Here’s How Time Management Increases Your Confidence.

Do you feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day to accomplish everything you need to get done? Too much to do and too little time. Well, you’re not alone. You’re in good company. The truth is most feel the same way, and most of us can feel like our options are few. Let’s be honest; we gotta do what we gotta do. Whatever it is, it must get done; if we don’t, no one else will. Or maybe you have to do them when you really don’t have the time for them. Then, something else must inevitably be put off, overlooked, or on the back burner. You start to think you just can’t keep up with it all, or you can’t catch a break. The weight of it all leaves you feeling discouraged, overwhelmed, stressed, irritable, tired, and unable to focus, ultimately resulting in the loss of confidence.

When’s the last time you looked at your schedule? I mean, really. When’s the last time you audited your time? You would be surprised to see where your time goes. Maybe you don’t have a way to manage your time? Your schedule needs to be structured to support efficiency and productivity to reach your goals. I encourage you to consider downloading The Protect Your Confidence Planner. Using a planner helps you develop time management skills. These skills can reduce the mental weight of juggling tasks and increase the likelihood that everything gets done. When we feel productive, our confidence improves. Each task completed gives you an added boost. Think about it. Think about how you feel when you’ve had a productive day. Good, accomplished, and confident.

Here’s seven tips to get you started:

1. Check your existing workflows and processes. Ask yourself: Are they efficient? Do certain things take too much time or space to complete? Are there things you can do to eliminate steps or streamline your workflow? Assessing your current workflows is essential in improving and facilitating your productivity. For example, do you need to complete specific tasks in a particular order or time? If you don’t need to do certain activities in the order you listed them, reorder them to streamline your work.
2. Rank your processes. Once you know your current workflows, you can rank them in terms of the amount of time they take to complete and the extent to which they streamline your typical workflow. Use a scale of 1-5, depending on how time-consuming a process is and how much it changes your routine. You can probably nix it from your workflow if it takes less than five minutes.
3. Prioritize your tasks. Go with what’s most essential and is the quickest task to complete, and make that your focus first. If you have a few “to-dos” that will only take five minutes, knock them out quickly for peace of mind.
4. Turn off your notifications. App notifications can be great when you want to receive a notice for something important, but when you’re working with flowing tasks, they’re distractions.
5. Turn off your notifications and focus only on the task at hand, so you don’t lose focus. The truth is, most notifications can wait. You can put news alerts, social media notifications, and messages on hold until later.
6. Break large tasks into smaller tasks. How do you eat an elephant? One tiny bit at a time. The same applies to more significant tasks. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed when you have a huge task. Breaking big tasks into small pieces will help you get started, which is often the most challenging part. If you multitask, try focusing instead for a single 30-minute period. Trying to work on more than one task at a time can cause procrastination and a new level of anxiety. Spend time organizing your tasks in order of priority so that the most important projects have the first slot in your schedule.
7. Do your work near an excellent natural source of light. A good source of light not only helps you see better but also helps you feel and work better. This tip is handy if you work from home.

Streamlining your schedule and increasing efficiency will help you focus on what’s important throughout the day. Try to limit the number of distractions you have around you. When making important decisions, ensure that you get enough sleep, so your brain can function at its best. And remember that you might not need to make a complete overhaul of your schedule. You can often make small changes to improve your overall productivity and increase your confidence.

Activate. Cultivate. Thrive Confidently