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How do you organize your time?

#time-management

time-management
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Samantha’s Answer

Hello Julia,

This is a great question. There are several right answers to this question. I think it is important to find a strategy that meets your needs. I like to make lists that I update daily/weekly. I divide my tasks into four quadrants: important/urgent, important/not urgent, urgent/not important, not urgent/not important. I understand that tasks may move between these quadrants as other problems emerge throughout the day.

Something that has really helped me improved my time management skills is setting timers. I only allow myself a set time for certain tasks. For example, if I need to take a break from working on something I will set a timer so that I know when it is time to get back to work.

Another strategy that I use is setting a timer for 10 minutes each night before I go to bed. I use this ten minutes to prepare myself for the following day. This may include setting out my gym clothes for the morning, backpacking my backpack for work, preparing the coffee pot, ironing my clothes etc.


Please let me know if you thry these and find them helpful!
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Amra’s Answer

Organizing time, and being able to get it all done has nothing to do with the time, but rather with you ability to plan everything. You need to make a list of all things you need to do, during the week..... maybe even month.… sometimes I look an entire year ahead of time.
Get yourself a good planner for the entire year.
First: Enter things that happen on an annual basis first, such as: annual dr. visits (or semiannual to see your dentist, eye doctor etc), annual registration of your car, annual oil change, annual membership expirations that you must pay, annual vacations that you plan in advance, doing taxes....
Second: Then do the same for the monthly frequencies such as: rent payment, credit card payments, holidays that you have off, and where you want to be at that time, grocery shopping (maybe twice monthly) etc.
Third: Finally, enter daily tasks that you want to accomplish and distribute them based on their deadlines...
Make sure that you do not have one endless to do list that either keeps growing, or never gets shorter, because you cross the items on the top, but keep adding them in the bottom. Those to do lists never got me anywhere, but a good planner in which I made time for everything I need to get done in advance was a perfect tool for me. The only thing is you have to stick with it: honor yourself, and if you promised something will get done on Thursday, then by all means, get it done. That does not mean you cannot postpone things for later, but doing things this way you will not be under the constant feeling that you always run somewhere, never get anything done, or are totally forgetting something.
Hope this helps!
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Shruti’s Answer

Hi!

There are many ways to organize your time! You can use applications like google calendar and notion as well as to-do lists. Before you do this, you have to learn how to prioritize the things you have to get done and rank them based on importance. After you can organize what needs to be done and go from there.
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Christian’s Answer

Make a list of the things that are most important to you, and dont deviate from that list. Finally, time block your days, so set aside a specific hour for you to do these things and stay disciplined to it.
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Julie’s Answer

I see a lot of answers here about keeping a list. This is an integral part of understanding and coordinating your work. Use the important/urgent/not important/ not urgent square method and label abcd for each item on your list. Then write down no more than 5 things from your original list on a separate sheet or area. Don’t add anything to either list until those five things are complete. Once they are, do one thing from your not important and not urgent list (read for 15 min, newspaper catchup, walk) then write down the next 5 things.
This helps me avoid adding things to my list in order to procrastinate what I really don’t want to do but need to.
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Angela’s Answer

Hi! Depending on where you are in life will dictate how much control you have over organizing your time and day-to-day schedule. Regardless of what stage of life you're in, always be sure to prioritize yourself and your mental well-being. It's very easy to let your work schedule take over your life. Don't let that happen. Schedule breaks for yourself!
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Akshita’s Answer

I have a bullet journal, where I jot down high level yearly/ quarterly and monthly goals/ tasks.
I also create time-table for daily basis (every week), which helps me organize time.
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Flora’s Answer

Prioritise, communicate with others to find out what is the most urgent.

Beyond that work through things methodically.

write lists of things that need to be done and tick them off as you go. I have post-it notes all over my computer so I dont forget things, and put reminders in my diary.

Don't forget that priorities change and that has an impact on other things.

Take a deep breath. Sometimes you may work very hard on something, for it all to change, it happens so dont get too hung up on it.

Keep communicating with your team and/or boss!
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Jonathon’s Answer

Hi Julia,

The way that I manage my time is a to do list with dates that I would like to get things done by. This allows for you to see what is getting close needing to be done but also allows for you to see how much you are loading up on work. Some people I know do this on a day to day basis but it really depends on what works for you and adjusting it to find that solution that works you, but there is nothing better than being able to see what you were able to complete in a day when looking back at your to do list.
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Tricia’s Answer

Write things down! So many things are digitally written down, but when you actually put your hand to paper, your brain tends to remember it better. Also using different color highlighters, or putting the most important things on the top of your list will make sure you read your topics often and not get lost in your list. Also, putting a big slash through a topic that you completed always feels good!
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Anna’s Answer

I create to do lists, then block my time out on my calendar accordingly. I usually keep all of my work-related to-dos and tasks in a digital way (using outlook and a to do list on my computer) and I keep my personal to-dos and activities in a written day planner. It's easier for me to keep track and segment my time that way! I think it's a good idea to try a few different ways and find what works best for you, because I know that my strategy requires some extra work. :)
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Scott’s Answer

Find tools and technology to assist with this. Calendars, timers, task lists, to-do lists, reminders, notifications, etc. Prior to engaging with all of that, sit down and plan out what you need to get done and what you want to get done. It sounds silly but plan for the little things like, me time, exercise time, meals, time off, etc. Work-life balance is one of the most important things for your well-being.
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JT’s Answer

I prioritize similar to the respondents above. I heavily utilize tasks with reminders and calendar placeholders in my email to carve out time based on the nature of the tasks.
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Simeon’s Answer

I'd recommend spending some time once a week or month and reflecting on how you spent your time. Write some goals for the coming week that are realistic and see if you achieved those goals by the next week. See if you are spending time on things that you don't value, need, or care about. If you can, do a more detailed and drawn out version of this process once a month.
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Estelle’s Answer

First there is never enough time. So with the precious time we all have we have to think of the most important items to get finished in the correct order. I use to think i prioritized correctly, Go to school, play sports after school, come home get on the computer, watch some tv shows, eat dinner, then back to the internet with my friends. In there somewhere was studying squeezed in, just enough to make good but not great grades. Knowing that I need to sleep, I had to figure out how to make more time for studying. So a friend i trusted said to keep a logbook of what i did and the time i spent doing it. I thought it was a bad idea but did it anyway. Only I used a scrap piece of paper not a notebook just to rebel. What I found is that I wasted a lot of time going between places and a lot of time on the phone and internet with my friends. Not very much time studying, which I was surprised I made the grades I made spending so little time. Knowing I wanted to go to college and medical school, I turned a page in my life and got serious. I reversed the time spent , most of the time on schoolwork and less time on friends, games and internet. Sounds harsh and it was , but my grades went up dramatically and I continued this philosophy of putting the most important thing at the time , school first. I graduated with a 4 point from college and medical school. Then my time shifted to being a the best doctor I could be. Then my time shifted to being the best mother.. get it. Good Luck
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Ryan’s Answer

Time management is extremely important. I like to make sure I've allocated specific times for specific events. Often having a task list or things to do list can seem daunting. When you allocate specific time amounts to each task/activity it becomes much more tangible.
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