By: Ariella Youssefyeh
If you haven’t procrastinated on doing something you needed to do before, consider yourself lucky. I’ve been through so many anxious days avoiding doing something because just the thought of it stressed me out, only to be rushing to finish it the very day it was due.
Not knowing how to manage your time is stressful, anxiety-inducing, and a nuisance to say the very least.
Knowing how to manage your time, however, is hot. Here is my foolproof 3-step guide on learning to manage your time:
1. Use your calendar!!!
It exists for a reason. To be used. Whether you’re an old-fashioned girl and prefer to use a handwritten calendar, or you can’t make any plans without adding them to your calendar app (literally me) using a calendar will help you better organize your life and manage your time more efficiently. You can even block out time for everything you want to do that day to make sure you waste less time figuring out what you want to do and actually do it!! While some days will have more spontaneity and this may not be realistic for every day, if you start making it a habit to calendar the plans you ARE sure about, you’ll already feel more in control of your life.
2. Factor in Rest Time
While time management IS important in making sure you get your work done, part of taking control of your life and confidently managing your time is factoring in time for self-care. Whether it’s taking time to put in your favorite hair mask, starting to get ready an hour earlier to ensure you have time to execute the perfect blowout for your night dancing, or just taking an extra 30 minutes to squeeze in an episode of your fav TV show, your nervous system needs a break, and so do you. Managing your time should make you LESS stressed out, not more, so be sure to remember that rest is just as important as work.
3. Learn The Skill of Saying "No"
And finally, remember it’s okay to say no. Some plans will take priority over others, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Figure out what you NEED to do this week (this includes time for self-care of course, not just work) and make other plans from there. Maybe you only have time for one lunch with friends instead of two this week, or maybe your Thursday night is better spent going out with friends and relaxing than getting back to studying Friday afternoon instead of staying in and staring at your notes for any longer. The best way I would suggest doing this is sitting down for a second on Sundays, blocking out time for all of your assignments + work that you need to do that week, and then making time for rest and plans with friends from there.
That’s it!! Take it slow and only implement the steps at a speed that feels right for you, but work on mastering these, and you’ll become the time-management expert you were meant to be.
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