Time. It’s something we all have, yet none of us seem to ever have enough of it. Whether you’re a working parent always running late, a busy professional who can never find time for yourself, or a stressed-out college student trying to cram study hours in before a test. You’ve probably come here hoping for some kind of magic solution that can give you back some free time in your life. You’re in luck: There is one! Mastering time management is easier than you think. Using a few simple tools and concepts, it is possible to not only master your time, but get your life back as a result.
Why You Need Time Management
Time is always moving forward. It’s the only thing you can’t get more of. If you don’t manage your time well, you will have a difficult time achieving your goals. You will always be running after time, thinking about ways to squeeze more into the day or week.
What if instead, you focused on what matters most to you and how best to use your time to achieve those things? Time management is not just a way of getting through the week; it is a tool for living life on our own terms, for achieving our true potential, and for living up to our purpose. We all have 24 hours each day—and no matter what else happens during that time, there are only ever 24 hours per day. The sooner you get started mastering your time management skills, the sooner you’ll have more opportunities for success.
The 7 Minute Life Philosophy: Effectively Plan Your Day In 7 Minutes
You only have 24 hours in your day, but it only takes 1% of that 24 hours to create a daily plan of action. That’s just 7 minutes in the morning and 7 minutes in the evening to better manage your time! Not only will you get more done, but this short daily routine will help you prioritize your tasks, and learn from and improve your habits, so that you accomplish more of the things that truly matter.
Introduction to Time Management Video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9v4Aw_xoE0
Getting Started With Time Management:
The first thing you need to do is get started, which can be the hardest part. Maybe you’re thinking “I already have a plan. I know what I want and where I’m going.”
But not all plans are created equal. Some people’s plans include goals that are unrealistic or too vague. Others have nice intentions but no concrete steps to achieve them (or worse- they haven’t even thought about what they want). In either case, those who don’t take action are getting nowhere fast—which is why planning matters so much.
The definition of time management is simple: time management is a process of planning.
Maybe you’ve heard the phrase “outcomes over outputs” before- the idea that we should focus more on our goals than the actions it will take to achieve them. While it’s true that it’s important to have well-developed goals, if you’re only considering the outcomes but not the steps it will take to achieve those outcomes, you’re not effectively planning your time.
In order to be successful, you need a repeatable system to help you plan out your day so that you can make the most of your time.
The Power of The 7 Minute Life & The Daily Progress Report
The 7 Minute Life Morning Routine is a proven repeatable system to help you better plan your day. It only takes 7 minutes each morning to write down what needs to be done for that day- and then prioritize those items accordingly.
You can easily walk through this morning routine using The Daily Progress Report. I have developed numerous tools to improve all aspects of work and life, but the Daily Progress Report is the single most important tool in improving time management. Using it daily can greatly increase your odds of success. Get your free copy of the Daily Progress Report: https://lp.the7minutelife.com/freebies-report-class
When you download the tool, you also get a free class that covers all of the ways you can improve your time using this amazing daily tool.
How to Get Started, Step-By-Step:
- Using the Daily Progress Report, create a To-Do List of all of the things you could possibly do that day. Some people call this a shower list or a brain dump. Getting as many random actions you could take down on paper is the best way to start organizing them.
- Make sure to write down how long you think each task will take. This is an important step because recognizing how much time something will take will help you better understand how to manage your time.
- Prioritize which tasks on the list are the most important to accomplish that day and rank them in order.
- The 5 most important tasks become your 5 Before 11© list. This is a list of the 5 things you plan to accomplish before 11 AM (it doesn’t have to be a set time, but prioritizing the 5 most important tasks is the main purpose to improve your time management).
Consciously choosing which tasks are the most important and starting with those is a powerful way to start mastering your time and getting your life back. Accomplishing the 5 things on your 5 Before 11© list will propel you to having a more productive day. Even if you only get those 5 things done, you can feel satisfied that you prioritized the most important things and achieved them. Imagine what your life would be like if you accomplished 5 important tasks like this every day!
How to Improve Your Time Management Skills
Time management is a skill that can be learned, improved upon, and practiced daily. When you improve your time management skills, you improve all areas of your life. Here are some tips that can help you improve how to prioritize and plan for your daily tasks:
- Focus on starting and completing one activity at a time. Multi-tasking can lessen your productivity level and leave you feeling flustered. It’s better to focus on one item at a time and fully complete it before moving on to the next.
- Try not to underestimate how long each specific task will take. This can be difficult, but constantly underestimating how much time it will take to accomplish your tasks will only end in frustration. Being realistic about the amount of time a task will take is key in successfully planning your day.
- Make sure to account for time in between tasks. For example, if you have a meeting blocked on your calendar, make sure you also account for the time to prepare or drive to that meeting. The more realistically you plan your time at the beginning of the day, the less likely you will be scratching your head, wondering where the time went at the end of your day.
- If any task takes more than 20 minutes, it’s not a task, but a project. That project needs to be broken down into tasks that are 20 minutes or less. This is an essential rule that will not only help you better plan your day, but it will also make the project seem less overwhelming because it is chunked down into smaller segments.
- When prioritizing tasks, make sure to focus on high-value tasks. Here are some questions to help you identify the most important tasks:
- Which of these tasks are aligned with my values?
- Which of these tasks will help me grow my business?
- Which of these tasks are the best tasks for me to accomplish and not someone else?
- Which of these tasks will contribute to achieving my goals?
Get Additional Time Management Tools & Training
The 7 Minute Life University is a learning platform with tools that will help you align your priorities with your daily schedule, time management courses that will show you how to master your time, and live courses where you can ask questions and get feedback from me. Learn about about The 7 Minute Life University and how it can help you develop better time management skills:
If you find yourself wondering how to re-connect or discover your priorities, find your purpose, or how to create or stick to meaningful goals, sign up for a free 7-Day Trial of The 7 Minute Life University: https://the7minutelife.com/university/
Time Management: The Essential Skill to Help You Succeed in All Areas of Life
Time management is one of the most essential skills that you can learn for your career and life. I hope you can see just how important time management is to your success and well-being. There are so many benefits, including taking control of your life and achieving more in less time. I encourage you to try the steps outlined in the Morning Routine to create a better plan of action each day. Time is always moving forward, but using these simple daily habits will help you get more of the right things done so you have more time for yourself and those you love.
