How to Make the Most of Your Time

By Jill Mowser

Probably 99.99% of us wish we had more time in the day to get things done. How often do you go to bed feeling like you did your best, but still didn't accomplish half of what you wanted? Since it's impossible to actually squeeze even one extra second out of our 24-hour days, we need to develop and improve our time management skills so that we can feel satisfied with our accomplishments at the end of each day. Here are some tips and ideas to help you accomplish more in your day.

1. Take the time each day to plan your day. While it may seem contradictory to add something extra to your day in order to accomplish more, it will actually help out immensely in the long run. You should spend a few minutes every day (at the same time each day) making a list of what needs to be done that day. Decide when you will accomplish each task, and eliminate those unnecessary items from your list. At the end of the day, you can review your list, and decide if everything on your list was really a necessary task. As you plan your day, and review it each day, you will become more skilled at making effective, achievable lists, and making much better use of your time. You can also devise a reward system for yourself in order to motivate you to accomplish all of the items on your list if you are a procrastinator!
2. Take breaks throughout the day. No one can effectively work all day, non-stop. It's important to your productivity (and your sanity) to make sure you have breaks during your day - either scheduled at a certain time, or scheduled for after you complete a certain number of tasks. Your breaks don't need to be lengthy, but you do need to take them to just unwind for a minute or two. You might find it a good technique to tell yourself, "I just need to accomplish these tasks, then I can go sit down and read my favorite book for 10 minutes," or even better, "then I can go for a walk and get some fresh air."
3. Eat healthy. It can be tempting to snack on junk foods throughout your day, especially if you work at home. Of course, we all know, our brains and bodies function much better when we provide the proper nutrition for them! You must resist the temptation to munch on treats while you work! If you require special help in this area, make sure your fridge is always stocked up on healthy and delicious snacks (such as cherries, grapes, cheese strings and nuts) and limit your snacking to break time!
4. Get plenty of rest. A lot of us stay up late to get more accomplished, but for most of us, at least 8 hours of sleep is important to our physical health. Make sleep a priority in your life, and you will be pleased at how much more you can do in your day, and how great you feel!
5. Set smaller goals for the tasks you despise, but need to do! If there are certain things you need to accomplish, but you just can't bring yourself to do them, you may find it effective to set the timer for 10 minutes or so, and just commit yourself to that small amount of time for these dreaded tasks! At the very least, you will get some of it done, and ultimately, you might find that you start to regularly accomplish some of these things, and check them off your list!
6. Ask for help! If you are always stressed about each day, and are feeling constantly overwhelmed, it's a good idea to talk to someone about it, and try to find help. This help can be in the form of a friend or family member being available to you occasionally for help, or it might be in the form of a cleaning person taking over some of the housework, or a babysitter helping out with the kids. It can be pure misery to feel like you never have enough time for the things you need to do, so talk to friends or family members about it, and don't be afraid to ask for help!

The bottom line is this: It's impossible to create a longer day, so you have to decide what is most important, and try to let other things go! Since life is always changing, what is important one day, may be much less important at another stage of your life, so make sure you keep evaluating, and re-evaluating your priorities, so you can live your life to the fullest each day, rather than always wishing for a better tomorrow.