"They say" that you have all the time and energy in your 20s to get things done. I wonder who told and sold that lie? At 24, Im the busiest I've ever been in my life. I work full time, attend grad school full time, work out, volunteer, blog and spend the remaining time split between my family, friends and my boyfriend. Outside of those glorious 48 hours known as the weekend, my time is extremely limited and therefore precious.
The quicker we learn to use those 24 hours in our day, the easier our lives become.
I keep several calendars around me to keep up with it all. I have my blog editorial calendar, my meetings calendar, my school calendar, my advising/organization calendar, and they are all forwarded to my calendar on my phone. With that mix of things I had to learn how to prioritize and eliminate in my daily schedule to be efficient.
The key to time management is prioritizing.
Eliminating the inessential in your schedule is one of the best ways to make your day easier and make good planning and time management become a habit.
Eliminate tasks.
Every morning or the night before, write down ten things you need to get accomplished for the day. Prioritize 5.
Make time for those 5 prioritized tasks.
Don't let the day go by without accomplishing those 5 goals. Place them in your daily time blocking schedule FIRST.
Time block the rest of your day.
After time blocking your priorities, time block the non negotiables (work out times, dinner, beauty appointments). THEN (and only then) choose to execute or eliminate the remaining 5 tasks on your to-do list.
Wait, eliminate the other tasks? But i need to get them done!
So how can I start prioritizing and time blocking my day?
Easy. With my super awesome day planning sheet.
I've found resources similar but nothing the same. You use the worksheet using the same steps mentioned earlier. Start your day by filling out to-do tasks. Prioritize your top 5 and write them down. Time block your day with the priorities first. Fill in the rest of your day. It also has a section for contact reminders and shopping list/pick up reminders.
How do I get a copy of that?
Its free. No subscriptions to my newsletter required. No complicated mumbo jumbo, no commenting required. Just download it my free printable planner. If you like it or have questions, leave a comment!
Have fun prioritizing and getting s#!t done!
I like the way the sheet is broken down into times of day versus time slots. I like my current planner but it's one of the monthly/daily planners so my days are just big boxes. (I hope I'm saying this clearly) I'm going to give this a try to see if it helps me organize my to-do list. Thanks for the tip!
ReplyDeleteThanks for downloading it. Time blocking has been a god-send for me! It beats just filling out a to do list for the day with no assigned time to do it. Good luck with eliminating and prioritizing!
DeleteThanks for sharing this! I always enjoy a peek into how other people plan their day/life!
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by Elle!
DeleteI tend to over schedule my to do tasks thus don't get half done. I like your idea of listing 10 tasks and then prioritizing 5 of them. This may help me to get more done each day. Thanks for all your tips. Cathy
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by Cathy! Trust me when i say that focusing on 5 has doubled my productivity! I actually complete things lol
DeleteDude, this is perfect! I can't wait to implement this into my daily routine.
ReplyDeleteThanks Shani! <3
DeleteVery similar to Warren Buffet's 5 Step Process. http://liveyourlegend.net/warren-buffetts-5-step-process-for-prioritizing-true-success-and-why-most-people-never-do-it/
ReplyDeleteSandra- Maybe this is what the professor who told me to pick a top 5 to-do everyday got the idea from! Warren buffet isn't a bad guy take advice from!
DeleteI love seeing a peek at other people's planner insides. :) Honestly, though, five things would NEVER get done. I am a three thing sort of gal.
ReplyDeleteKristy
aka Giftie Etcetera
Kristy-
DeleteStart with three then and work your way up. The key is prioritizing. Start small if you need to. Thanks for stopping by the blog!
It's like you've read mind. Since school has started, blogging, and other task I need to do. I've been wondering how I'd get it all done. I think this post has really helped me try to manage my time. I seriously don't know how you juggle such a busy schedule.
ReplyDeleteGlad you liked my post and found it helpful Jazmine. Above all, the key is to not get burned out-which is easy. I always take a day or two off from one or more of my "non-essential" tasks like blogging.
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