7 Surefire Ways to Get More Done

Managing your time effectively is essential to your overall happiness. It can make or break your stress level and absolutely control your world. When that happens it is really difficult to reverse its effects on your life and mindset and can make it increasingly hard to stop the negative effects of poor time management once it starts. The problem with that is that quite often we feel like we don´t have time to manage our schedules or how we spend our time because we are just to busy to deal with it.
I can’t tell you how many times in my coaching practice I have heard woman say I would be happier if I just had more time or I am too stressed out to figure out how to fix my life. The thing is that the opposite is true. In order to make your life more fulfilling and enjoyable you need to take a little bit of time to manage how you spend your time and increase productive you are, otherwise you will stay in the same rut you have gotten yourself into indefinitely.
Just imagine if you were 50% more productive than you are now. How would that affect your life? Take a moment to think about what your life would look like if you were just a little more productive than you are now? What kind of an impact would that make on your life? What could you accomplish? How would you spend your mornings?? Would you have more time for yourself, would your kids be calmer and happier because you would no longer be rushing as much?
My guess is that it would change the way you feel about your life, change the way you live your life and give you more moments of happiness and joy. You would then have time to do the things that really matter to you like spending quality time with your family and friends, find more time to take care of your own needs and give you more time to do the things that enrich your life like learn something new, read books , take classes or help others.
Below are some sure fire strategies to help you to become better at time management .
Avoid Time Wasters –
There are a few main time wasters that you have to be aware of. When you allow yourself to succumb to their seduction they waste your time, drain your motivation and sabotage your good intentions. It is really important to make sure that you are aware of these time wasters so that you can avoid them at every cost. When you have mastered the art of avoiding these time wasters you will be much more efficient and productive. They are checking email too often, forgetting yourself in internet surfing, not planning your errands according to location or convenience and pointless or endless conversations.
Stop Running In Circles –
How many times have you caught yourself checking email, then going on Facebook then cruising the internet instead of just doing what you set out to do in the beginning. This can become a pattern that you need to break. Try noticing what time of day it happens most often and avoiding these activities during that time. You can also set a timer to accomplish tasks on the net, that way you have to focus to complete whatever it is that you are doing.
Conquer clutter –
When was the last time you looked all over for something only to become frustrated and overwhelmed. Clutter and non conducive work environments can influence how productive you are. Find out what type of environment makes you feel good. Make sure you do not have to look for things, the quicker you find them the less time you waste. Clutter is also an indication of indecision. You have been procrastinating on the decision you need to make to deal with it. It can also be a symptom of you trying to avoid something or hiding something. It can also be a symptom of depression or anxiety . Look around you what does your environment say about you.

Schedule time off for yourself.
Time that you do not have to do anything at all. These days should be holy and vigilantly protected. Take these days to do things that you enjoy like meditating, swimming, meeting friends, playing with the kids, laying around, watching TV, hiking, going to museums or taking time to enjoy hobbies. They should not be used to check email, think about work or to run errands. You need to take specific days just to tune out from work so that you can recharge your batteries.
Plan buffer days. These days are for unexpected occurrences and dead days. Everyone has an off day or a sick day that is why you need to schedule in days that give you leeway every once in a while. If you do not use the buffer day then by all means use it as a free days.

Use the kids!
Are you utilizing your kids effectively? If you have kids that have reached the age or 2 or three you can begin to teach them to do things that make your life easier. It can take some imagination but it is worth the effort. By the time kids are 2 they can go and get their own diapers or help you do very simple tasks. By the time they are five they can dust or put laundry away. By the time they are 7 they can put shoes away, make their own lunch or help with dinner. By 12 they can cook simple meals and by 14 they can do just about anything. Use them to help you. You are doing them a favor by showing them they are useful, capable, needed and important. You will feel good and the kids will feel great.

Prioritize!
Prioritizing the coming day the night before can boost your productivity and help you to get more done than you ever thought imaginable. Take a few minutes each night to prioritize what you have planned for the next day. This allows your subconscious mind to begin planning the most effective way to make your day run smoothly and for you to accomplish your goals.
Be in the moment.
When you make a conscious effort to be in the moment you are able to focus on what is important to you. Focus allows you to get into the zone and accomplish your goals almost on autopilot. Being in the zone or in the moment also lets you be completely present so that you can come up with new and innovative ways to solve the problem at hand making you more effective and productive all at the same time.