Time Management Tips For When You Say You Don’t Have Time

Everyone has probably said “I don’t have enough time” at some point in life. But how true is that statement? Haven’t you ever wondered how celebrities juggle different professions, such as an actor, model, and business owner? They have the same 24 hours each day as you do. What’s different is they know how to manage their time wisely. If you would also like time for all of your passions, you must implement the following essential time management tips:

Take A Hard Look At How You Spend One Week

Many people waste hours every week without realizing it. Did you know that when you check your social media feed, you sometimes get caught up in it for at least an hour? Let’s say you spend one hour every day browsing social media. That’s seven hours of time every week you could free up. Or six hours if you want to allow a little bit of browsing time without getting caught up in watching your social media feed. Aside from time spent on social media, other areas to examine include:

• Spending time with people you don’t like
• Attending unnecessary meetings
• Watching television
• Drinking alcohol

Schedule More Than Just Your Work Responsibilities

As a business owner or professional service provider, you already know to schedule your work responsibilities and maintain an agenda. If you feel like you don’t have enough time for fun activities or down time, then start scheduling these things in your agenda to make sure you’re dedicating time to what you love doing. You don’t want to overwork yourself or allow others to dominate your schedule.

Stop Saying You Don’t Have Time

When you say you don’t have enough time, you place yourself in the trap of feeling like you can’t do everything you want to. It’s usually an excuse to procrastinate or avoid doing something you don’t want to do as well. Say something more accurate, even if it’s only a thought in your head.

• “I would love to see that show, but I will buy the DVD set after I finish reading this book.”
• “I will start taking dance lessons next year, so that I can focus on mastering what I’m learning now.”
• “I would love to hang out this weekend, but I have to finish a project for work.”

These three statements are examples of how you can decline something without saying you don’t have enough time. Once you begin phrasing it this way, you will find yourself able to do more because you’re not outright rejecting yourself over the delusion of not having time for it. You acknowledge that something else is of a higher priority at the moment, but you also promise yourself to do it at a certain time in the future.

Focus On One Thing At A Time

Humans cannot multitask. What people call multitasking is actually changing your attention from one task to another. You’re not actually doing more than one task at a time. “So what?”, you may be thinking. If you try completing too many things at once, then you are less productive. Your full focus is never given to any of the tasks, so it impairs your productivity. Giving your undivided attention to something isn’t as easy as switching your focus. It takes a few minutes for you to get in the zone. Distractions will pull you out of the zone, resulting in you needing to build up your focus once more.

No one can make more time in the world. What you CAN do, however, is master time management in order to fit everything in your schedule that’s really important to you. There are many time management tips, but don’t overwhelm yourself by trying to implement them all at once. Incorporate a tip or two at a time in your life. The four time management tips listed above are a great way to get started when you have the problem of thinking there’s not enough time.