Do you have trouble getting everything done that you wanted to or needed to? Are you truly using your time wisely?
It is so easy to get distracted. Our trusty phones/tablets, while so vital to our work, can also be the source of our distraction. It’s so easy to think we’ll just check facebook “real quick”, and then suddenly an hour has passed. An hour’s worth of work not accomplished. An hour you will need to take away from something else. An hour wasted!
I suggest you use one day to track your time. Yes, i know that sounds a little crazy. But it could be helpful. It could be extremely eye opening! Do you have any idea how much time you spend looking at your device for non work related activities?
If you have an iPhone or iPad, you likely have a screen time category in your settings? Androids may have something similar but I don’t know for sure. If you have an Android, then just look around and see.
From your iPhone, go to settings, and select “screen time”. You can set Downtime for whatever hours you want. I currently have mine set for 6-8pm because that’s the time that I will be preparing dinner and spending time with the family. During that time most apps on my phone will be unavailable, except for the phone, messages, and any others you set to always have available.
You can also set App Limits. You can choose a specified amount of time per day to use certain apps. Use this if you think you spend too much time on certain apps. Can’t get off social media? Set a limit. Can’t stop playing games? Set a limit. Be reasonable here. Set it too long, and it’s pointless. Set it too short, and you just won’t be happy. You can always change it if need be.
Then, there is the category to set apps to always allow. This is for those apps you need/want to have available at all times no matter what your downtime or app limit settings. Phone is a given in this case. Be reasonable here also. Don’t just go adding everything. Then all the limits you set were pointless.
Once you have turned on Screen Time settings and set them up, you will get a weekly report showing you your screen time usage for the week. The report will show you how much time is spent in each category and how much total time spent on your device.
I’ve only been using Screen time settings for a couple weeks, and just this week set up downtime and app limits. So I’m still figuring it all out but the weekly reports have been eye opening for sure!
This is a great tool for you to see where your time is spent on your mobile device, but for today I am also using old fashioned paper and pen to keep track of everything I do today. Obviously I’m not trying to keep track of every little minute, but just writing down the time i start something and the time i finish. Do this for each activity, and by the end of the day I should have a pretty good idea of my time management skills. I even wrote down my “me time”.
Some days are better than others. Some days I just want to be lazy and do nothing. When I have a day like that, I just remind myself that I I have a business to run, and if I want to succeed, I have to do the work. I also schedule an hour of “me-time” into my day. This is an hour right before I have to pick up the kids from the bus. I use this time to watch a little tv or play some silly games on my phone or read a book. I get this hour everyday! It helps me stay motivated, knowing that I have one hour to do nothing waiting for me when I get all my work done for the day.
I’ll be sharing more time management tips throughout the week on my social media pages. So check out my Facebook and Instagram pages for more tips.