How to Organize Your Time

Co-authored by Michelle Shahbazyan, MS, MA

Last Updated: December 20, 2023 Fact Checked

We live in a stressful world and time is always running short. Organizing your time is an excellent way to balance your workload and your leisure activities. We’ll show you a good way to think about your time and make your life much simpler.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Organizing your Month

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1
Use a monthly schedule. A monthly sheet is used to monitor important deadlines. Visualizing the whole month at once will help you realize how much time you have left for a task. Think about what's essential. Do I have a deadline? Is there an important appointment with the doctor? Is my child due for vaccination?
- You don’t need a complex organizer to do this. A simple calendar in the kitchen should be enough.
2
Plan with your household. It is important to take into account your family or household when making monthly plans. Cross-compare your schedules and take note of activities for which you might be needed. Do the children need you at the football match? Does your partner require you to drive her to the hospital?
- Use a color code on your calendar. Assigning one color per family member is an excellent way to visualize quickly who needs to do what during the month.
- Try to put yourself in other's shoes. We all have stressful lives but having empathetic family members is such a plus!
- Your monthly plan should be accessible to the household. Don’t expect others to always remember your deadlines.
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3
Set your priorities. It is far easier to plan when your priorities are set straight. Some tasks are urgent, others are not.^{[1]
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Research source} It might not be as important to go to the football match as to change the tires of the car. Consider some of the following questions when planning with your household:
- Is this task essential? Can I push it back to next month?
- Do I have enough time to fulfill this task?
- Do I require help to do this? If yes, have I already asked for assistance?
4
Monitor potential problems. A train strike or a simple road work can derail your plans. Keep your monthly schedule updated and try to think about alternatives if you foresee a problem.
- Read the local press. It's an excellent source of information.
- Always check online for opening hours and train times. We all waste hours going to a closed shop or museum and we have all missed a train based on outdated information.
5
Allow some time for your family and friends. Being efficient is all about balance. You need to think about yourself and avoid burnout. Think of it as a long-term strategy. If you are unwell or depressed for weeks, you will not be able to work at your best and make the most of your time.^{[2]
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PubMed Central
Journal archive from the U.S. National Institutes of Health

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- If you are in a relationship, think about your partner. Seeing each other regularly is important and healthy. If you want to be pragmatic, think that a break-up or a divorce might consume a lot of time and energy!

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Organizing your Week

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1
Use a weekly schedule. A weekly sheet has a different role to play than a monthly schedule. it is more specific and will allow you to decide in advance how to balance your days.^{[3]
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- Start to fill the weekly schedule with your essential activities, such as work, appointments, emergencies, etc., and work your way toward non-essential tasks and hobbies.
- Always aim for a good balance.
2
Keep a slot free. Life is full of emergencies and last-minute tasks to do. If you keep a free hour or two in your busy week, you will be able to face any urgent and unexpected surprises. If no emergency turns up, take the opportunity to use this free slot to relax or fulfill another urgent task.
- If there is a last-minute emergency that neither you or your partner can take care of, ask a friend. They probably won't mind helping you and it will make your friendship deeper. Of course, they might also need you another time!
3
Plan your shopping. Most people waste a lot of time doing their weekly shopping during the wrong part of the day. Beat the queues by going on a Saturday at nine in the morning or order online if available in your region.
- If you have room for storage, buy a lot at the same time. Having cans of tomatoes, tuna, beans, rice, pasta, etc. will allow you to cook a healthy meal if you didn't have time to shop.
4
Divide the housework equally. Giving weekly tasks, like cleaning the kitchen, to each member of the family is an excellent way to make sure that the work division is fair and timed. It’s also harder to find an excuse not to do it if it has been agreed upon in advance.^{[4]
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- Be rational. If you come later from work, let your partner cook. You'll put the children to bed.
- Think about preferences. Your partner doesn't like cooking but you do? Your husband hates filling the dishwasher? Listen to them and try to accommodate everybody. If nobody likes a task, alternate each week.
5
Cook during the weekend. Cooking every day can be difficult or rushed. Plan, cook, and freeze at least a few meals during the weekend. It will make your life much easier when you come home from work.^{[5]
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EatRight.org
Organization associated with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics providing advice about food, health, and fitness

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- It is also far more healthy to cook and freeze your own food rather than buying ready-meals.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Organizing your Day

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1
Use a daily schedule. Using a daily sheet to monitor your activities is the best way to visualize quickly if you are going to spend too much time on a task. It’s important to be both honest and realistic about the time needed to fulfill an activity when writing a schedule.^{[6]
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- If you have a smartphone, you can use the integrated organizer. It’s an easy way to remember your next task or enter a new one on the go.
- Alternatively, a to-do list is better to visualize what's really important but it is less effective at managing your time.
2
Focus on your task. Many people waste a least an hour at work. It is far more effective to focus entirely on what you have planned to do than being distracted.^{[7]
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- Turn off your phone and avoid social media at work. These are the biggest distractions.
- Make it a habit of answering your personal emails and texts at determined times. You will become a better texter and a better worker.
3
Leave time for breaks. It’s important to stop once in a while. Your brain needs to rest, if only for a few minutes, to refocus. Research demonstrates that even a distraction is likely to improve your work dramatically.^{[8]
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- Going to the toilets or having a cup of tea will already help considerably. If possible, go outside for a five minutes walk.
Sleep deprivation can lead to several psychological and physical problems.^{[9]
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Trustworthy Source

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
Research and education center within the National Institutes of Health

Go to source} It's not always about doing more, it's also about doing better!

Why Is Time Management Important?

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How do we use time wisely?

Michelle Shahbazyan, MS, MA
Life Coach
Michelle Shahbazyan is the Founder of The LA Life Coach, a concierge life, family, and career coaching service based in Los Angeles, California. She has over 10 years of experience with life coaching, consulting, motivational speaking, and matchmaking. She has a BA in Applied Psychology and an MS in Building Construction and Technology Management from Georgia Tech University, and a MA in Psychology with an emphasis on Marriage and Family Therapy from Phillips Graduate University.

Michelle Shahbazyan, MS, MA

Life Coach

Expert Answer

Time is the most valuable resource you have, so it's important to make the most of every day. It might not seem like much, but all the time people spend snoozing their alarm, binge-watching episode after episode of TV, or scrolling social media can really add up. If you could harness that time, you would probably have a lot more time to focus on the things you really want to achieve in life.

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