6 Easy Tips For Time Management You Need To Know

Table of Contents What is Time ManagementTips for Time Management1- Plan out your daily tasks 2- Prioritize your…
Girl teaching tips for time management

Is managing your time an easy task for you? Many of you would already know the tips for time management, whereas, there might be some who struggle with this important aspect of life.

Are you unable to accomplish all that you chalked out before the deadline? Or do you feel overwhelmed by the number of tasks in hand that need completion?

If your answer is yes, then you need to read this post and learn the time management tips to complete your tasks on time.

Do you need to change your lifestyle so that you can manage your time better? Well, yes, may be a little so that your life is balanced and you achieve happiness in life.

I used to have problems in managing my time a few years back, but things became easier when I learned the tips for time management which I want to share with you all here.

Let’s first understand the meaning of time management and its importance, before we go the time management tips.

“He who gains time gains everything” ~ Benjamin Disraeli

What is Time Management

First, you should know why time is important. It is so because time waits for no one, and time once lost can never be regained.

Remember, time will not stop, nor will it slow down for you. Your work might just keep increasing by the day and your time falling short.

You need to balance your work and time, and that’s why you’ve to learn time management. But what is time management you might ask.

Simply put, time management is how you manage your time effectively so that the right time is allocated to the right work.

It refers to making the best use of your time and managing your tasks. Effective time management is when you can assign specific time slots to activities based on their importance.

Managing your time is a skill that no one teaches you in school, but you have to learn it yourself.

Good time management doesn’t mean that you have to do more work or put lots of work hours. It means you need to focus on those tasks that will make a difference and bring results.

If you want things to change, you can. But for that YOU need to change yourself and the way you manage your time by using various tips for time management as mentioned below.

“Once you have mastered time, you will understand how true it is that most people overestimate what they can accomplish in a year — and underestimate what they can achieve in a decade!” ~ Anthony Robbins

Tips for time management teach work life balance

Tips for Time Management

You can organize your day much better and lead a happy and healthier life if you follow these tips for time management.

1- Plan out your daily tasks

Make a list of all those things you need to do during the day – the night before, or during the first 30 minutes of your day.

Keep ALL distractions aside and just write down how you are going to manage your day according to their importance.

Keep ticking off once you end a task and move on to the next one. Try not to keep any pending tasks in hand, and if they do remain, carry it over to the next day’s list.

“Time lost is never found again” ~ Benjamin Franklin

Why Plan? After preparing a task list and scheduling it, you get a better idea of how much time you can take out for your work and your family, which is an equally important task.

When you schedule your time, you reduce stress and increase your energy levels. It gives you a greater feeling of being in control and in charge of your life, which indirectly boosts your self esteem – doesn’t it?

TIPS – Some more tips for time management when you plan ahead –

  • Use a calendar to manage your daily activities. For those working online Google Calendar is a good option. Also add an organizer to organize to-do lists, information, and everything else.
  • Set time limit within which you will end each task, and stick to it. This prevents you from dragging on one task for hours that you might have kept aside for other work.
  • Add buffer time before going from one activity to another as it gives you some free time and also helps wrap off the previous work properly. Buffer time is also important because if you’re working from home, you can look up your spouse, children, or any other family member who may need your help or time too.
  • Start early, and this really helps. Because if you plan to start work on time, you might be on time or late. Some people get late. But if you start early you’d more likely be on time. Moreover, when you start early you have more time in hand and you tend to remain more clear-headed, calm, and creative all through the day.

I always chalk out my work for the next day before I sleep, so that my mornings are fully focused to start working on things that need to be done on priority.

Takeaway – Don’t list out too many things on your to-do list. Keep them to a limited few that you know you will be able to accomplish daily. Do it in bits rather than getting overwhelmed with work!

2- Prioritize your work

Start your day by doing the most important tasks in hand first. Among all the tips for time management I feel this particular one is the most important one, though very few people are really good at it.

You need to ask yourself which work is more important and how much of time should you allocate to it.

Chalk out those things that need your immediate attention and start working on them. Don’t waste your time on other unimportant things.

“Managing your time without setting priorities is like shooting randomly and calling whatever you hit the target.” ~ Peter Turla

Why Prioritize? This will make it easier for you to take up the less important ones later. Your priority might be different from mine or anyone else’s. So, when you do your important tasks would depend on the time you are comfortable with.

I have a problem at times setting my priority for the work that needs attention first if I haven’t planned them earlier.

TIPS – Quick tips for time management when you are trying to prioritize your work

  • Apply the Pareto Principle, also known as the 80/20 rule, which helps you remove the less important tasks. This principle means that mostly 20% of your tasks produce 80% of your results.
  • Remove time wasters or stop doing those things that take a chunk of your time. What are these time wasters for you? Are they the social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, or checking your emails, or your constantly ringing phone? STOP checking them often. Set a separate time for them and stick to that. This is a major time management technique I use.

You need to identify those things that help you reach your goal and make them your priority. Along the way you’ll realize that a few tasks need no longer be done at all.

Takeaway – As you can’t do everything, set priority for those things that need immediate attention, which you know will get you results, and leave the rest.

3- Set Realistic Goals

Know what all you can really do considering the nature of task, the time it takes to do, and the time in hand. Don’t plan or undertake tasks that you think are not realistic.

Avoid taking more than you can handle to keep your goal realistic. Learn to put your foot down and refuse doing things other than what need your attention. If you still need to consider them, then fix a later time for them.

“Never leave ’till tomorrow which you can do today.” ~ Benjamin Franklin

Why be realistic? Having incomplete tasks and unrealistic goals create pressure on you and often it becomes difficult to cope with the stress.

TIPS – Additional tips for time management that can help you achieve your goals.

  • Learn to say NO. This is a huge time saver as well as stress reliever!
  • Don’t try to do everything! Accept the fact that you cannot do everything, nor be everywhere all the time.  Focus on things that yield important results and do them first, and spend less time on things that can wait.

Takeaway – Just CLOSE everything while you work. No emails, no social media, no texting, no phones –nothing except work! Try it out. It’s the best among the other tips for time management that works for me.

Man showing finger towards clock for time management

4- Remain focused

Focus on doing just one thing at a time. If you try multi-tasking your efficiency levels go down and you cannot really get things done on time.

If you’re a working mom, you might need to work at more than one task at a time alongside your work because you need to see to a lot of things like you family, kids, home, kitchen etc.

However, you need to set time limits for doing each task so that nothing really suffers – yet keep a quiet time slot for yourself when you just work. That time could be perhaps when your kids are away. I do that!

“You will never find time for anything. If you want time you must make it.” ~ Charles Buxton

Why be focused?  If you get sidetracked or distracted from doing what’s important, you might not be able to complete the task in time.

If you’re a blogger or writer and tend to get distracted from work while working online – then shut down all extra tabs.

