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

How do you organize your daily schedule?

How I plan my daily tasks has changed recently. I now have many engagements on a daily basis than before.

At first, I used to plan my daily activities offhand without writing them down. Now that I have many things to do on a daily, I come to see that I was skipping the most important things and spending time on less important ones. By the end of the week I would miss some tasks, and that made my week incomplete.

That's why I started writing them down. Every night before I sleep, I write down the list of my tasks for the next day in my phone's notebook app, BasicNote. Timing matters a lot in my daily tasks, so I take note of how long each task will take, add short breaks and also create space for unexpected events; like visitors, errands, or kitchen duties. I do not include Sundays on my list, that's my rest day. Instead, I use Sunday as a starting point for a new week's activities.

Writing my daily tasks down helps me keep to my plans. I still miss doing tasks sometimes, but I'm now reaching 95% of my plans, which feels more balanced than before.

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This is my BasicNote app showing my tasks of a particular day. You can see the timing: short breaks/leisure are included, and spaces are created for unexpected tasks as well; visitors, errands or kitchen duties.

What is the most important activity in your day that takes up the most of your time and is also essential?

Each day has it own most important activity, but most important activity that has majority of my days is my "spiritual needs"

My spiritual needs take most of my time some days, other days could be, entertainment, home chores, online engagements, and leisure time. But sometimes I do miss my spiritual needs as a result of overusing the time I had on other activities or as a result of uncertainty setting in.

What is the technique that saves your time?

One simple technique I apply is turning off my mobile data and silencing my phone to avoid distractions from notifications and calls. I mostly do this if I'm focused with my spiritual needs, especially if I'm using my phone for Bible Study. Staying offline keeps me focused on most of my tasks until it's time for "online activities" and this approach helps me finish my task on time.

Have you ever struggled with poor time management? How have you improved it?

Yes I have many times. Since I use to plan my daily activities offhand. I do miss a lot of task in a day, not because I forget but because I didn't take it serious. At the end of the day, I noticed I had done less than I claimed.

The problem was distractions from social media's notifications. I adjust by changing my view on my daily activities. I now pay closer attention to my daily tasks. That's why I now turn of my mobile data and silence my phone when I need to focus, especially during my spiritual needs and other important tasks. I also plan my day the night before daybreak and fix specific times for online activities. This change helped me focus on each task and finish it faster than before.

Now, with time management, I am in control instead of online activities buffering in and out on my tasks.

What advice would you give to others to manage their time better?

• Plan on time: I write down my tasks in the night before daybreak. I take note of the most important things and see how to achieve them. Be intentional about it or distractions will spoil things for you.

• Know your weaknesses: My weakness is hearing the bing of notifications or calls from my phone. To avoid that, I silence notifications and turn off mobile data, especially when I'm using my phone for important work. 30 minutes concentration on your important task is worth your time than hours of distracted work.

• Schedule time for breaks: Sometimes if what you're doing online is also important, set specific time for them. It's better than every few minutes you go to check your phone or social media, while doing something else. Keep to your break time and don't overuse unnecessarily.

• Review your weekly tasks: At the end of the week, I use Sunday to review my activities. Did I complete my tasks? What challenges did I face, and how can I adjust it now? This can help improve my plan for next week.

Remember: Time management is not only created to finish up your tasks according to the timing alone. It's help you discipline yourself to do the most important things each day. Happiness will be yours, and it adds value to your life.

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I invite: @ukpono @bigcharles @mohammadfaisal to join this contest

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All photos on this post are taken are mine

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Cc: @ahsansharif

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