Have you ever mismanaged your time so bad that you missed an appointment? Has anybody ever told you that you would be late for your funeral? Are you constantly rushing because you are late for just about everything? The solution to your problem is effective time management.
Time management can significantly increase your productivity, cause less stress, and allow you more time to relax.
It starts with the three P’s: Prepping, Planning, and Prioritizing.
When I look at this word, I think of meal prepping. Meal prepping allows you to save money and eat healthier because it stops you from choosing to swing by a fast-food joint for lunch or dinner.
I meal prep on my day off, so my lunch is prepared for the entire week and sometimes the month if frozen. That way, I can quickly grab my lunch and go instead of rushing to put something together on my way out the door to work.
You can apply this technique to many other aspects of life, not just your food. Take business meetings for example; prep your meeting like your weekly meals.
You know you will need a pen, paper, and sometimes other supplies throughout the meeting. Think of any questions you may have one or two days before if you know the date and time. Have the items you need nearby and ready to grab before the meeting starts. To be better prepared, you must have a plan.
Planning is similar to prepping but requires a little more brainstorming.
Before I meal prep, I have to plan my meals. I begin by thinking about what I would like to eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the week and put a list of ingredients together to purchase at the grocery store.
Then I figure out the day I want to meal prep and set a time to start and be finished. That way, I still have time to relax on my day off.
You can apply this to appointments or events you have coming up in life. Whenever you schedule something for the future, allow yourself a two-to-four-week period to plan for and prepare for the event.
This window allows you time to prep, plan, and prioritize and prevents you from cramming things in at the last minute. Make a list of things you may need, and block off time to pick up those items.
This way you give yourself time to ensure you have all your ducks in a row, and you can move forward with confidence knowing you’re prepared. The final step when planning is the execution, and you must prioritize.
Prioritizing is the final and most important step in the time management process.
Doing things in the correct order allows everything to flow more smoothly. For example, do you put milk in a bowl before you pour the cereal? Without the cereal, you do not know the ratio of milk needed.
After you have made your planning lists, you must prioritize them. Some items may have deadlines. Take work, for example — you have a to-do list every day of all the tasks that require completion and several meetings included in that list. The tasks on a strict schedule require priority over other tasks that do not have deadlines.
If your position requires a fluctuation in your daily tasks, get your more difficult daily tasks done first. That way, you can better manage your time throughout the day to put out any fires while doing more manageable tasks that are not so time-consuming.
Prioritizing, planning, and prepping may sound like much work, but when done correctly and repetitively it will begin to feel natural and allows everything to flow smoothly.
Time management will help you save money and time and allow you to have more freedom. Make a promise to yourself right now to start managing your time wisely and reap the benefits!
Written by Cheyenne Stanley, Scheduling Supervisor
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