Smart Ways To Manage Busy Schedule

Have a million things to do but feel like there is no time for it all? Our modern world doesn’t take long to fill our schedules – we are constantly juggling with our career, family and friends, while also hoping to have some quality time on our own.

The Internet is full of tips and suggestions of the must-do things you should add to your already busy schedule. But which of these tips and tricks are essential? Are there things you should definitely add to your busy schedule to ease the stress?

Here is our take on the most important things you should do in your busy schedule. With these things, you can better manage the hustle and stay healthy and happy – even if you’re busy!

Limit the time spend on tasks
This might sound a bit shocking, but most people aren’t necessarily as busy as they think they are. In a recent study, well over half of the 10,000 participants said they often pretend to be busier than they are. Sometimes we don’t even lie, we just simply think we are busy when in fact we are just doing the wrong chores.

Think about your most busy moments? Do you stay late at work, spend a few extra hours doing the household chores only to crash into the bed late at night? You wake up in the morning, you are tired, and the next day goes a bit like the day before. You are already in a cycle, which leaves you tired and makes it harder to get things done – you do a bit here and a bit there.

But if you have strict timelines for getting things done, you’ll actually improve your productivity. You’ll need to solve problems quickly and you’ll find more efficient routes to getting things done.

Pick yourself a handy notebook or diary from Choice Stationery Supplies. Allocate a specific time for each chore. Limit your work to eight or six hours, don’t spend more than one and a half hours cleaning and so on. Didn’t have time to vacuum the floors? Just drop it and do it tomorrow.

Learn to prioritize
You might be going ‘Hang on there, what if I can’t just leave something undone?’ That’s exactly the question to ask! The trick of limiting the time you spend on doing things leads directly to this next point: learning to prioritize.

Your schedule is filled with things you simply must do at a certain point, but you’ll also have plenty of things that aren’t an immediate must-do. Yet, it is very likely you spend part of your time doing exactly the wrong things. You wouldn’t be alone either. The UK has seen the slowest productivity growth in recent years. Even if you consider productivity per hour the UK only ranks 12th.

If you only have a limited time to get things done, you are more likely to finish off the essentials first. So, instead of spending time writing e-mails that can be done the next day, you’ll finally finish the report.

Take a moment to breathe
We’re obviously not suggesting you stop breathing for parts of the day! But it’s important to create a moment of calmness even during all the hustle and bustle.

If you want, meditation is a great way to add just 15 minutes of serenity to your day. You can download amazing apps to your Smartphone or check out the offers at Foyles to buy a meditation or a mindfulness book to get you started.

But even if you aren’t looking to start a proper meditative program, taking just five minutes in the morning or during the day to sit down, calm your thoughts and to breathe deeply can have a huge impact. You’ll improve your digestion and reduce your stress!

Add these phrases into your day
If you have a busy schedule, you need to learn to use these two sentences as part of your day.

First, you must add ‘Sorry, I must say no this time’ to your phrase selection. You’re constantly bombarded with different requests and it is all too easy to say ‘yes’. But ‘yes’ shouldn’t be an automated response.

Saying ‘no’ isn’t easy, but it is sometimes necessary. Even though you think you might be disappointing the other person, most people won’t mind – you just need to explain you simply don’t have the time and energy to commit right now.

Second, you also need to learn to say ‘Can you help me with this?’ None of us can do everything on our own and learning to delegate will be important. At work, asking help can not only help you feel less busy, but can also empower the other person to further their career or learn a new skill. At home, doing things together can often bring the whole family together and you get to spend more time with each other.

So, change your busy schedule with these amazing must-do things!