When you write, you should only focus on writing, and when you’re required to do something else, just do that and nothing else!

TIPS – Some tips for time management to remain focused –

  • Keep a clock  in-front of you because when you are lost in work, you might lose track of time. Some people use Egg Timer to track their time, which is an online countdown timer. Similarly, there are many other tools and applications that can help you remain focused.
  • End the most unpleasant task as soon as you can so that you don’t postpone it, and it won’t even bug you or add to your to-do list.  Once it’s done, you’ll feel more energized and focused to do what needs to be done.
  • Set reminders to take breaks because this helps you work better and you remain more focused in your work. You could take 5 or 10 minutes or even longer breaks depending on how you work. Some people like working for 45 min at a stretch and taking a 15 minute break, while others work for 30 min and take a 10 minute break. It all depends on what works best for you and keeps you energized and focused. I generally prefer taking a break after working for one or two hours because I have limited time to work. I don’t set reminders because now it’s become a habit to take them at regular intervals. And in my break time, I usually catch up with some house work, or check on the kids, cook, listen to music, or just close my eyes and meditate to relax my mind.
  • Cut off from work when you have to, or else there’s never going to be an end to working endlessly. Sometime you tend to become too engrossed in your work that you lose track of time and ignore other important aspects of life like exercising, eating, and sleeping. I have a tough time shutting off things because I don’t like to keep things for the next day. But sometimes when it gets overwhelming – I just have to cut off and call it a day! How about you?

Takeaway – You need to block parts of the day when you aren’t to be interrupted by anyone, nor get distracted in any way. Schedule your most challenging task when you are fully alert, energetic and focused.

5- Be flexible

Don’t be a perfectionist. Instead, be flexible to accept what you cannot do, or change your way of working. Seek outside help or delegate the work if you find it tough to do it all yourself.

“To do two things at once is to do neither“ ~ Publius Syrus

Why be flexible?  When you are flexible and delegate, it takes the burden off you so that you can focus on other important tasks.

Honestly speaking, I struggle with this the most because I spend a lot of time to get something perfectly done. My husband often tells me not to go to such extents and know when to stop and move on to the next activity.

TIPS More tips or time management to help you remain focused.

  • You need to let go of things and change your approach or strategy as per circumstances and new developments. And that may require you to make changes in your task list or your time schedule.
  • Find your work-life balance by being flexible enough, and managing your time so as to give quality time to your family and work. If it’s a weekend and a movie time, you need to drop your work because your family needs you too!

Takeaway – You need to work smart and not hard. Effectively managing your time means doing high-quality work, not high quantity. Be ready to change yourself to work better. Reminder for me too!

6 – Develop good habits

If you ask  – where does having a good habit fit in the tips for time management, I’d say that it should be the first and foremost in the list!

Habits are nothing more than patterns that you follow, knowingly or unknowingly.

Create a routine that favors your work hours or schedule, makes it easy to devote time to work, and helps you be more efficient and productive.

Speaking of myself, I’ve made my routine and know when I have to do what work. If I don’t follow that set pattern, everything for the rest of the day goes haywire. How about you?

“He that rises late must trot all day”~ Benjamin Franklin

Why create good habits? You need to change your lifestyle and habits at times for better time management.

Small lifestyle changes can be things like eating healthy and nutritious food, exercising regularly, and sleeping well, which increase your productivity manifolds.

Early morning hours work best for me, because those are the most productive ones. Perhaps for you it might be the night time or any other time during the day, so it all depends from one person to another.

TIPS – Here are some tips for time management that can help you once you develop good habits.

  • Sleep early if you prefer working early morning. Otherwise, you’d be reducing your sleep time, which would be detrimental to your health. I’m guilty here 🙂
  • Be ready to make any changes in your habit or routine, and you should embrace them happily.
  • Avoid procrastination because you may get into the habit of postponing the difficult jobs and doing the easier ones, and over a period of time these just piles up into your to-do list.

Takeaway – Work within your boundary and time limits. Don’t try doing things that can lead to health problems like stress, blood pressure, stiff neck, and others, which can occur due to a sedentary and unhealthy lifestyle. All of this will affect the way you work and your life.

“If you want to make good use of your time, you’ve got to know what’s most important and then give it all you’ve got.” ~ Lee Iacocca

The above mentioned tips for time management are suggestions, most of which I’ve tried – they aren’t any hard and fast rules you need to follow. See what works for you and chalk out ways to manage your time better.

Some of these time management tips may work for you and some may not, but you won’t really know till you try them out.

Work never ends, but if you know the way to manage your time to accomplish the work, you will lead a healthier lifestyle.

Well, here are some great suggestions from the time management guru Brain Tracy himself, and I’m sure you’d find them useful!

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKOMTZ7PPLg&w=620&h=360&rel=0]

Eat That Frog & The ABDCE Method ~ Brian Tracy ~ You Tube Video

Most of you might think that time is money, but I feel that time is life and if you have more of time, you have more of life – isn’t it? So, if you learn to balance your time well, you’ll be able to lead a happier life.

“Time = life; therefore, waste your time and waste of your life, or master your time and master your life.” ~ Alan Lakein

Just think that if you save 1 hour daily by managing your time well, you’d save 336 hours a year!

Imagine all that you can do with that free time – spend more time with your family, kids, go on a vacation, or just do whatever you want to do.

So, ready to go in for these tips on time management? Then what are you waiting for 🙂

Over to you

How do you manage your time? What tips for time management would you suggest that have worked for you? Let us know in the comments below.

Photo Credit: FreeDigitalPhotos

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  1. Hey harleena,

    The best thing in this article is the Benjamin Disrael, The quotes given by him are really great and so life oriented.

    Thanks for sharing such a great article!
    Keep it up!
    Gaurav Vashisht

  2. There are many important points in your post. Time management, when it comes right down to it, is mostly about mindset. Master that and you can master your time.

  3. The best 2 tips which i also follow is:sleep early and start your day early.

    There is 1 more tip 1 would like to add.

    If you are checking your mailbox, close the mails by replying them right away and don’t keep them in your follow up unless otherwise necessary. Few people have habit of reading all the mails and then came back again to those mail for which they need to reply. Simple motto is if you have start 1 thing, close it to the end.

  4. Harleena Amazing time management tips.

    My tips for time management to folks:
    Batch similar tasks together. For related work, batch them together. For example, my work can be categorized into these core groups: (1) writing (articles, my blog) (2)Office work (3) workshop development (4)Blogging Management. I batch all the related tasks together so there’s synergy. If I need to make calls, I allocate a time slot to make all my calls. It really streamlines the process.

    Eliminate your time wasters. What takes your time away your work? Facebook? Twitter? Email checking? Stop checking them so often. One thing you can do is make it hard to check them – remove them from your browser quick links / bookmarks and stuff them in a hard to access bookmarks folder. Replace your browser bookmarks with important work-related sites. While you’ll still check FB/Twitter no doubt, you’ll find it’s a lower frequency than before.

