6 Tips for Time Management
Linnea A.
*This giveaway is now closed*
Between working, going back to school, eating healthy, spending time with friends, and ultimately, keeping up with life in general, time management is definitely necessary - especially at the beginning of the year.
Thanks to JORD watches, I’ve been able to keep up with the chaos-called-life (and look like it, too)! They’re an amazing company that’s passionate about making quality, hand-crafted watches. I don’t know about you, but having a watch that pairs well with everything I wear helps me keep track of my time, and gets me where I need to go. And since 2019 seems to be “the year of organization”, I thought I’d share my tips on how I organize my time while reaching my goals. Read to the very the end, and you’ll have a chance to win $100 to shop at JORD watches (*enter HERE for the giveaway)! ! Without further ado, let’s get to my time management tips:
Plan ahead
Planning my week on Sundays has saved me time and time again. To make sure I eat healthy all week, I simply take a few minutes every Sunday to choose healthy meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner, go to the grocery store with a list (just stick to produce and protein sections!), then meal prep for Monday and Tuesday. By Wednesday, it’s time to cook my next few meals with the remaining groceries I have in my fridge.
To get my workouts in, I usually workout the same days of the week, every week. Scheduling workouts in your calendar keeps you accountable, and ensures you’re making time for your body.
If I were to slack off on the weekend, I’d probably be eating takeout almost everyday (gross), because I don’t have time throughout the week to sit down and pick out a meal, go to the grocery store, and cook the meal. That’s just unrealistic (unless I’m using a meal kit delivery service). Similarly, I can’t be at work on a random day and think, “Yeah, I’m gonna work out today.” I need to be in the mindset that I’m scheduled/booked to work out that day, otherwise I likely won’t go. Find what works for you, and just do it!!
Track your habits
To be mindful about my habits I like to take note of, I have my trusty bullet journal to thank. I’ve been tracking each habit with a W or L for everyday. It’s a great way to keep yourself accountable and remind yourself daily of your goals - because let’s be honest, you’re not gonna remember the half of them come Feb. 15! Plus, it’s way less clutter (physically and mentally) if you have them all on one page, so you’re not wasting time and energy writing them all over the place. These habits can be anything from drinking lemon water first thing in the morning, to not buying coffee/lunch, or simply remembering to take your vitamins!
You may think that writing things down is a complete waste of time, but research shows that writing notes on paper helps you recall the information a lot better than typing, and it drastically improves your understanding of what you’re writing down.
Prioritize your time
I’ve talked about using my colour-coded Google calendar before, but I’ll say it again. It’s so helpful to block time in your calendar for meetings, events, tasks, bill payments, cooking, and even “me” time. I also highly recommend saying no whenever you feel like you’re stretching yourself too thin. As much as I’d like to spend more time with my friends, sometimes, downtime is exactly what I need.
Learn to single task
Focusing on the task at hand is the best way to get things done - especially if you complete your gruelling tasks first! As a gemini, single-tasking is actually really difficult for me. I tend to start a task, get bored, and start a new one… all while leaving the other task for “another time”. This isn’t a habit I’m proud of, so I’ve started setting a timer to complete one task at a time, and it’s become a game-changer! It’s also a great way to find out what tasks take you wayyy too long to complete.
My productivity has increased tremendously since time-blocking, and it’s been so nice to have a beautiful watch to check the time during my tasks. Lately, my favourite watch is my Sier Arcadia watch. The one-of-a-kind dial is rough cut from black marquina marble and paired with rose gold hardware, making it so unique! And for a gemini who can never make up her mind, being able to decide whether I’d like to use the tan leather strap or the rose gold mesh strap is the BEST part - it suits any occasion no matter what.
Put your phone down
Because I work a lot with social media, my phone can be a verrry dangerous rabbit hole… but guess what! Nothing crazy happens if you ignore your phone for a few hours... the world doesn’t end, your friends won’t cut you if you don’t respond right away (or at least mine don’t lol)! So put down that phone, focus on the things you need to do, and keep screen time to a minimum. You’ll gain at least an extra hour a day, just watch.
Lower your expectations
With so many things on my plate, it’s pretty obvious that my expectations for myself are high, but if you can’t get everything done during the week, don’t beat yourself up about it. Prioritize it for the following week, and move on. Things don’t move unless you do, but you also have to remember to give yourself free time, too. Too much structure is never a good thing!
If you’ve read through all of my tips up until this point, bravo!! I’m so grateful to all of you, so to thank all of you for being here, I’ve partnered with JORD watches for a watch giveaway! Simply click the link below to enter to win $100 toward a beautiful JORD watch of your choice. You’ll also receive 10% off just for entering, so spread the news about the giveaway!
Enter HERE.
This giveaway closes on March 5, 2019 at 8:59PM (PST). Good luck!
xo
Linnea
*This post is in collaboration with JORD Watches. All opinions are my own.