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How do you do it? How do you make time fly? With so many things to do, the hours in a day never seem like they’re enough. We are constantly racing from one task to the next, and yet somehow there is always more to do. It’s no wonder that we feel stressed out and overwhelmed with all that needs our attention. In this blog post, I’ll share 12 strategies for making time fly by – new ways of looking at work, career, and life!
establish boundaries between work and personal life (this is crucial!) prioritize your ‘must dos’ first, then those that are high priority to get done the soonest. That means “could do” items can wait until next week/month etc. This will also help with feeling overwhelmed because those “could do” items won’t seem so pressing if they aren’t staring you right in the face all of the time. Be reasonable too; don’t give up activities like reading just to spend more hours working.
– do your best to be more efficient with time at work so that you can use the extra minutes or hours for personal interests and family life – if possible, do as much of a task in one sitting rather than breaking it up into small bits throughout the day (because what do those little chunks add up to?); this is easier said than done but keep trying! – take on only manageable projects/responsibilities; don’t worry about everything because there’s not enough time in the day anyway (you’ll go crazy!)
make lists of tasks and then prioritize them by importance; do items from high priority first down through low priority last. This will help give you a sense of accomplishment before running out the door to do what you need to do!
do something every single day, even if it’s just a small thing – this will help create momentum and keep your spirits high. If you wait until Friday or Saturday before finally doing anything productive then that’s going to be demoralizing; not to mention the guilt of having wasted several days worth of time
get things done while they are bothering you in the moment (don’t put them off) – use these few minutes wisely by tackling an issue from one list item at a time. You’ll feel better once you’re finished with each task instead of wasting precious moments on contemplation about which is more important than another so make lists for tasks also!
find out when people have free time during the week and do things with them – this can be a friend, family member or coworker. It doesn’t have to be an extravagant outing either; just something that is pleasurable for you both
do one thing at a time when it comes to work/task (don’t multitask) – if you’re doing your bills then do your bills! Don’t stop halfway through because of some text message on your phone
give yourself more than enough time in order for tasks to get done without being rushed – so instead of saying “I’ll do laundry later”, commit now by giving yourself 20 minutes right away before anything else happens and set aside 30 mins after dinner too. You won’t regret not having to do laundry in the middle of your other tasks
do one thing at a time when it comes to work/task (don’t multitask) – if you’re doing your bills then do your bills! Don’t stop halfway through because of some text message on your phone
do something nice for yourself such as taking a bath, watching TV or reading an enjoyable book. This will help take off some stress and also clear up space so that you can focus on what’s truly important without being overwhelmed by everything else going around
remember these three words: “It’ll be ok” – they are powerful and reassuring. They don’t mean things will be perfect or come out exactly how we want them too but giving ourselves this reassurance can help us get through the doldrums
do not take on too much at once (work, hobbies and life) – if you try to do everything then it can feel overwhelming and stressful. You will end up being unproductive in all of them because there won’t be any time left over for anything else
schedule down time into your week such as a day off or a weekend away with friends. This gives you mental rest from work which is crucial and also allows space for new ideas that come when taking some distance from the routine
do something that is just for fun – going to a museum, seeing live music or cooking with friends. This feels like an indulgence and does not feel like work but it can also help you think differently about ‘work’. For example, if you are working on a website then do some research into how museums do their websites as this will give your current project new ideas
allow yourself downtime when possible (such as weekends) so that there is time for family, hobbies and other activities in life
be optimistic – have realistic expectations of what can happen today than focusing on all of the things which have gone wrong recently. Seeing everything through rose tinted glasses means thinking positively where others might see only problems.