  5. Time management is surely something I need to work on. I am weak in managing my time… and I always blame it on having too much work. Hopefully your tips will help me. Thanks.

  6. Hi Harleena:

    I’m impressed that you have the knowledge about so many topics. Time management is actually a topic I’m just passionate about, because I like my time organized and things under my control. And I’m writing a book about this topic now.

    To be honest, time management is always easy to talk about but difficult to imply, and it’s even more difficult to imply it constantly. I use to read a lot of time management books. Every time I read a new book or learn a new concept or a new tool, I got very excited. However, you probably can figure out how long I would practice that method. LoL!.

    As I’m getting much better about time management now, I see much better results and efficiency from both my work and my life.

    You’ve got a lot of good points already plus from others comment. I just want to add one point here.

    We all say “Time is Money”. If you borrow money from a bank, you’ll need to pay for the interest. If you borrow time, won’t you pay for interest? How do you borrow time? When we use time from one activity for anther activity, then we are borrowing time. For example, if you give up your sleeping time to work, you’ll not get enough sleep. Your energy level and efficiency will gradually decrease, which will affect your performance. In long term, it’s harmful to your healthy. That’s the INTEREST you pay for borrowing time.

    Never borrow time, when it’s time to eat, eat; when it’s time to sleep, sleep.

  7. Oh that was pretty good job, you prove that you are a great blogger.

    Awesome job, Thanks

  8. Thanks for this awesome article. This is very useful for me b coz i m very lazy person.
    All the tips are very nice.

  9. Love, love, love all the quotes, Harleena, especially Ben Franklin’s.

    Personally, I gave in to my personality which is to go with the flow. I’d rather not accomplish anything without stressing out about it, then constantly checking myself against a to-do list realizing how little I’ve done.

    It’s interesting though because I always thought of myself as a very well-organized person. And I still am, just not in business.

    1. Hi Ana, it’s SO nice to see you here once again after long 🙂

      I’m glad you like the quotes, they do really jell-in well with the post.

      Everyone has his or her own way of doing or taking things. That could vary as per the difference in the personalities – your ways would not be the same as mine. But then the value of time remains the same for all. And time management techniques can be generalized for all. You can definitely add your own color to it after you assess and understand your personality – your preferences, liking, and dislikes etc.

      I like your way of managing your time by going with the flow. That way you love your way of working, which isn’t any alien concept to you. You can keep your personality as it is and make subtle changes to it, if required by learning a few skills or techniques.

      For me, my husband is an example of a person who gets going only when there’s a considerable amount of stress – so, people adapt differently as per their personality.

      It’s good that you maintain a to-do list because not many even take the trouble to do even that! And, that as you can imagine, leads to chaos at the end of the day, resulting in delaying and procrastination.

      You seem to have a natural well-disciplined and organized personality, which works in your favor. Lot of other personal factors contribute to that, including your personal and spiritual beliefs.

      Thanks so much for your wonderful comment and for contributing to the post. I really appreciate it and hope to see you around. 🙂

  10. I love reading posts about time management, and this is a great one! My main problem is getting started, and time getting away from me. I have my own system for planning and prioritising which, when I am focused, works really well. I use a diary system with daily tasks. The next thing I want to work on is putting like tasks together.

  11. This is very fantastic and it has indeed enlighten me more on time management and how to destroy the thief of time i.e procrastination. “I suppose time is an important factor in human life, which if well harnessed will transport him to a higher plane.” I celebrate you for ma!

  12. Hi Harleena,

    Planning your daily tasks, prioritizing them and giving them a time limit is so important. I never actually realized just how important it was until I began doing it and boy did I get a lot more done!

    Whenever I get lazy and don’t plan, I really see a difference.

    But to complement that we do need to let go of things that get in the way and make room for living our lives. Burnout is a big problem in this industry and you really want to avoid that at all costs.

    And of course have good habits. One of my bad habits was eating at my computer. Talk about never giving yourself a break — bad idea.

    Thanks Harleena. Great post and well written 🙂

    Blessings,
    Liz

  13. Great time management tips, Harleena. Need to work on all of them, cause I really want to master time.

  14. Hello Harleena,

    Managing a time is itself one of the important thing to do and the way you illustrated here is simple amazing and any one who follows the se 6 principles to do the things will definitely get the results.

    Regards
    Siddhartha Sinha

  15. Hi Harleena,

    You have given so nice tips, i like this post…even we schedule the work according to time also i am unable to do it, because some work needs to be done urgently that time. how i can manage time for other scheduled work at that particular time?

  16. Making a list of tasks to do the next day can really make a difference. This keeps you focused on the priority items. Many people are just not time aware, but focusing on specific tasks one at a time will still help the important stuff get done.

  17. Hi Harleena,

    Very useful post for those who struggle between multiple schedules.

    From my view.- plan and prioritizing the tasks are key components. The more crucial part is, we need to respect our schedule once we Prioritize and move on as planned. Most time we tend to incline as we wish on the fly though we planned it as different execution. That’s the clear mess. 🙂

    If we really respect our schedule and follow the protocol hopefully we can contain more time and can accomplish the task as planned. 🙂

    Thanks for the informative and time sensitive post 🙂

  18. Hi Harleena,

    I know I need this advice because I’ve had this article open for a week before I could get to it! I love your ideas here and I’m going to incorporate them starting with the list. You’re right, when I make a list I get so much more done, plus I have the satisfaction of crossing items off the list. Yea!

    I like your Pareto Rule too. Prioritizing is important and we should look at our lists with an open mind, determining which tasks are most important and which we can get done in the time frame we have available to us.

    I also like how you pointed out how many hours we can save in a year if we practice these helpful tips. Who couldn’t use that extra time!

    I’m off to share this, then make my list! Or should I make my list first and include sharing this great article so I can check that off of my list? 😉

  19. I really love your writing style and like your personality so much. Thanks for sharing such useful tips.

  20. Hi Harleena,

    Time is money?! Sometimes I hate that phrase, but when it comes to businesses, I see how folks measure time with money too 😉 Well, for businessmen, that’s how they survive I think. No one would like to give up on competition and go for bankrupcy, no? 🙂 Anyway I think that’s their choice and it’s alright if they care it the most.

    Time management was not too complicated until I’ve joined with the development project Harleena. If you know someone who is a software developer or engineer, you won’t be surprise though 😉 lol…

    I’ve got to deal with work as and when I get them and plans change with no prior notice. Dynamic indeed! Well, I have no control over it though, ’cause I’m not the BOSS there.

    First, I’ve finished off the first piece of work faster and then asked for next one rather than waiting until they send me what to do next. What I wanted was to finish things earlier and so I can go to write my blog posts, comment on others and you know, do usual stuff. But it’s never ending and I had no much time left either. Yeah, working hard and needed sleep rather than doing blog related stuff.

