How Can You Act In A Timely Way?

Time is the great equalizer. You have 24 hours to use each day, no matter who you are. However, these hours are mostly already spoken for - for many women. Between sleep, family duties, work, and - if we are lucky - a little socializing, there is not much time left. Any time we do use, we must use it well.

Simple tips that can help you avoid wasting your time:

1.  Stop Saying Yes If You Want to Say No

Do you ever find that you take on more than you can handle? Try saying no a little more often. While it is essential to be a good friend or a team player, you do not have to take on every task someone asks of you. If you take the time to do someone else's work, you lose that time somewhere else in your life.

2.  Focus on One Major Task Each Day

I am not suggesting that you only do one thing per day, but it can help guide a light goal. Think about one thing or theme to focus on that day. When you are in-between tasks, you will not find yourself wasting time wondering what to do next. You will always have this guiding light goal to come back to and focus on achieving.

3.  You Do Not Have to Respond Right Away

Whether it is a text, a phone call, or an email, you do not have to respond right away. When you are waiting on something specific and time-sensitive, that is one thing. However, a cold call, random email, or social media notification can usually wait. Choose a time (or a few) to check your messages all at once each day.

4.  Figure Out Your Time-Wasting Triggers

Do you have any triggers that almost always lead to you wasting time? Maybe going to get a coffee leads to a 35-minute chat about nothing. Do you fall down Youtube holes after watching a single video? Most of us have little triggers like these, and it is vital to know them so you can avoid them when time is tight.

5.  Make Time for Self-Care

Doing things that are important for your mental and physical health is not a waste of time. It might seem weird to suggest taking time for yourself to save time. Think about it, though, if you get sick, exhausted, or burnt-out, you will have to spend a lot of time to get back on track. Making time for self-care means using your time more effectively in the long term.

6.  Get Organized

How many hours do you squander each week searching for something you misplaced? How about digging in the back of a cupboard looking for something you are "sure is there"? Getting organized so that everything you need has a logical space is one of the best ways to stop wasting time needlessly.

7.  Stop Doom-Scrolling

I understand that we live in some trying times. Even worse, we constantly connect to streams of news. It is easy to scroll through Twitter, Instagram, or your local news sites consuming constant updates on what is wrong today. Would you please break this habit? Not only does it waste time, but the negative energy also impacts the rest of your day.

8.  Other People's Problems Are Not Always Yours

You can make a deliberate choice to refuse to partake in office gossip or friend drama. You should support those you love, but you do not have to get involved in everyone's problems. Why waste time (not to mention energy) worrying about the squabbles other people are interested in rehashing.

9.  Build Your Self-Confidence

Self-confidence might seem like an odd tip for "time management," but it might be the single most powerful step you can take to stop wasting time. Confident people make quicker decisions, take more decisive action, and do not need to wait until every detail is perfect. Imagine the time you will save if you can say the same about yourself.