Running Out of Time

If you are like me, it seems like there are never enough hours in the day. Between going to class, studying for exams, writing papers, work, and trying to maintain some existence of a personal life... I'm exhausted! Trying to be punctual and on time to appointments and events can get difficult when overwhelmed with the daily tasks of life.

Here are some quick tips to better manage your time:

• Map out your day. This is difficult to do at the beginning, but so beneficial once put into practice. Either the night before or the morning of, plan your day out. This allows you to have a good overview of what to expect and helps ensure that you don't get caught off guard. 
• Use an organizer. Whether you purchase a planner or use print out sheets, having something to jot down tasks and to-do lists on is essential. It's a great tool to use to organize information, lists, and everything you need to get done.
• Put time limits to each task. Be clear on when you need to finish tasks by allotting time to them. This prevents your work from dragging on and you from procrastinating. Make sure to provide buffer time in between tasks and appointments. This will help you wrap up the previous task and get ready for the next. You'll be surprised by how much free time you can make for yourself by doing this.
• Target to be early. If you have a meeting at 5pm, set a reminder for yourself to be there at 4:45pm. When you target to be on time, you either end up being on time or late. If you target to be early, you'll most likely be on time. 
• Learn to say "No". Don't take on more than you can handle. Overbooking oneself causes for stress and poor time management usually. Give a firm no or defer it to a later period. 

What do you do to better manage your time?