    I had a to-do list to follow everyday, but now I strictly think about priority than before as I don’t know when I’ll have to be busy or not, exactly. Stressing, isn’t it? 🙂 Well, I try not to and take breaks and follow healthy tips I can follow.

    My main problem is dealing with blog related work Harleena. I’ve changed frequency of posting to once a week. I can write a post in few minutes or few lines of comments, but I feel embarrassed for doing it 😀 I’ve always did my homework, spell check and all that. I mean, I’d try to be qualitative and yeah, like you, trying to be perfect I guess. Even in simplest things I do 🙂 It’s alright if I fail doing something, but abandoning or ignoring is not something I’d like to go with.

    Further I feel obligated for commenting. For example, you comment on my posts and you do post two times a week. I feel bad if I don’t comment on both 😀 Do you think I shouldn’t push myself that much?

    As with dynamic environment, focus helping me so much Harleena. I’m just away from too much multitasking as I used to earlier and focus on one thing and move on to other. Prioritizing? Indeed! However planning out is the difficult one for me and being realistic is indeed harder with unpredictable work schedules dear. It’d be much easier if I haven’t give much priority for work, but it’s not realistic at all. Can’t let down my blog either 😉

    Anyway I believe slower is better than quitting, no? 🙂

    You have a lovely week there Harleena 🙂 Always helpful tips here.

    Cheers…

  21. Time management is one of those things that seems harder and harder to do these days. The problem of too many tasks and not enough time to do them seems to plague us all. But you can manage your time so that everything gets done and you aren’t stressed out—all it takes is a few basic management skills!

  22. I think the most difficult part is the first part of starting the plan for the day.I have never planned anything in my life.Recently in one of my written exam i ended up performing very poorly because of poor time management.I always feel that i should start managing my time better but never done more than thinking.Your post is really nice – it is very encouraging,this time i will try to implement…..I will again give a feedback if i succeed…..

  23. Nice to hear about time management,

    I believe a persons success mantra lies in the time management itself. A person who utilizes their time properly and maintain an organized schedule will defiantly taste success.Time and tide waits for none and to bring a balance between time and work load is bit tedious and it needs some practice.

    Sometimes I too can’t schedule my paper corrections properly and at the end I had to pay the price by sitting whole night correcting those. I always think daily I should correct 10 papers but I say tomorrow I will do 20 but again I postpone and I think I will do 30 and at last I will sit with all those 50 papers on the last day from morning till night with 6 such bundles. Still I think I need to be careful in managing my time and my work pressure.

    Thanks for the Quotes Harleena I liked all of them especially “He that rises late must trot all day”~ Benjamin Franklin This quote is a good replacement for early to bed early to rise makes a man healthy and wise. Good one I was actually opening this article from past 5 days to read and daily as soon as I open some work and I am postponing may be the length of the post is so long that I needed 5 days to complete it reading. As you have said in the post no emails no Facebook likewise when we want to read an article I think we should take some time when no one disturbs.

  24. I could definitely manage my time better. I don’t miss doing things or late to doing things, but a little more structure could help out a lot I would think. Great post!

    1. Hi Leon,

      That’s what most of us would say I guess. 🙂

      You are still better organized than most others of you are able to do things on time or don’t miss doing them. Hope these tips for time management help you get better.

      Thanks for stopping by 🙂

  25. So many choices of what to change!

    The Prioritize and be Flexible are ones that stand out for me.

    I definitely need to include more “real live people” interaction and reduce my computer time so I can complete more of my “Daily Living” work assignments.

    It is easy to lose your time when working on the computer…especially if Facebook and Twitter are hanging around open…that little clink on Facebook demands attention.

    Thanks for steering me here Adrienne….Wonderful information and it doesn’t Nag!

    1. Welcome to the blog Cararta!

      Yes indeed, there’s a lot we can do if we really want to change our way or working – isn’t it?

      Prioritization is often the most difficult part for most people, though if they are able to do that, they can really remain focused and achieve a great deal. Absolutely – the social media can really keep you glued and unless you don’t close those tabs when you work, you can’t really get down to work. I’ve started visiting all these social medias at a set time for a limited time period on a daily basis, and that’s working out pretty well for me.

      Ah…I guess we need to thank Adrienne for your visit here, and am glad you liked these tips on time management too.

      Thanks for stopping by 🙂

  26. Oh dear, Harleena – at the moment my time management is all over the place, mainly because I’ve just got so behind over the last few weeks and feel like I’m continually playing ‘catch-up’. I’ve completely neglected my gmail account while I’ve been on holiday and now have nearly 400 emails to get through 🙁

    My main problem is that I tend to be very slow at a lot of things, so find tasks often take me much longer than I’d anticipated and I just run out of it – time, that is!

    You’re absolutely right about the importance of planning ahead – that definitely helps, I find I’m much more productive when I discipline myself to plan my work the day before. One of my main faults is simply planning unrealistically to do too much, overestimating how much I can get done and being left with a long ‘not done yet’ list at the end of the day!

    When it comes to working online, I do think that keeping up with emails and social media messages on a daily basis is the best strategy – when you get horribly behind it takes so much longer to respond to things and feels like a mountain to climb. Things move so quickly online that it’s easy to get left behind.

    I loved your point about time being life, not money – how right you are. Really enjoyed the video, too, Harleena.

    Thanks so much for all the advice in this post, which is exactly what I need to hear at the moment 🙂

    Right, I’m off to eat that frog…..

    Sue

    1. Hi Sue,

      I can completely understand all that you are going through, which I feel is mainly because of your job, though I’m sure now things are much more settled for you. When I didn’t see an update in a while at your blog, I did think or mailing you, but then understood it’s the switching over to the online from the offline that might be the reason. 🙂

      Ah…I’m glad you took a real holiday to recoup from that phase and before you fully get into this one. Don’t worry about the emails, as I’m sure if you sit through for a day or so, you’d be able to cover them all up.

      Your’e not alone I guess, because I get slow too at a few things that I really don’t know about, like the tech kind of stuff or if I’m learning something new. That one slow task, slows down the others down the line. So, I try to keep such tasks for the weekend or when I’m not working so that I can really focus on what needs to be done first.

      I guess planning a little at a time might help, like small tasks that you know you can accomplish for the day. I don’t plan too much ahead though I know what all needs to be done in the coming one or two days. But the immediate planning is done for the present day and normally I don’t make very big plans or things I know I can’t do, those again are left in the to-do-over-the-weekend tray 😉

      You are right about the social media and how we can be left behind if we don’t really pull ourselves away from these time wasters. I guess spending a little time or scheduling how much of time per day you want to spend for emails, messages, or the social media works best. Or else we’d have lots piled up.

