SCS32-W3 || Real Life Problem Solving Challenge: Time Management

In this world, every day we wake up is a battle between work, house chores, and small time which you can use to rest. If you don't organize yourself well, time will just be moving ahead anyhow and you wont achieve anything. Me, I have learn that time management is the key. If you can plan your day very well, you will balance work, family, and even little enjoyment.

Workdays - Monday to Friday

I always wake up at 5:30am. First thing, I will pray, thank God that I have seen another day then do some morning home workout in my room. After that, I will brush, bath, then eat light breakfast – sometimes bread and tea.

After that 6:30am, I will just check my notebook to see what I have to do for the day. However, It's in this note that i always write what I want to do for the day. In there I always divide it into three sessions that is morning, afternoon, and evening. That notebook as always been my guide. And without it, I can easily forget things.

After checking it, by 7:30am, I have prepare to move to the construction site. I will pack my tools, wear my work cloth, then head out.

I reach site around 8am. First thing, I will check materials – cement, screeding paint, normal paint, brush, roller. If anything finished, I'll send my work mate to buy them. I'll take breaks by noon time to eat and rest for some minutes. By 5pm, I will round up my work.

After site, I reach house around 6pm. First thing, I will rest small. Then take my bath, cook food – maybe rice or garri with the soup which I cook on weekend. After food, I wash plate, then arrange small things.

By 8pm, I call my family or gist with friends. Sometimes I'll check social media, but I'm always careful so that it won't consume my whole time.

By 9:30pm, I will tick what I have achieved on the note book rite tomorrow plan inside notebook, then pray and sleep.

Weekend – Saturday and Sunday

Saturday is my day at home or to important events. I will wake up same time, pray then do some morning workout. I start washing clothes later clean compound, sweep, mop, then go to market to buy foodstuff. Sometimes I will choose cook a big pot of soup which can surely last me up to two days and put it in the freezer.

Afternoon, I will rest small, then go to any event if available or watch football or gist with friends. Then I will prepare for Sunday.

Sunday is my meeting day. I will wake up, dress well, go to our Christian meeting. After the meeting , I will rest, sometimes visit friends or family. Evening, I will prepare my notebook for Monday again.

However, the activity which do consume my time the most every single day is the Screeding and Painting work. From Monday to Friday, I'm always at site, and the two main things which swallow hours and my energy is screeding and painting work as my skill.

Screeding Work – Why It Matters

Screeding is not a small job at all as people might think. It's the process which you will use cement, and screeding paint to smoothen the wall before painting. If you don't screed well, the wall will be rough and painting won't be fine.

• Mixing: I'll mix cement and the screeding pain in correct proportion. If you mix it anyhow, the wall can easily crack later.

• Applying: I will use shining trowel and scraper and spread the mixture in the wall. This one do take time because you must make sure that everywhere is smooth.

• Checking: I will later use hand to feel the wall, to make sure it doesn't have lines, bump or hole.

Screeding can take many hours because its a delicate work. Sometimes from morning till afternoon will only screeding I'll do. But it's essential because if the wall is not smooth, painting won't go well.

Painting Work – The Final Touch

After screeding finish, painting do follow but not the same day. Painting always look easy but it's not easy at all.

• Preparation: I will buy paint, arrange brush, roller, and ladder which I'll be using as the case might be.

• Applying: I will climb ladder, roll paint in the wall. Sometimes it's two or three coats before the wall looks fine.

• Finishing: I will check if the paint is even, no patch, no drip.

Painting can take the whole afternoon. Sometimes I do paint till evening. But its essential because its the final beauty of the building. If paint fine, client will be happy.

Why My Screeding and painting Work Is Essential

This work is my main hustle. It's from screeding and painting I have money to provide to my important needs. If I don't invest time on it, I won't have the money I need. Why ? Because Clients love to pay for quality, so I must spend enough time to make sure that the wall is smooth and the paint is fine.

Even though it feels hard sometimes, I am proud of it. Because it's a work which keeps me busy, give me income, and make me feel useful.

One thing which save my time is preparation ahead of work. Before I start screeding or painting, I will arrange all materials in place then use the dust blowing machine to clear dust from the wall. I don't wait till I start before I begin to find and arrange things. Another habit is delegation. I don't do everything alone. I will assign work to my teammates which do assist me. That way, work will move fast. 👇🏻

So while I'm home, I do save time by batching. I will wash all clothes once on Saturday instead of washing small-small every day. Also I'll just cook a pot of soup which can last two days and do well to preserves it in the fridge as I made mention already. That way, I won't waste time cooking every evening.

Before, I do struggle very well. I always reach site very late, sometimes 10am, then work will drag till night. I do waste time for phone, chatting or scrolling social media. Because of that, I do miss deadline and client will be angry. One time, I suppose to finish the painting contract by Friday, but it took time till it reach late hours in Saturday evening. I didn't plan well, so I finish it late.

This makes my schedule terminated. Client got angry at me that I wasn't serious, I really felt bad. That moment really pain very well. Truly I say, from that experience I had, I learn that if I don't always discipline myself, I will lose money and respect we I suppose to have.

So with that I started to wake up very early, write my plan too in the notebook and reduce phone use during my working hours. Slowly, I begin to improve. As at now i always manage my time much better,* and my clients do trust me more now than before.

If I want to advise a person, these is my advice🕒:

• Write your tasks down: Use a small notebook like mine which I shared or your phone notebook. The reason I choose a physical notebook is that my smartphone can be off. However each morning, you can simply list out just 3–5 things you must finish that day.Face it and try to finish it.

• You must get ready early: Before you go to bed, prepare your clothes, tools, or materials that you'll need for the next day. It saves stress like finding your shoes, clothes, socks, etc, in the morning which you could have use the time to do other important things.

• Do first things first: Start with the most important task — the particular one that will brings progress or income. Fun can surely wait until later.

• Control your phone use: Put your phone aside while working. Check social media only at the set times, like lunch or evening time.

• Share the load: Don’t try to do everything yourself all alone . Dont insist to ask for help at work or home when it's really possible and necessary because it will surely helps you to save time.

• Try your best to push away distractions: If something doesn’t fit your plan at that moment , just politely decline it. So that you can protect your focus.

• Try to Balance your weekend: You can just use Saturday for your house chores and errands, then you use Sunday for rest and family. Plan the next day on Sunday night.

Then if its a free week and nothing to do

• Morning: Just Write your tasks too,finish one before checking your phone.

• Afternoon: Work on important goals, the. delegate little tasks.

• Evening: Prepare for the next day, relax and enjoy, and avoid late-night scrolling through phone.

Time don't wait for anybody. So If you don't try your best to manage it, it will manage you.

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_{All shown pictures are mine shoot 📸on Tecno spark30. 📱}

Cc:
@ahsansharif