Advice for time management

[CommanderMadi]

Howdy everyone,

I'd like any piece of advice on how to manage and organize my day. Tomorrow is the beginning of a web design diploma that will last for 6 months. It will be 3 days each week. Add to that, I work 5 days a week full time, have a blog to daily manage and daily routine workout at the gym for 6 days per week.

I get completely lost when it comes to manage my time and I hate complex ways to do it. Can anybody recommend me, may be a mobile app, a good chart I can find somewhere, etc.. to help me organize my time in a neat way?

Thanks in advance ^^

 

[Nebulous]

Will any of these help?

 

[CommanderMadi]

Will any of these help?

I will check them out. Thanks for the link

 

[Nebulous]

No prob bob

 

[CommanderMadi]

I've found, Madi, that when I have a ton of stuff to do, I watch my own movements. Am I wasting steps? Am I going back and forth trying to accomplish a few small things when I could stay in one place and accomplish them all?

It's called "wasted motion" and it is something that is taught to people who are beginning to learn a martial art. I've got it down pat for when I'm making dinner or any other activity in my house. In my mind I plot out where I have to go and what I have to do, and I lump similar acts or movements together, and make sure my next motion is nearby. Accomplish everything I can in as few steps as possible.

I don't know if I'm making sense, but maybe look up the phrase, "wasted motion" and you may find a better explanation than I can give. I know what I mean and I know how I do it, but I don't know if I explain it fully or exactly.

Thank you for the advice Smooth. I will definitely search that term.

 

[DrLeftover]

Minimize distractions.

Don't stop working to go do something that will "only take a minute" unless you are taking a break for a set period of time. Things that "only take a minute" never do, and usually bring up nine other things that "only take a minute" as well.

Turn off the damned TV, turn on some music.

Tell those that are likely to interrupt that you are working and unless the building is on fire to leave you alone.

 

[Mike]

Perhaps cut the gym time slightly, It is highly important to not cut it back too much though, as I think the fact you go the gym that frequently will help you deal with how much you have on your plate.

As for your blog, how successful is it? How much does it mean to you? You need to have a think about whether it's worth ensuring there's someone to maintain it when you're busy, and understand it might suffer while you're doing the diploma.

As for managing the time, a simple calendar app should be sufficient, come week 3/however many the course is you'll probably not need the app at all anyway.

My advice is to use your lunch breaks or seminar breaks as they are intended, as a short time out, this will make you less fatigued later on in the day.

 

[Dee]

A lot of it is also just being aware and holding yourself accountable to a schedule. Definitely draw one out that seems reasonable for you, and this includes some free time. You must allow yourself a little bit of time out of the day to just do nothing. But hold yourself to a high standard of following that schedule to a T. It's easier to manage your time when you have a routine. Otherwise, you'll be all over the place, which makes following through with what you say you'll do even more difficult.

If you tell yourself you're going to manage your time properly, then do it. Try to figure out what things you're doing that may be wasting your time, and then go back and weed those steps out.

 

[CommanderMadi]

A lot of it is also just being aware and holding yourself accountable to a schedule. Definitely draw one out that seems reasonable for you, and this includes some free time. You must allow yourself a little bit of time out of the day to just do nothing. But hold yourself to a high standard of following that schedule to a T. It's easier to manage your time when you have a routine. Otherwise, you'll be all over the place, which makes following through with what you say you'll do even more difficult.

If you tell yourself you're going to manage your time properly, then do it. Try to figure out what things you're doing that may be wasting your time, and then go back and weed those steps out.

Great! I will check out what is really wasting my time. Thanks.

 

[CommanderMadi]

Re: RE: Advice for time management

Perhaps cut the gym time slightly, It is highly important to not cut it back too much though, as I think the fact you go the gym that frequently will help you deal with how much you have on your plate.

As for your blog, how successful is it? How much does it mean to you? You need to have a think about whether it's worth ensuring there's someone to maintain it when you're busy, and understand it might suffer while you're doing the diploma.