      Glad you liked the video, and I think trying out his method would make sense too. Yes – eat that frog 🙂

      Thanks for stopping by and adding more value to the post 🙂

      1. Thanks so much, Harleena – I really appreciate your kind, thoughtful words and for thinking of me while I’ve been off the grid – having friends like you makes such a difference 🙂

        Sue

        1. You’re most welcome, Sue. You were in my thoughts, because I remembered you mentioning it once. Nice to have you back now and am sure you must be all geared up too 🙂

  27. This well-organized post is full of helpful information. It is exactly what I need to reduce daily stress and gain more focus at work. Thank you so much!

    1. Welcome to the blog Aleshia!

      Glad you liked these tips on time management 🙂

      Hope it does help reduce your stress, and be more focused and organized in your work.

      Thanks for stopping by 🙂

  28. Hello Harleena,

    What a timely article. We are living in a time, where we all have so much on our plates, it’s so easy to mis-manage our time.
    I, too use a calender, a daytimer and anything else I can get my hands on. I kinda stay somewhat focus, but if something comes up that I did not planned, but still have to take care, it takes me off the target area of concentration.

    I love all of your tips on how to manage our time.
    Thank you so much

    1. Hi Gladys,

      You are so right there, managing our times nowadays isn’t easy, unless we really are well organized and know our priorities well enough – isn’t it?

      Ah…there was a time when I used to use a calender too, but nowadays because my mind’s almost become like a calender where everything is all chalked out for the next two days in advance, I don’t use it anymore 😉

      I think anything works as long as we can keep our focus and manage our priories right. Oh yes…when we are caught unawares of have to take up other tasks as priority, our work does suffer. I have such days over the weekend when I turn a full time Mom-cum-chef! But I guess I do plan out my work in such a ways generally that those days are taken care of well.

      Thanks for stopping by and sharing your views with us 🙂

  29. HI Di,

    Great Share!

    It appears you have timed it so well for me. For the last few weeks it has been a great struggle with the amount of work in hand.There have been few projects and I’ve been unable to prioritize those.

    I am now planning of prioritizing and could really see the importance of it, at least the projects in hand can be delivered on time.

    You’ve gave the same tip earlier as well, which really helped me a lot.

    Thanks Di for this share.Have a great week ahead.

    Sapna

    1. Hi Sapna,

      Glad you liked the post and it came just in time for you too 🙂

      Your’e certainly not alone when it comes to prioritizing work, because all of us have or had gone through it sometime or the other. I guess leaving the work we are doing, and concentrating on what requires more of our time and attention is the toughest part. Being at home with additional housework adds to these time-management problems too – isn’t it?

      Yes, if we remain focused and plan out things in advance, and are able to schedule time slots for different things, we can work much better and faster. I’m glad you remember that post on setting your priorities right, and it’s working well for you.

      Thanks for stopping by, and wishing you all the best in your projects. Have a nice week ahead as well 🙂

  30. Hi Harleena

    I gave up a lot of things that I was always checking. Decided it really did not change the outcome so why bother. Did not renew 2 of my sites and will not renew the one due this month. The pressure to create was a bit much and the rewards were not there so it seemed pointless. How much else I will change not sure. Have been taking time out when the mood pulls me and have started throwing things away. A task I have ignored for years. Looking at it from a different attitude has helped.

    Taking time to manage time in a more productive way has been giving me more time to do other things. Kind of funny how it has actually given me extra time to do more interesting things. But I also find that if I spend too much time during certain hours that it doesn’t leave enough time to get into studying, so I have got to put in a cut off time. So easy to get side-tracked. Better planning will have to be my next agenda.

    Mary

    1. Hi Mary,

      You made good choices I would say 🙂

      Your’e right – if the outcome doesn’t change then why really bother about spending a lot of time on doing those things. Instead, it’s better to focus on things that make a difference and positive change to your life.

      I can understand what you mean, as I also have a blog that needs attention but I’d work on it only when I have the time, or else it would just lead to unnecessary stress and pressure.

      Yes indeed, if we are able to prioritize what’s important to us, we can really manage to save a lot of time to do those things that will get us results and leave the time wasters aside. Ah…we all need to put restrictions to avoid getting carried away, so those cut-off times do help. For me, it’s my hubby and kids who won’t let me work beyond a certain time, if I don’t have my cut-off time on time!

      Thanks for stopping by and contributing to the post 🙂

  31. Sorry about that gravatar, Harleena. Didn’t realize that I had a different email addy there for my gravatar. Um, this really bugs me. I think you understand. 🙂

  32. Great post Harleena!

    Time is so precious. Imagine, someone is getting saved every minute of the day. Have they had not enough time to resuscitate someone right away, they would have lost that person.

    Working for yourself is highly critical because you NEED more discipline in incorporating your time with family, your project, and/or writing. Before I always struggle in time.

    Facebook is one killer on time. I used to just share here every minute and now I stopped doing that. Now I share one photo a day on my business fan page. Glance my personal FB and in 10 minutes I’m done. Same routine with my Twitter, Google+, and Linkedin. I don’t check this every single minute like I used to do.

    For one, I have webinars and courses that I’m taking online. Plus, I have books to read and haven’t finish them all. So, time management is really important. I’m not very good at it but everyday, I’m getting better. I sometime can schedule my post 2 weeks ahead. Before I used to post on my blog every 2-3 days and that really KILLS all my time. And how can my readers catch up with me if I’m posting so many things in one week. And so now once a week post is ample time to do other projects I need to do online.

    Anyhoo, I wish you have a lovely week!

    Angela

    1. Hi Angela,

      Glad you liked the post on these tips for time management 🙂

      So true – time IS precious, though sadly some people just don’t value the time they’ve in hand and tend to waste it in doing things that can wait.

      Yes, all of us need to work on managing our time well enough so that there is a proper balance between our home and work life, or one of them always suffers.

      I agree with you about restricting our time on the social media. The are real time wasters if you can’t control yourselves there. I’m also like that – just visit there for a limited time period, and run out! If not, I’m stuck for hours. Same is the case with Pinterest because it’s so addictive.

      Ah…I’m glad your’e able to find time to read books and attend these courses, something I was wanting to do since a long time too, but then it all does come down to the priorities we have in our lives – isn’t it?

      Absolutely! Posting too frequently isn’t my cup of tea too. I was quite comfortable with posting once a week a year back, but when I saw I was able to handle just one more post – I started posting twice a week. But not more than that, though I marvel at those who post daily, if they are writing those posts themselves. I guess they don’t do it keeping their readers or comments in mind, but for making their sites rank faster. However, this is what works best for us 🙂

      Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts with us. Have a nice week ahead 🙂

  33. Great post. I was particularly drawn to the point ‘ prioritise’. Sometimes I get taken up with things that are less important – things that don’t matter that much in the wider scheme of things. I need to start doing my work in the order of importance because this makes much more sense.

