Where is our time?
Lost time is never found again
- Benjamin Franklin
Have you ever thought about your time?
It is very normal to say that we do not have enough time, or that we cannot do something because we do not have time. So, then I ask you, where is your time?
I bring up this question because I realized that with more time, we have less time. Weird, right? If you are in this kind of situation, I hope I can help you to change that.
24 Hours in a day
Everyone has 24 hours per day, and you have this same number of hours since you were born.
Think about some situations:
1. During degree
When you are in your degree, probably you have many classes, homework, exams and also work, maybe only 6 yours if you are a trainee, but it is a lot of things.
How could you do all of these things?
— It’s simple, you do not think about it, you have to do it, and you make it happen.
2. During on-site work
I don’t know your current situation, but probably during COVID-19, you don’t have to work in the office, and maybe now you are in a remote or hybrid model.
In the beginning, you probably managed to do more things, you don't have to go to the office, or take traffic, this saves more time, and then you can do other things.
Maybe you have started a course, started learning something new, reading a book, but how about now? Are you still as productive as before?
More time doesn’t mean more time if you don’t manage it, right?
Manage your Time
I showed 2 situations, but there are many other situations, think of other situations in which you did something to increase your productivity, and now you have less time than before.
This usually happens because we don’t know how to manage our time, we don’t define the tasks very well, and when we have much time, we think: “I have time, I can do that later”, and “later” comes very fast 😅
Many things can help you have more time and become more productive. However, having more time doesn't mean you can do more things or become more productive.
Let’s see some strategies to manage your time in a better way, so you can do more things and enjoy better your spare time.
Define Tasks
Having clear actions, and clear tasks, is the better way to keep moving and keep using your time in a better way.
It's important to set small goals, things you want to accomplish.
For example: Read a book, do a course, build a mobile app, etc.
The key is to have a clear direction and then divide it into small, easy-to-follow steps.
Breaking tasks into small tasks
Having big tasks is the best way to procrastinate. If you have a big task, the chances are you are going to avoid it, because it requires more effort.
Having big tasks is the best way to procrastinate. If you have a big task, you will probably avoid it because it requires more effort.
To avoid it, you can divide the task into small tasks, for example: “Build a mobile app”.
You can divide it into many steps:
Define the requirements
Define the screens (Wireframes)
Define the technology
Define the API endpoints if need it
Implement the API
Implement the APP
Integrate the APP with the API
Each of these steps can also be broken down into smaller steps. The goal here is to have steps that can be accomplished in a small period, 20 minutes or 40 minutes, for example.
Using a board
Having a board is a good strategy to know what you should do and have an overview of the tasks and objectives. Using a board is a good way to keep track of tasks and avoid wasting time thinking about the next step.
There are many tools related to board, like Trello, and Asana, and you can also use Excel, the goal is to start easy, doesn’t make things complex.
Do action until it becomes a habit
When you have the objective defined, divided into small tasks, and a clear vision of the tasks, then the next step is to execute the action.
For that, you should do these steps:
Use a calendar to have a clear visualization of your week.
Identify where you have free time.
Use techniques like Pomodoro to keep your focus on the activity.
Do it consistently until it becomes a habit.
For example:
Every Tuesday, I have free time from 7 AM, until 8 AM, during this time I can do 2 Pomodoro of 25 minutes to do the action “Read a book”.
Doing this frequently makes it easier when we are tired and don't feel motivated, as it becomes a habit, something natural.
Enjoy your free time
By following the steps I showed, you will have more control over your time. Having this control gives you more power over your free time, so you can make the most of it.
Conclusion
In this information age, it's very easy to spend a lot of time just scrolling through an app on your phone, which hinders us from making the most of our time.
This is why knowing how to manage our time is so important.
Time is the scarcest resource and unless it is managed nothing else can be managed
- Peter Drucker
I hope these steps can help you, and if you know other tools or things to help manage our time, please share them here.