My Dad is New York Times best-selling author, Kevin Kruse. He is a business management writer who recently wrote the book 15 Secrets Successful People Know About Time Management. As a college student, I am now putting a lot of the practices I have been taught throughout the years into use! Here are the top 5 things I’ve learned about time management from being his daughter.
1. Hour of Power
When my siblings and I were little, every weekend our Dad told us it was time for our “hour of power.” We hated these words so much because that meant no matter what we were doing, we had to stop and clean the house and do homework for a whole hour. Although I dreaded those words then, it is now one of the most productive tips I use. It means you just work hard for a complete hour, not stopping for anything else. You end up getting a lot more done than you thought you could. This is especially helpful in college when you need to do tasks such as clean your messy dorm or write that thesis paper due tomorrow.
2. Get it Done
Working can get stressful, especially when you have a lot to do. Instead of dragging it out all night, just focus really hard until you get your work done. Then maybe reward yourself afterwards with a nice break in between projects. Or finish all your work before going to extracurricular activities, because then you know you can come back later that night and not have to worry about homework. There are 1440 minutes in a day, use every one wisely. Even if you’re on a train home or you have 20 minutes before your next class, try to get as much work done as possible in that time.
3. Do Not Get Distracted
Our phones are one of the worst distractions. It is so tempting to check social media instead of studying for that exam. Another big distraction is talking to other people in the room. My Dad used to tell my sister and I to stop doing homework in the same room because we would just talk instead. Now I found it is very useful to go to the library so I can focus instead of talking with my roommate. And it is important to put down your phone, or turn it off, while you’re trying to be productive.
4. Do Not Over-extend Yourself
I over-extended myself way too much in high school, making it impossible to get everything done. Both of my parents always told me I needed to get more sleep and they were right. If you are too busy and don’t get enough sleep or can’t take care of yourself, you will actually become less productive. You will have less energy to do things and you will not be able to focus. Manage your time better, only doing as much as you can for one day. It is most important to take care of yourself and then you will produce better work and get better grades.
5. Use a Planner
The tip my Dad has stressed the most is to get rid of your to-do lists! This was impossible for me at first because I lived off my to-do lists. Then my Dad bought me a huge, complicated monthly and weekly planner and it has made me so much more productive. To-do lists just keep piling up, making you never want to get any of the tasks done. If you have something to do, like write an essay, or somewhere to go, like a club meeting, schedule it into your planner. Then you have an exact time when you know it will get done. I bring my planner everywhere and it helps me organize my life.