overwhelmed. Save those time consuming things for the days when you HAVE time to spare. This is the basis of time management, by doing a little consistently you save yourself a lot of time in the long run. This also applies for just about anything you can think of;
- Studying
- Projects
- Hobbies
You can even schedule out time to schedule with sounds like an oxymoron, but by taking the time to step back and choose how you will spend your time, you are alleviating yourself from those moments of panic farther down the road.
3. Make Time to Make Yourself Priority
Stressing out can lead to break outs, colds, and in a lot of cases, feelings of depression or anxiety. Dedicating yourself to time management is an act of self-love. It’s stating that you care enough about yourself to make a plan of action and follow through with it. You can and should take this a step farther – plan moments in your week wherein you take an hour or two to do something that adds to your life. This can be so many things:
- Read a book you’ve always wanted to read
- Go shopping
- Paint your nails
- Play an instrument
- Pick up a new hobby
- Go on a drive
- Write in a journal
Do what’s necessary to make your life feel less like a list of things you need to do and more like the road to growth in every aspect of your life.
I hope that with these tools your life becomes less stressful and more fulfilling.
HAPPY PLANNING!
HCXO!
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