Tips to help save you time
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Do you stress about how little time you have in a day?
Studies show that effective time management is linked to higher well-being and lower stress. Today, learn some tips to help save you time, so you can feel less stressed!
1) Schedule in time for stress relief. It may feel weird to schedule time off. But if you are tight on time, it is essential. If you do not give yourself time to unwind and reset, it will probably take even longer to do other tasks due to higher stress and lower productivity.
Put aside time for what makes you feel refreshed. Even if it is just 15 minutes, schedule time to read, walk, listen to music, or whatever you find relaxing.
2) Identify your “time wasters”. Determine which items on your to-do list often take longer than you would like. To give yourself time back in the future, brainstorm solutions for how to make these “time waster” tasks faster.
Common solutions to speed up “time wasters”:
- Set a timer to limit how long you can spend on the task at once.
- Pass the task off to someone else, if possible.
- Resist multitasking when doing this task, as this will only make it last longer.
3) Learn to say no to some requests. Sometimes you do just have too much on your to-do list. If your list feels never-ending, then you may need to work on saying no to requests more often.
Strategies to help you say no when you need to:
- If you struggle with immediately accepting requests, let them know you need to look at your schedule first. This may help you realize when it is reasonable to say no.
- Be clear and kind. Concise responses such as, “No, I’m not able to do that,” or “Sadly, I can’t,” will leave the other person with a path forward. Giving vague, noncommittal responses such as, “I’m not sure,” or “Well, maybe I could, but…” will leave them confused and cause more frustration long-term.
You are the only one who can protect your time. Hopefully, these tips will give you a few places to start giving yourself back some time in your day. You got this!
Writer: Summer Clarke, Health Promotion Coordinator
