Are you struggling to fit all your hobbies, work, school, life into one day? Do you often feel overwhelmed and demotivated that you can't do all the things you want and have to do? I feel ya! I have put together some tips and tricks (inspired by Hayley's video that I have linked below) to help you manage your time a bit better and still do the things you want to do within a 24hr day.
Work Out Your Pattern -
Do you have a full time 9-5 job? Maybe you are a part time worker and work shifts? Or you have a schedule that can chop and change each week with varying hours? Perhaps you go to school 9-3, 5 days a week?
Whatever your situation, try and get a clear idea on what core activity takes place each week in your life and get a clear idea on what your shift pattern will look like for the foreseeable. Having a clear idea of when you're needing in work or school will allow you to then build around your hobbies and activities in your spare time.
Know Your Days -
Knowing the above will then allow you to work out which days you can do certain activities for example: what days can you attend a gym class, when can you study, when you can see friends, when you can have some down time.
Having a clear idea on the days you can do certain things will allow you to build a solid schedule to then work from.
Schedule to the Max -
This is the part when we head to our calendar. You can use a paper diary or an electronic diary depending on what you prefer to use. I prefer to use a electronic diary just so I can see it all the time when I'm out and about and it's easily portable.
I like to build in the solid blocks of time when I will be working and then schedule things around this. So for example: Monday - Friday may be 9-5 so then I can schedule things for the morning and the afternoon.
Planning your days will enable you to have a clear idea on what you will be doing each day and keeps you on track towards your goal.
Set Intentions -
It's all well and good setting yourself this schedule and saying that you're going to get up at 5am to go for a run but if you don't have an intention or a goal to work towards you can quickly fall off the bandwagon.
Sit down with yourself and work out the activities you want to do in your free time and distinguish your goals and why you want to do these activities. It could be that you want to exercise before work or school to get yourself into a better, clearer mindset. Or you want to educate yourself through an online course to build up your knowledge on certain topics. Perhaps you want to read more books to expand your knowledge.
Whatever your goals and intentions are make sure to write them down so that when you wake up at 5am and have a moment where you want to hit the snooze button you can recap your goals and remind yourself why you're working so hard today to achieve a goal in the future.
Make the Most of Every Minute -
Depending on your situation, it is likely you will be commuting to work or school so why not use this time to schedule in your reading for the day or listen to an inspiring podcast or make notes for that days essay. Use your time wisely and efficiently to maximise success.
When Are You Most Productive -
Work out if you're a morning or night person. Do you tend to feel more refreshed in the morning or do you feel your most productive at night time? Knowing this will enable you to schedule your most important tasks that require a lot of concentration when you're most productive and then the tasks that need less energy at a less productive point in the day.
Work Out Your Frustration -
Knowing what makes you feel unproductive or in a bad mood allows you to stop yourself from doing this. For me, if I don't get enough sleep or I'm not looking after myself e.g. not drinking enough water or eating the right foods I can wake up the next day feeling unproductive and demotivated.
So having a good idea on what makes you feel unproductive will enable you to make sure that you do look after yourself or get enough sleep so you can set yourself up for a productive day on the day you wake up and the following day as well.
Life Happens -
Sometimes, life just happens. You get asked to a party or a night out or it's a relatives birthday and you're unsure whether to go as you'd already scheduled in a run that evening for example.
Relook at your diary and see if you are able to be flexible with your schedule. Could you rearrange something to the following day so you can enjoy your evening?
Although, having said this, sometimes you do need to learn to say no. If you're getting asked to go out Friday and Saturday for example, learn to say no to maybe one of the nights so you can still keep on track with your schedule and goals.
Find Time for Yourself -
With all your hustling and hard work, you deserve a self care day or evening. Make sure to schedule this into your diary. Perhaps schedule in a relaxed evening routine to set you up for a dreamy sleep ready for the next morning
With all your hard work, you don't want to make yourself poorly so taking time for yourself is so important!
Source:
How I Manage Full Time School, Work & Side Hustle - Hayley Segar
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