    1. Hi Anne,

      Yes indeed, time management does mainly start and end with how we prioritize our work 🙂

      I can understand what you mean and that’s a common problem most of us face too, though if we just focus on what’s required to be done first, and leave other things aside, we are able to accomplish that particular task.

      Thanks for stopping by and sharing your views 🙂

  34. Another post chalked full of excellent tips Harleena.

    As you know, I don’t believe in wasting time. Now I think I have a leg up on most people because I’ve always been annoyingly organized. Yes, I can even say I use to be a multi-tasked and people who down play that have never been in my shoes or did what I did for a living.

    I did learn early on though to pick the tasks that will get the most results and do those every single day. Write them down and check them off when they’re complete. Of course the money making task should always be done first.

    Now those people who always give the excuse that they played around on Facebook to long or answered too many emails need to just get their priorities straight. Shut those programs completely off when you’re working and there will be no distractions.

    I use the 50/10 rule when working. I work 50 minutes on and take a 10 minute break. For the most part I do that most everyday but I will from time to time be on a roll and just not stop with one task until I’m done. But I do take plenty of breaks and it really does help refresh your mind as well.

    Great tips Harleena and this should be everyone’s handbook for managing their time. Bravo girl.

    Enjoy your week.

    ~Adrienne

    1. Hi Adrienne,

      Nice to know that you liked these tips for time management 🙂

      Oh yes…I know that for sure, and I also know you are a very efficient person and know very well about managing your time. That’s the reason your posts are always on time and things properly organized. I guess a person who is disciplined in these areas learns to manage time well enough 🙂

      Ah…you already ARE doing all of these things mentioned, right from planning to executing them on a priority basis – that’s wonderful, and that IS a sign of being a successful person.

      You are right – if you need to get work done, you need to pull yourself away from distractions because those will always be there. It goes to show how much of will-power you have to keep all those tabs closed and not open them till your goal for the day is accomplished. I also do just that, or else I have a lot of pending up work left. Yes, weekends get a little tough for me because I need to become a full-time Mom and spend time with my family and kids cooking up their favorites. 🙂

      I agree with you there, taking breaks in whatever way that suit you work best to keep your mind fresh and feeling energetic too. They are absolutely essential or you tend to tire yourself out sooner than you expected.

      Thanks for stopping by and adding more value to the post. Have a lovely week ahead as well 🙂

  35. A very important post in view of recent lifestyle and time constrains…. A pleasant read and really loved the post….. Time management is always a greater problem at home than work, where I am forced to be time bound…..

    1. Welcome to the blog Debopam!

      Yes indeed, managing our time in the right way is a challenge for most of us. I agree, time management is often a problem at home, though if you learn to prioritize your work even at home, you can achieve a lot.

      Thanks for stopping by 🙂

  36. Hi Harleena! I have great time management skills… at work, however before I got to work and after work is where I have issues. I even plan things out and have a routine, however, with having a dog around, things are constantly changing. Somethings just can’t be too routine around my house. 😉

    1. Hi Bren,

      Nice to know that, and I surely can see that through your blog and work 🙂

      Ah…that’s where we all have problems! Getting started, and stopping once we start – isn’t it? Oh yes…kids and pets can take away a chunk of your time and not really let you work as efficiently as you can. I have both of them, so you can imagine, though my kids take care of my dog partially, so it levels out for me presently 🙂

      Thanks for stopping by and sharing your experiences with us 🙂

  37. Great tips on time management. This article will be great for those preparing for interview. Many of us often asked, “how do you plan” your time and its not easy to answer. But now I know. As you say, planning ahead and prioritisation is the key to time management and of course being focussed.
    Thanks for this great post Harleena.

    1. Hi Shalu,

      Glad you liked these tips for time management 🙂

      Absolutely! Planning and carrying out what you’ve planned aren’t easy tasks, yet both of them are essential in every sphere of life, be it blogging, writing, or even for home tasks. It does help to prioritize your tasks and hence, not waste time on other things.

      Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts 🙂

  38. Great tips, Harleena!

    I think it is important to take breaks and unplug as it helps us to be more engaged when we are engaged, if you know what I mean! A refreshed mind is a powerful thing! Thank you for some very solid and wise advice. Jon

    1. Hi Jon,

      Glad you liked these tips for time management 🙂

      You are absolutely right about taking breaks, and this is actually the toughest things to do for us because we really don’t know where to draw the line while working. Working with a fresh mind doubles your productivity – isn’t it?

      Thanks for stopping by and contributing to the post 🙂

  39. Hi Harleena,

    This was a brilliant post on time management and you included fantastic advice and tips on how we can manage our time effectively.

    I agree with your point about prioritising being most important. Indeed, we need to flesh out those activities which are most important to us individually and get on with these first. It’s just too easy to get distracted by activities we ‘think’ are important but really are not.

    One thing I’ve been doing recently (and it seems to have taken off a lot of psychological burden) is catch up on Twitter shares and thank you’s to people later on in the week. A few weeks ago I used to try and get all my social media content sharing activities (including Twitter) done earlier in the week. However, now I spend around half an hour on Thursday and get all this done in one go. Doing so frees up my mind to get on with more high priority tasks.

    Thank you.

    1. Hi Hiten,

      Thanks for appreciating this post, I’m glad you liked it 🙂

      You’v got the crux of the matter very clear in your mind – sometimes tasks that are not important also seem important to us, but with little deliberation we can distinguish the obvious from the not-so-obvious. The key to effective time management is to know and do what is important.

      Oh yes, the social media can be very demanding and difficult to manage if you do not have a time template or schedule for them. I take out time everyday for the three major social media that is, Twitter, Facebook, and Google+. This routine was a bit cumbersome and difficult to follow in the beginning but now I’ve become used to it and do it in a flow.

      I can’t keep it for a specific time slot of a particular day, though that is the best way, as the tasks would pile up to considerable amount and eventually take the whole day working om it – because there are so-so many to thank and my list would never end! I hope there are no new social medias to follow in the coming years, even the thought of having more is dreadful. 🙂

      Thank you for stopping by and sharing your thoughts and experiments with time management that am sure they will help all readers. 🙂

  40. I agree with setting realistic goals. I set a goal of 10 comments an evening. I found that I can’t do that and actually read the post and leave a quality comment. I strive for 5 an evening. Sometimes I make it. If I have a lot of comments on my blog then I only comment on maybe three posts. But I read 5-10 posts a day because I’m searching for answers. Now I’m implementing the 80/20 rule. It’s more important for me to comment on certain blogs. I’m wasting my time commenting on some blogs but I’m perfecting that list. Thanks for the tips.

    1. Hi Jennifer,

      I think you did the right thing by lowering your goal of the number of comments per day if you felt so after making a real and honest assessment. Having a realistic goal really takes off much pressure and relieves you from unnecessary stress, else I’ve seen people who try to achieve unrealistic and high goals and then have to reduce their sleep or food time in order to create more time to be successful in their motive. However, in the process, they harm their health and create more problems for their family members, besides for their own selves.

