And you? How good you are in managing your own time?

I keep it really short cause time is the most precious thing, really. It’s a commodity and it's limited.

The interesting part is that we are all provided with the same amount of it, so, basically, it’s perfectly equally distributed. Quite nice, no? That sounds pretty unusual these days, actually. Yes, but how we use it? Are you able to make the most out of it?

There’s plenty of articles, tips and tools out there in order to help us managing the time during our super overwhelmed days: eliminate the unnecessary, plan in advance, avoid interruptions, silent your phone or, better, put it in airplane mode (offline), etc etc.

But, when it comes to reality…yes, the reality is always something (a bit) else and you know why? Cause we are humans, we are not robots…not yet at least. And any technique has a different appeal, result and impact on any of us, cause each of us is different from one another, thanks God! An unexpected call, a whatsapp message, a task that requires more than expected in order to be completed and any other tiny or big urgent/unexpected thing can drift you away from your nicely done and good looking perfect plan and forces you to adjust, reconsider, re-plan. Do not panic!

I’m experiencing it myself lately, since I started to work from home, and trust me, that makes things way more difficult but way more interesting cause you try, you experience and you learn, a lot! And finally, I think, you make it your own way. A 9-6 job, as any other fixed appointment every day, gives a rhythm to your day and gives you constraints, hence, points of reference. When you have points of reference, the game is easier somehow.

So, based on my experience so far, my tips are:

-treat your day like a puzzle. Hours are just pieces of that puzzle but bear in mind that those pieces are divisible (flexible), you can use fractions of hours based on your needs. That considered, build your own slots using those pieces and assign them to specific activities or tasks.

-rank those activities by priority (distinguish between the ones that need to be completed on that day, no matter what, and others that, worst case, can be procrastinated). This lowers your stress level when it comes to face reality and manage expectations.

-if you do not have any constraints, like a 9-6 job, create your owns and place them into your daily puzzle as points of reference (e.g. work out sessions, studying – anything matters here - or any other activity that you consider important in your life)

-when you really need to focus on something and want to finish that activity on time as planned and you know that is doable, well, just put your phone offline, it works!

-do not forget breaks! Frequent and short breaks are fundamental to make your brain works properly, clearly and faster.

-be realistic when it comes to planning, but not too much! Yes, not too much. I mean, I keep on doing the same mistake with too optimistic plans (too many things squeezed in) but less than before. At the same time, challenging and not really realistic plans - as long as you are aware of it - can be that extra motivation trigger that gives you that sense of urgency that spices up your day and probably helps you to lower your caffeine intake. So, try not to be perfect here.

Conclusions?

KEEP IT FLEXIBLE, BE FLEXIBLE, but with a solid plan. Cause this way you-we learn to be more productive also adjusting to whatever may happen during your-our days. And let’s not forget we are humans and creativity cannot be caged in fixed static schedules. 

Which approach you have with time management?