Trying to balance two kids, their activities, my work, our home, commitments, volunteer work, etc can be daunting! I sometimes wonder how I don’t go insane honestly! But truthfully I am VERY good at time management. It’s something I have always prided myself on. If you are someone who is looking to be better with time management or you struggle with it I think my best time management tips will help!
8 Best Time Management Tips
Use A Calendar/To-Do List: This is really obvious but so many people don’t! I don’t rely on a paper calendar because I find them to not be reliable unless you check them nonstop! I use Google Calendar (my own and one I share with my husband) and I always have them come with alerts. I also have a to-do list app on my phone that I use to check things off during the day.
Schedule in even stuff you wouldn’t normally: I schedule reminders in my calendar for things like “post Instagram” “reply to blog comments” “put away laundry” that way I don’t forget. It keeps me on task! I also schedule in workouts, and even phone catch-up time with friends.
Use Timers: We have an Amazon Echo and we use the timers and reminders NONSTOP! I also time myself sometimes on smaller tasks. If I am going to spend time working on Instagram or Pinterest I set a timer for 30 minutes. I feel like I work faster and better.
Prioritize: Again, something people forget. I have a to-do list, but it’s in no particular order. From that list, I try to do the most time-consuming/hardest tasks first. That way it isn’t 4 PM and you are just now getting around to the thing that may take 5 hours.
Say No When You Need To: I am THE WORST at over-committing. Something I am trying to get better about is saying no to things that do not bring me joy. It is a constant struggle.
Ask For Help: Again, a no-brainer but ask for help. Not always easy but always necessary. I hired a virtual assistant a few years ago because I could not do everything and do it well. She is seriously a godsend and I would be lost without her. Having help from Andrew with the kids is also important.
Get Up Early: I am the most productive in the morning. I work out in the morning first thing and luckily Andrew gets the kids breakfast so I can. I also try to do a few things around the house before we take the kids to school (unload the dishwasher, collect laundry etc).
Cut Yourself Slack: There will be days your time management sucks and everything goes out the window. Maybe nothing got done. It’s OK. Cut yourself slack and try again tomorrow!
These are my best time management tips and just what works for me!
What is one time management tip you’d add?
This post was originally published in 2018 and has been updated for 2022
Having a to do list is my holy grail! It’s helped me so much in terms of getting organised. I write down all my tasks in my notebook, no matter how big or small – things like “Google xxx” or “buy carrots” go into my list as well. It gives me such a sense of accomplishment when I tick each task off, haha! 😉
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
Thanks for posting this – my time management (I think) is a mess, but after reading your post, I seem to be doing the right things.
Thats a boost in itself !
Setting timers helps and is such a great idea – it means you won’t get carried away which is often what happens when I am on pinterest!
http://www.franklyflawless.com
I don’t know what I’d do without Google calendar, 5 am wake ups (I’m an early riser, too) and Alexa to set timers when I’m working and cooking. For some reason, little notes on my desk for daily to-do’s seem to help, too. No doubt there’s a lot to keep track of!
I love to do list! I like to have a structure to my day. I wish my husband was more organise as this would make my life much easier lol
We use a shared calendar so we don’t get things crossed. It has been a lifesaver on so many occasions!
You can organise my days 😂
I needed this as I am getting a very large to do list that’s causing some stress. I’ve even missed an appt or two :0
Anyway, lists and reminders are saving me!
I need to fine tune my list game. I like written list — I am old school that way — but I haven’t perfected a system that keeps me on task yet. We have an Alexa — I will have to look into using the timer function –great idea!
Great tips! I started using timers and they are a godsend! It’s so helpful to track my time and make sure that I don’t get too caught up with any one project that I forget all the other stuff I need to do 🙂 Great post – thanks so much for sharing!!!
I am a list person. I make lists of lists I need to make. If I don’t write it down, it won’t get done. I need to write down “Do Laundry” or we won’t have clean clothes.
I use a paper planner, and I also have to put my phone away to get some things done. I get too distracted by all of the apps (FB and Instagram for sure.)
I use my planner every single day and it helps to keep me on track. I go through seasons where I can get up early and get ish done , sadly I’ve been in a night owl season as of late, but I’m working on getting that switched.
I hate to admit it because I’ve never been a morning person, but I really was the most productive when I was getting up early 🙂
Thanks for the list!
i have conversation cloud stickers to dry erase on. this helps me immensely in my day to day.
I have really been cutting myself some slack lately. Ever since having baby #8 it’s just necessary. I never really did before and it took a toll.
I definitely use a planner. I’m also trying to batch blog writing sometimes – so if I’m really inspired, etc. then I’ll write a bunch of posts or reviews at once and that can help.
-Lauren
Oh gosh, I’m the total opposite when it comes to a calendar. I had been using my phone calendar and then a google calendar and then a random family share calendar with no luck. I decided to go old school and I got a big “book” type planner and my life is finally in order. I think it’s just key to find what works.
Great ideas! I use timers all the time!! My days have a particular rhythm to them with routines (not strict schedules) and that seems to help keep me on track. 🙂
I never would have thought to use a timer! Would work wonders for me, as I thrive under pressure! And I totally love to-do lists, so necessary for busy mama’s!
This is speaking to me on so many levels right now…
Saying no and getting up early are two things I’m currently working on in my life! 🙂
Absolutely great sharing about time management here, learnt them all, however am really not good in saying No though….cheers, siennylovesdrawing
Saying no and asking for help are the two things I struggle with the most. And I genuinely can’t get up early because of my illness. But I still find ways to be incredibly productive and I definitely utilize every other thing on this list!
Getting up early was my self-imposed challenge for April. I haven’t been doing a great job with it… BUT when I used to wake up early (pre-pandemic) I always felt more productive and refreshed. I really need to commit to doing it again. Also, I love timers and a to-do list!
These are great tips! I feel like I have a million schedules but a check list version is always helpful (especially for the smaller tasks that I seem to forget about). Using a timer has been helpful for me too!
Lizzie
http://www.lizzieinlace.com
This is my TRUTH ! With my work in dog training, time is truly key! I find that dogs are typically more time sensitive than people lol! If you don’t fit a neat schedule, you won’t fit at all. Can’t express enough how important rest is too though. Thanks for sharing! Great stuff!
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