      I really appreciate your views on commenting. I’ve come across people who leave one or two liner comments without really reading the post, either just for the sake of commenting or to leave their links. But as you said, true commenting requires an honest and complete read of the post, and then leaving your valuable and quality thoughts. I hope the 80/20 rule helps you perfect your commenting tasks.

      Thank you for contributing your thoughts and practical experiences with implementing tips for time management. 🙂

  41. Hello Harleena,

    What a lovely post about time, and that quote by Lee Iacocca you used was lovely.

    As an adult, time is one factor that keeps us truly busy. But one funny thing though i don’t leave my day planning for it but i sure respect my time and i am 95% sure that i am using most of it well 😀 .

    As you said Harleena; i want to start my list building and day planning then see how my direction will breeze to. Thanks for showing me some secrets i never thought of 😉

    1. Hi Babanature,

      Thanks for your compliment, I’m so glad you liked the post. Yes, the quote by Lee Lacocca clearly states the secret the time management – list the important tasks and work towards them.

      It’s good if you can make use of your time well without any planning, that shows you make wise choices and remain dedicated to your work. However, for myself I do feel planning and making a to-do list helps very clearly distinguish the tasks that are important and saves more time. I’m sure you’ll notice some difference when you too get down to using the list building and day planning.

      Thank you for stopping by and sharing your thoughts and experiences about time management. 🙂

  42. Hi Harleena

    This has come at a great time for me. I’ve been struggling with time management for a while now and it’s meant that I’ve been lacking a little in motivation.

    I’ve been looking for a way to try and stay focused using an online service and I’ve decided to use Todoist. It means I can also sync my to do list with my iPhone.

    The only thing it doesn’t do is let you add timings but I’m also interested in the Pomodoro technique so I’ve been using an online timer for that.

    I mostly have to work around my stay at home dad commitments anyway so until my daughter goes to nursery, I’m unlikely to be able to know exactly what my working hours might be!

    I’m also using Time Doctor to prompt me if I stray off track. It’s helping to boost my productivity at least.

    Great article Harleena. Thank you for sharing.

    Have a lovely weekend.

    Tim

    1. Hi Tim,

      Everybody struggles with time management, and we do learn it with experience and time. I too had problems with it until a few years back but my determination and persistence helped me creates routines and habits that were conducive to successful time management. Yes, you need to have some good reasons to keep yourself motivated.

      I’ve never used the online services you’ve mentioned but I’m sure these will also help the readers of this post, if they ever felt the need to take help to stay focused and be able to follow your schedule.

      You’ve been doing a great job as a stay at home dad and looking after your little daughter. I’m sure the tips for time management in this post will help you increase your working hours.

      Now, Time Doctor sounds really good for it is very easy to stray off track while working online, and you need to control this habit if you want to increase your productivity.

      Thank you for stopping by and for sharing all the applications and software to better the time management. I really appreciate it. 🙂

  43. I keep trying to find the buffer time Harleena 🙂

    I live by a planned day, I have too much going on and I’m bound to forget something. I once forgot to pick up my son at school. Don’t worry he’s a teen 🙂 They had early dismissal at school and I was caught up in my work. When I heard the time I jumped out of my desk and hurried to pick him up. I thought it was rather amusing but my son didn’t 🙂

    I love your suggestion about scheduling a time for email and social media. I leave stuff like filing for the end of the week so I can focus on other more important things.

    I love helping people so I feel bad when I have to say no. And I totally understand about being overworked. My husband and I had a discussion about how much time I’m away from the family so I had a mini vacation this past weekend. It re-energized me and I was refreshed for work at the same time so taking time off is a good idea.

    Thanks for sharing such great suggestions 🙂 Hope you had a wonderful day, have a fabulous weekend!

    1. Hi Corina,

      Lol…you’re surely not the only one finding the buffer time 🙂

      I understand you’ve a busy and hectic schedule. And, with the unending sequence of tasks, it becomes difficult to find the buffer time. One reason because you think if you keep some buffer time, you might end up losing on some or the other task for the day.

      Great to know that you too plan your day. Yes, in-spite of that it is normal that at times we forget some important task – maybe because we’re too engrossed in our task, or we’ve too many tasks in hand. I guess your son enjoyed the extra time he got to spend there may be with his friends. 🙂

      Yes, if you observe the emails and social media do take lot of our time. In fact, if we keep making a check on them frequently, we lose up on our concentration level, flow of work, and useful time. I think these activities should be done only at set time like thrice a day or twice, depending on what suits you, and other than that – keep it closed.

      At times it is okay to say no, when you know you cannot carry out the task as you want to and if that particular task is going to negatively impact on the other existing tasks you’ve in hand. It was a great idea to take a mini-vacation and it sure does wonders! Mine is due to start soon and I to would be glad to spend more time with my family.

      I’m glad that you liked the post and the suggestions. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your personal life experiences with us 🙂

  44. Hi Harleena,

    I remember those early days when 1 day seemed to have more than 24 hours. That was when I was a kid with almost no responsibilities. The days appeared longer than what we have today.

    The more the responsibilities we have, the lesser time we have available. We can only have more tasks to accomplish within a certain period. No matter the number of tasks per day, the day remains 24 hours. Without proper time management, we end up piling tasks and leaving some unaccomplished.

    I must confess I don’t think I’m doing well here but thanks to your tips, I’ll be trying to improve 😉

    Have a splendid weekend Harleena.

    1. Hi Enstine,

      You’re so correct in your observation that our time decreases with increase of our responsibilities – words of wisdom 🙂

      The example of childhood and adulthood you give so aptly explain your observation. That’s why it is said to enjoy and have fun doing your tasks like the children do and in that way you not only reduce stress but also make the most of your time.

      Since the number of tasks increase while the number of hours remain fixed, it makes prioritizing and other tips for time management more essential. I’m sure you’d excel in time management as and when you apply these and other tips. There’s time for everything in life. 🙂

      Thanks for stopping by and adding more value to the post. Have a great weekend as well. 🙂

  45. Hello Harleena,

    Excellent & well elaborated post on discussing management of time. There is a proverb – Time & Tide waits for none. Once it is gone, gone forever. So we need to utilize it properly. I still remember when I am student, I think that I’ll read later. Now its time to play. So when my exam is near, I don’t get enough time to read. Another key point you mentioned – Prioritize your work. Everyday we have lots of work. Idle brain is the devils workshop. So everyone need to do some work to make our self active. Here we need to give priority which work we do first, then do in serially.

    If we make this plan in morning, we can complete all our work in fixed routine. It will be the key of success.

