Do you ever feel like there are not enough hours in a day? You run and run around the clock, busy all day long, yet at the end of the day the list of things that you’ve accomplished leaves you feeling unfulfilled. Tired and frustrated, you write another to-do list for the next day and hope you can manage yourself better. And then – surprise – work, kids, bills, laundry, gym, and yet again you find yourself at the end of the day exhausted and with a dozen of unchecked boxes on your to-do list. If you see yourself in this picture, chances are you could benefit from some time management ideas.
When life gets busy, things tend to pile up especially fast. Time management is not about having all of those things done; it’s about having enough time for what matters most to you. Time management is really “personal management” and it is a skill necessary for achieving better quality of life. By managing your time in a more efficient way, not only you will get the right things done, but you’ll also have enough time to relax, de-stress and breathe more freely.
Most people think they can manage time effectively by just tagging a few extra hours on – sometimes forfeiting sleep in order to do so. This might sound like a good idea to increase your productivity, but it’s not. People need on average 7 to 8 hours of sleep to let their body and mind restore themselves. Yes, it has been said before; yet even though everyone knows this, 73% of Americans don’t get enough sleep, according to the National Geographic Channel’s survey. 54% name stress as the main reason for not getting enough night rest, while 37% blame wasted time on social media. If you feel that you have wasted your time, it’s most likely because you haven’t managed it right. A separate survey found that 63% of professionals who identified themselves as lacking time management skills suffered from sleep apnea and blood pressure problems, among other health issues.
