HOW TO MAKE YOUR 24 HOURS A DAY EFFECTIVE..................

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SENSIBLE USE OF 24 HOURS...............

Why does 24 hours in a day seem not enough? I must have asked myself this question a zillion times.

In my “younger” years, I would lament: Why can’t there be more than 24 hours in a day? As if having more hours in a day would have made that much of a difference. It wouldn’t. Why? Well, because I would have found ways to fill the additional time and would have felt that this new number of hours–whether it be 28 or 38–was still not enough.

Eventually, I had to surrender to the fact that 24 hours in a day is all I get, and that this number wasn’t going to change.

Despite my best efforts to deal with my tendency to fill my schedule with more tasks and activities than humanely achievable in 24 hours, I always found myself having more things to do than time would permit.

Finally, I realized that I had to learn how to manage my time more effectively, and use it for high-value activities (i.e. activities that move my life forward). The more such activities I was putting in my schedule, the better return I was getting on my time investment and the less I felt that 24 hours was not enough. It became clear that, to a great extent, time management was really about priority management.

You may have wished that there be more than 24 hours in a day. Perhaps, you’re still wishing… because you have so much to do and so little time to do it.

If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed by all you have to do, you most likely need to learn how to manage your time more effectively. The following steps can help you:

1. Monitor how you use your time and eliminate low-value activities. You’re already using your 24 hours for various activities. But, are these the right activities? Are these getting you the results you want in life? Monitoring how you use your time will help you identify low-value activities. These should be eliminated from your schedule (or at least kept at a minimum) and replaced by high-value activities.
2. Establish clear goals and plan for their achievement. Setting goals is a excellent way to make sure that your time is invested on important activities that move your life forward. Set goals, and plan for those goals: break larger goals into smaller ones, identify the resources you’ll need, establish timelines, etc.
3. Make a to-do list and rank all items. A to-do list will give you a clear idea of all the things that are competing for your attention, and help ensure you don’t forget any important tasks. Making a to-do list is simple and quick. Take a piece of paper or go on your computer and begin to write all your tasks. Update the list as needed (i.e. when you complete a task or when a new task falls on your lap).
4. Prepare your schedule, making sure you put first things first. Ideally, high-value activities should be scheduled first. Resist the urge to prioritize simple, easy tasks. Rather, give priority to high-value activities, and make sure you tackle them first. Always allocate time for high-value activities.
5. Get moving. Deciding and organizing what needs to be done is one thing, doing it is another. Your ability to take action at the set time is a determining factor in your success. Don’t procrastinate. Take consistent action, focusing on one task at a time and eliminating all sources of distraction.
6. Take breaks and time to rest. This should be obvious… But, when you feel that you have so much to do and not enough time to do it, you may be tempted to sacrifice breaks and sleep. Don’t.Take regular breaks and, after a full day of focused work, rest. This will ensure that your mind is alert and your body is fresh when you work. From time to time, you may get away with a few short nights, but don’t make it an habit.
7. Stick to it and reward yourself. It’s very common–if not inevitable–to make mistakes or to face challenges, setbacks, and delays as you attempt to complete a task. In such situation, you may be tempted to give up and retreat to low-value activities. Resist. It takes stamina and perseverance to make it on the top of the mountain, where you can enjoy a great reward. Every step of the way, it helps to celebrate your victories, big and small.

Fitting everything you have to do in the confines of 24 hours can be challenging, even stressful. But 24 hours is enough if you learn to use those hours wisely: for high-value activities. I’m not sure you’ll ever completely eliminate the feeling that 24 hours isn’t enough, but you can certainly get more for your buck… I mean more for your hour.