Ever wish that there were more hours in a day? Maybe 28 or even 30 hours? Just enough so that those things you never have time to do you could actually get done, shorten your to-do list a little bit, ease the stress of having ‘too much to do, and too little time’?
Learning how to save time and be efficient with tasks that we must do throughout the day is an important skill to acquire. Companies and businesses invest millions in trying to get employees to work more efficiently, and families and individuals wrestle with feeling rushed and having too much to do.
If you’ve ever had any of those feelings or been in those situations (and you’re lying to yourself if you say you’ve never had those feelings) then check out HackALife every Tuesday this fall. We want to provide you with ‘Time Saving Tips’ that, if applied, will make your life more efficient and ease the stress of a ballooning ‘to-do list’.
Our first tip is a great place to start: Make A List.
Making lists serves multiple purposes:
1. A list takes the things bouncing around your head that you are trying to remember and gets them out on paper so you don’t spend brain power trying to remember them.
2. Lists help you organize the tasks from priorities to optional items that need to be done.
3. Lists help you visually see the tasks that you’ve laid out for that day.
4. Lists communicate to your family or co-workers the things you’d like to accomplish that day.
5. Lists make you feel good when you cross the items off.
So now that you know the benefits of making a list, here are some steps to make a list.
Step 1: Free write all of the things you’d like to get done during the day. (Be realistic…there is always tomorrow)
Step 2: Organize your list. Place the items from most important to least important, then structure times that you’d like to accomplish those tasks. (Remember the other things you need to do that day and structure your to-do list around them)
Step 3: Start on one thing. Your list can only be accomplished one step at a time. Getting started creates the momentum you need to feel good and get going.
Step 4: Cross items off your list. Nothing feels better than crossing those items off and visually seeing the progress you are making.
Step 5: Live the day! Make sure that you control your to-do list and your to-do list doesn’t control you. Life is more than what you can accomplish that day. Don’t forget to breathe deep and smile a few times throughout the day.
We’d love to hear about what you think about this time-saving tip and others you might share with us! Join the conversation and leave a comment below.