Time Management Tips To Start The Year Off Right!

Wohoo! It’s time to set goals, rock this year, and everything is going to be AWESOME! Right? Right! I heartily believe that you can accomplish anything that you truly want to as long as you stay focused. Here are some of my favorite time management tips to help you start the new year off with a true bang.

6 Time Management Tips Everyone Can Do

You might be thinking, why is this backyard homesteading lady trying to tell me about time management tips? Personally, I think I’m not half bad at it. It’s not unheard of for people to ask “how do you get everything done?” when they find out I have five home schooled kids, a home based business, an urban farm, and volunteer responsibilities. So for all you who wonder, here is how.

Get Enough Sleep

What? You were expecting advice on how to get more done and here I am telling you to waste time sleeping? Think again! One of the worst things you can EVER do is use your sleep time to get more done in the day.

It’s just not worth it.

Not getting enough sleep is not a badge of brilliance, worthiness, or excellence. It’s just plain stupid. When you are short on sleep you are compromising your health, your mental well being, and your mental acuity.

When you are well rested, you will be happier, healthier, and able to get more done with more focus and accuracy. I need nine hours (Yes, NINE) every night. (Partly that’s because I still have a baby waking me up multiple times each night.)

When you are well rested you will get more done in less time and be happier doing it. As fun as it sounds to binge watch the Mandalorian all in one go or to watch the entire sixth season of Star Trek: Next Generation the night before returning it to the library, you won’t have fun the next morning.

(And yes, I am a nerd. Want to come over to my place and play D&D?)

Have a Morning Routine

As jealous as I am of all of you morning people, I am most decidedly NOT one. My morning routine consists of stumbling to the bathroom and managing to put on clothes before throwing some food down in front of the hungry small people who wake up much too early.

However about that point in the morning I start becoming slightly more functional, and that is where my true morning routine begins. While the hungry small people chow down I start my true morning routine by emptying the dishwasher. Do I want to do this every morning? Not really, but it’s my routine, and I’m sticking with it. And as the day goes on the advantages of starting out with an empty dishwasher become more and more pronounced, and I’m always thankful I did it first thing.

Your morning routine may be very different than mine, and that’s okay. Is there something that creates friction in your day? Is there something that seems to slow down everything else that you need to get done, and make your life more miserable? Take care of that thing FIRST. Make it a habit, and stick to it.

Make Your Goals A Priority

If you have something you want to accomplish, don’t just talk about it, do it!

Let’s say you have a goal to write a book. Every November writers all across the country join together for National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo, and attempt to write 50,000 words in 30 days. Many people say they want to write a book, but to actually accomplish it, it means putting that time in every day. The reason so many people are successful at NaNoWriMo, is because for those 30 days writing a book becomes a priority in their lives.

Make your goals a priority. Schedule your other commitments around those goals. Tell other people what you’re working on. Actually take time to DO it.

Be Decisive

Maybe you’ve said you have a goal to accomplish something but you aren’t actually doing what it takes? Take time and think about is that actually what you want?

It’s okay to decide, “That’s not the most important thing right now.” It’s okay to let something go when you’ve had your fill of it. It’s okay to not mistake other people’s goals for your own.

Maybe after sitting and thinking about it, you realize you DO want to accomplish that goal, but something is holding you back. Personally, I know fear can sometimes do that to me!

Don’t let that roadblock stop you! Decide how to get around that roadblock, and how to keep it from coming back. You can out wit your fear, your mental nay-saying, discouragement, or any other hindrance that may appear.

Don’t Procrastinate

You have a goal. You’ve evaluated what might hold you back from that goal. Don’t stop now! Pick up where you are and keep going! Today is the day! Just jump in where you are and keep going.

So often we tell ourselves stories like “Someday we’ll travel” or “We should try that restaurant some time.” Why wait? Invite a friend out to lunch and go. Pick up a passport application next time you drive past a post office and fill it out!

You don’t have to accomplish your entire goal now, but don’t wait to take the next step. Pick a date. Pick a time. Start saving money. But don’t wait, because tomorrow will always be tomorrow. All you have is now.

Automate

For those of you thinking “Do it now” sounds fine and dandy, but there aren’t enough hours in the day, you need to automate. If it’s not something important to you, then why are you doing it?

Yes, some things have to get done so we can have pleasant lives. Those things are the top candidates to automate. I REALLY want to have a clean house, but taking time to vacuum is just not a priority for me. Use a Roomba! (Mine is named Jarvis…see nerd note above…)

Get groceries delivered, have bills on auto pay, batch cook freezer meals once a month so you don’t have to cook every day, use auto reply for some email. Our world is full of ways to automate daily tasks that otherwise would suck up time.

We are lucky to live in a time where we can have so much done automatically for us! Chopping firewood not important to you? Get a smart thermostat instead. Tired of letting the chickens out every morning? A solar charging chicken door may be just the thing.

You Can Do It!

There are plenty of time management tips out there, but I’ve found time and time again that these 6 items are crucial to accomplishing my goals. You can get out there and accomplish all the things!

If you’d like more ideas on how to be more productive, check out these related posts:

• The Best Time Management Activities For Urban Homesteaders
• How To Manage Time When There Just Isn’t Enough Of It
• 8 Time Management Skills You Must Have On The Homestead
• The Importance Of Time Management On The Homestead
• Are Your Discouraged? Homesteading Can Be Tough!