    Thanks for elaborate discussion on time management which is very important in today’s world

    1. Hi Ahsan,

      I’m glad you liked the post on time management. 🙂

      Oh yes – that is a very apt and famous quote. Consider every moment to be worth one unit of your currency. Now, the more moments you put to good and constructive purpose, the richer you become.

      Thanks for illustrating your time management tools with your real life examples. You’re absolutely right – having a priority and starting early makes a whole world of difference and we end up achieving more.

      Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts 🙂

  46. Thanks a lot Harleena for rolling out ever so important post.

    I always have a question whenever I see your blog and those long but beautiful comment in numerous blog.So here we go. When you have this time management skill, things for you would certain work on your finger.

    On the post, first let me congratulate you for in me you have one of many readers of Aha-now who is so jealous of the way you write. Here, the post, I feel is structured in its best format. I really like the way you have written it.

    You have covered up some of very applicable and practical tips here. I have always been on wrong end due to ill management of time. As the days moving ahead, I am feeling that 24hrs cycle is running too fast. 9-5 job, business and then blogging always has just shortened my life.
    I guess, I need to wok much on Charles Buxton’s word. I, like any other guy on earth have same amount of time but I need to make out time for myself and never complain about paucity of time (which I always do)

    Your takeaways are awesome and I am taking maximum out of it. I have always used the tactic of picking out works to be completed on priority. These works are picked out on basis of their time-bound nature. So, next time when I see your long and awesome comments, I wont be surprised. I would think ‘An expert on time-management is on Work’
    Bookmarked.

    Regards
    – Koj

    1. Hi Koj,

      I’m glad you find the post important and useful enough to have bookmarked it – I’m honored 🙂

      You’re very right – sometimes the day seems so short, and you wish you just didn’t have to sleep. I can imagine the hectic and busy schedule you have and kudos to you that you still manage to blog, and make long comments like me!

      Talking of myself, I don’t actually plan to write long comments – I just quickly and nicely express my thoughts, which for me is easier than to think and search for words to keep the comment short. I’m sure the blog owner won’t mind me being expressive and it does no harm, instead saves me time. 🙂

      I’m glad you like my writing style, and I know you don’t have any negative feeling, else you won’t be commenting here, right? When I find something that I like and consider good, I admire and try to learn and do it myself.

      Yes, you do need to create time. We do commonly have the dialog on our tip of tongue that – “I don’t have time,” and every time I say that, I remind myself that I can and have to create the time.

      I’m so happy that you find something worth to take away from this post, and if I were able to help you in anyway, then you just made my day! It’s great that you prioritize your tasks, this technique certainly helps.

      Thanks for expressing your feelings and thoughts, and sharing your personal experiences with all of us.:)

  47. Great post Harleena – to me it all starts with planning. Whenever I plan a day in advance (I usually work this way), I get a lot more done when compared to days when I work without a plan (usually on weekends)!

    A well planned day is also easy to face and tackle 🙂

    1. Hi Jane,

      Glad you liked the post. 🙂

      You’re so right and quite like me in this matter. I also cannot do without planning, and at times my hubby complains of me becoming too obsessed with planning. He prefer to do it in moderation and have some days where you’re free and let your soul guide you to do your tasks of the day.

      But overall, planning is a must. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and experiences with all of us. 🙂

  48. This couldn’t have come at a better time! I am getting so caught up with my college and research paper this term that I hardly have time for anything else. Just today, I left everything I was doing and read a book I have been trying to finish for a month now!

    I think I have a problem with setting priorities. I want to do everything all at once. Thanks so much Harleen. So sorry for not having come by and commented on your posts. But after this term ends, I promise to catch up during the long summer break!

    Hope you are doing well!

    1. Hi Hajra,

      Good to see you after a long time! 🙂

      I’m glad this post has been timely for you and helped you in anyway.

      You sure are spending time in something that will be very fruitful and useful to you, and you need to be so engrossed especially when you’re into studies. Good you decided to have a break and I hope you finished the book by now!

      That really happens with most people, and I too were like that – wanting to do everything. But with time and experience I realized that it doesn’t matter if you cannot do everything, but what matters is that whatever you do, you do with quality and total devotion.

      Oh, you don’t have to be sorry – I understand the reason why I don’t see you much on the blogosphere these days and I wish you be successful at whatever you’re doing. Yeah, would look forward to catch up whenever you’re free.

      Thanks so much for taking time out and coming over. 🙂

  49. Dear Harleena,

    This is one of the post interesting post i ever read this week, really time is important, most people just wasted their time on nothing, i can give you m money, but i can never give you my time, except you worth it…

    Time is meant to be invest not spent.

    Thanks.

    1. Hi Temilola,

      I’m happy that you liked the post so much. 🙂

      You can consider time to be like money for the sake of understanding – If you incest it, you gain; if you spend it on useless things, you lose it.

      So, you’re right – spend your time where it’s worth doing so. Time is your most valuable thing, and I really appreciate your spending time on my blog and sharing your views.

      Thanks for stopping by and taking time out to comment on this post. 🙂

  50. Great post Harleena and a wonderful reminder for me to get back in the habit of making up those lists the night before. I also believe in the 80/20 rule, interesting how it can apply here to time management as well. Love the quote, we sure cannot get time back 🙂 Have a wonderful Mother’s Day weekend Harleena.

    1. Hi Lisa

      Glad you liked the post 🙂

      Ah.. making the list for the next day’s task, it did help you, didn’t it? How much time we waste in indecision and thinking if we don’t plan ahead.

      Yes, the 80/20 rule, rules everywhere. 🙂 Imagine what would it be like if we could get back some time! Would it turn productive or disastrous?

      Thanks you for stopping by and sharing your thoughts. Have a great Mother’s Day weekend too! 🙂

    2. Lisa, I couldn’t agree with you more! I live (and die) by my commitment to my daily “to do” lists. It also helps me to do my toughest and most challenging work first thing in the morning….but then I’m a morning person! 🙂 And no once time is gone….we simply cannot get it back!

  51. I love that quote by Benjamin Disrael. Thanks for the article! Very productive and simple post.

    I agree with the order of the list. I love to delegate. This is the most underused time management tool today. The only interruption for me is staying 24 hours online. This can be waste of time. I am working so hard to reduce my time online to focus more on other important things. Are you always on the internet too?

    1. Hi Seun,

      I’m glad you like the post. 🙂

      Yes, definitely time is the most valuable thing that we possess and it is the key element through which we can have everything – Benjamin’s quote is very insightful.

      I agree that delegation increases our efficiency, productivity, as well as helps reduce stress – a powerful tool to manage your time. However, a blogger still is left with umpteen number of tasks and any amount hours for being online fall less.

      In such a case, one has to draw a line and make some ground rules to follow religiously to shut down your computer or laptop at a certain time in the day or night. Of course, I’m not online all the time, as it is not humanly possible. But with increasing engagements, I find myself online most of the time of the day.

      Thank you for stopping by and contributing to the post. 🙂

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