As for managing the time, a simple calendar app should be sufficient, come week 3/however many the course is you'll probably not need the app at all anyway.

My advice is to use your lunch breaks or seminar breaks as they are intended, as a short time out, this will make you less fatigued later on in the day.

Great advice Mike. Thanks

For the blog, it is new and im willing to really make it a great source for relationship and self development concerns so im putting time and effort into it.

For the gym I stalled my membership for two months and replaced it with insanity which requires 45 minutes per day and it is at home.

Im working on managing my time right now, wish me luck

 

[Bluezone777]

I would suggest looking at what you are doing each day and asking yourself the importance of doing said thing. Think if you had to quit doing one thing on the list, which would be it for you? It's a way of cutting out things that you can live without to give that time to things that are more important.

There is also what Smooth was getting at which is looking at what you do and see if you can save time by doing things more efficiently. You could cut out backtracking through a store and instead go through the store once to get what you need as opposed to bouncing back and forth through the aisles like a ping pong ball. You could do it by writing a list up of all you need so you can quickly go through it and get what you need and get out instead of sitting around trying to remember exactly what you need for example.

 

[CommanderMadi]

I would suggest looking at what you are doing each day and asking yourself the importance of doing said thing. Think if you had to quit doing one thing on the list, which would be it for you? It's a way of cutting out things that you can live without to give that time to things that are more important.

There is also what Smooth was getting at which is looking at what you do and see if you can save time by doing things more efficiently. You could cut out backtracking through a store and instead go through the store once to get what you need as opposed to bouncing back and forth through the aisles like a ping pong ball. You could do it by writing a list up of all you need so you can quickly go through it and get what you need and get out instead of sitting around trying to remember exactly what you need for example.

Yeah I already started doing that. Thanks a bunch!

 

[Nebulous]

Did you try any of those apps I linked? How'd they work out?

 

[CommanderMadi]

Did you try any of those apps I linked? How'd they work out?

I have bookmarked the link for a confirmed check I will do on the weekend (starts on Thursday here) as I even got no time for a proper sleep this week. Been terribly busy. But I will surely check em out. They look promising.

 

[Nebulous]

Did you try any of those apps I linked? How'd they work out?

I have bookmarked the link for a confirmed check I will do on the weekend (starts on Thursday here) as I even got no time for a proper sleep this week. Been terribly busy. But I will surely check em out. They look promising.

Too busy to check out these things that might make you less busy?

Personally I don't need an app to keep my time managed. But then again, I'm not a very busy person.

 

[CommanderMadi]

Did you try any of those apps I linked? How'd they work out?

I have bookmarked the link for a confirmed check I will do on the weekend (starts on Thursday here) as I even got no time for a proper sleep this week. Been terribly busy. But I will surely check em out. They look promising.

Too busy to check out these things that might make you less busy?

Personally I don't need an app to keep my time managed. But then again, I'm not a very busy person.

Hahahaha yeah because I didn't start managing my time yet. I don't have time to manage my time

 

[Nebulous]

Did you try any of those apps I linked? How'd they work out?

I have bookmarked the link for a confirmed check I will do on the weekend (starts on Thursday here) as I even got no time for a proper sleep this week. Been terribly busy. But I will surely check em out. They look promising.

Too busy to check out these things that might make you less busy?

Personally I don't need an app to keep my time managed. But then again, I'm not a very busy person.

Hahahaha yeah because I didn't start managing my time yet. I don't have time to manage my time

You better make time to manage that time!

 

[CommanderMadi]

Did you try any of those apps I linked? How'd they work out?

I have bookmarked the link for a confirmed check I will do on the weekend (starts on Thursday here) as I even got no time for a proper sleep this week. Been terribly busy. But I will surely check em out. They look promising.

Too busy to check out these things that might make you less busy?

Personally I don't need an app to keep my time managed. But then again, I'm not a very busy person.

Hahahaha yeah because I didn't start managing my time yet. I don't have time to manage my time

You better make time to manage that time!