Thursday, November 21, 2013

Time Management

Budgeting time is similar to budgeting money. We spend our money and our time on things we value.
There are only 24 hours in a day. You can't earn more so you need to learn how to fit everything in. These suggestions can be utilized by adolescents or adults.

The first thing to do is to keep track of where your time is spent. Click here for a form to complete. Total the number of hours.

If you are over 24 hours, determine where you need to cut back.
If you are under 24 hours, see if there are changes you need to make. 

Another way to determine how much you can get done during the course of a day and where your precious moments are going, Joe Mathews suggests carrying a schedule to record all your thoughts, conversations, and activities for a week. You'll see how much time is actually spent producing results and how much time is wasted on unproductive thoughts, conversations, and actions. 

Now that you know how your time is being spent, you can make a budget for your activities. Be aware of when you have the most energy, are the most alert, and when you get tired or irritable as well as what distracts you from starting or working on your list. 
According to the University of Utah School of Medicine website, it's a good idea to start off "making a master schedule for the week which tells you what time is "committed," i.e. time periods that you have already scheduled. It includes sleeping, dressing, eating, travel time, meetings or classes, housekeeping chores, time with loved ones, friends or children, and some leisure-relaxation-exercise time. This is your fixed schedule. It includes the things you must do. Your master schedule is pretty stable week after week. You need to write it down only once, then make occasional changes as needed. The master schedule identifies the hours that are "free," that you have control over. Doing this doesn't mean you have to do the same thing each week, rather it is a starting point for your planning."

The next two options I prefer for time management are either a to-do checklist or a calendar-book type day planner.

For the daily checklist, simply write down all the tasks you need to accomplish for the day. Prioritize and assign the letter A (those that need to be done the soonest), B, or C (those that are lowest priority), to each item on the list. Begin with the tasks marked with an A, and start with the task that will take the shortest amount of time working your way up to the longest amount of time. Do the same with the B and C category. 

Train yourself to avoid procrastination. Postponing work only makes you feel more pressured for time. It just boils down to will power and making yourself do it. Joseph Fielding Smith said, "Do it! Do it right!, Do it right now!" Write down this quote and put it somewhere you will see it every day.

Plan to multi-task. If you want to read a book but can't find the time, keep it with you and read it while you're waiting to pick up the kids from school, when you're waiting in line, when you find a spare 15 minutes, or instead of playing on your phone. 

Reward youself! 




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