Time Management: Tips for Balancing Work, Study, and Social Life

It is often said that one of the most important resources in the world is time. It is equally precious as it is limited. Therefore, it is easy to feel like 24 hours each day is not enough, especially as we grow older and life’s tasks become more demanding. Balancing work, studying, and social commitments can be overwhelming. Worse still, one can fall into the trap of procrastination. To avoid this, one can apply the following tips when it comes to effectively managing time.

You are in control

Firstly, it is imperative to understand that you own all of your time! You do what you want to be most doing at any given time. This kind of mindset is empowering because it allows you to have the sense that you have control over your schedule. It generates a feeling of agency and the generative drive that allows us to perform tasks that we need to do. It also encourages you to focus more on what you can control.

Be selective

Whenever met with an invitation of how you can differently spend your time, always ask yourself this question, “Is it a “Hell yeah” or a “no”? It is important to learn how to say no to things that you’re not 100% enthusiastic about. Therefore, asking yourself this before committing to an event can help you discern whether it will be worth your time.

The daily highlight

At the beginning of each day ask yourself, “What’s your main goal/ activity of the day?” This will enable you to plan your day around your main task. Therefore, you can prioritise and avoid it getting overlooked in the chaos of everyday life. At the end of the day, review it and measure your success at getting it done!

Use a to-do list

Whether you prefer the traditional pen-and-paper or the modern fancy note-taking apps, a to-do list can be a very helpful tool. I prefer using Notion, which is a free and easy-to-use note-taking app. I map out how I ideally want my day to go, indicating the time I have set aside for each activity. It is difficult to predict entirely how a day will go, and therefore you may end up not completely ticking off all of the tasks on your list. However, aim to complete at least 80% of the tasks to have a productive day. Doing this provides a sense of direction and purpose throughout the day. Include break times in your schedule as well.

Time blocking

This involves scheduling blocks of time for specific activities in your calendar. You set aside chunks of hours at a time aimed at working on a particular project or task. This will allow you to have interrupted time to get into a flow state and completely smash your deadlines!

Set personal deadlines

According to Parkinson’s law, work expands to fill the time allocated to it. Therefore, deadlines are important when it comes to time management. This is because you will avoid spending too much time on one project or task.

Create protected time

This is specifically for hobbies, interests, and other priorities such as social connections. In our fast-paced world, it can be easy to neglect these activities. Most of us also tend to leave them to chance, thinking that they will happen serendipitously. Therefore, intentionally scheduling time to spend doing what you love and hanging out with your family and friends becomes crucial. It will help prevent burnout and offer you a stress outlet.

Delegate tasks

Consider paying other people to do things that you’d rather not do yourself to free up your time. For example, you can get someone to wash your clothes on the weekend, or take advantage of that free delivery from your local store when making a purchase.

The choice to be satisfied

Allow yourself to be happy and proud of however big or little things you have accomplished in a day! Tomorrow presents a new opportunity to be better than today and to try again. Therefore if you fall short of your goals and aspirations for the day, do not be hard on yourself. Instead, take comfort in knowing that you get another chance at it the following day.