This Is How I Make My 24 Hours Work for Me

The amount of hours in a day is the same to all human beings. There is no more or less of anybody. However, as people talk to each other, you will hear them out. Some claim that they do not have enough time of 24 hours, whereas others claim that they have more than enough time.

The variation is not in the length of time but on how the individual utilizes the time. And this is what we refer to as time management. Time management is the skill to schedule and utilize your hours judiciously in such a way that you can accomplish more with less time.

The problem of time is a complaint made by many people in Nigeria today. There are those who claim that there is too much work, traffic jams, school is stressful, and family needs are too high. Although all these are true, the truth of the matter is that bad time management is equally a major cause of feeling overwhelmed by people.

I used to believe that I never had sufficient time until I started managing to learn how to organize my day correctly. After I began to pay attention, I realized that I was wasting a lot of time on frivolous activities such as scrolling through endlessly, impromptu visits or wasting time.

Image Source

This is one of the key facts about time: you cannot purchase time or store it. When it is gone it is gone forever. It is possible to get the lost money back, but it is impossible to get time lost back. This is the reason why it is among the greatest gifts that God has bestowed upon man. We should not waste our 24 hours, otherwise you will regret it later.

A student who was too much chatting compared to reading might fail an examination. An employee that spends time gossiping at work is likely to miss deadlines. A time wasting business individual stands to lose out. Time management is a factor in success in every aspect of life.

One basic time management hack is planning. You do not need to live the day as it is when you wake up in the morning. List or brainstorm on the things you have to get done that day. Some even set the list of things to be done the previous night. Planning assists you in being focused.

An illustration of this is the case where you are a student; your plan will be; attend lectures, read two hours, do assignments, and then relax. As a business person, you can even plan to attend to customers, check stock, make calls and deliveries. With a plan you will find it easy to say no to time wasting things.

The other hack is prioritizing. Not every task is important. Some things can be put on hold and there are things that need to be done at once. Good time managers are able to schedule their work sequentially according to its importance. There is a well-known rule known as the 80/20 rule which states that 20 percent of what we do yields us 80 percent of the outcome.

This implies that we need to concentrate on the limited things that really matter. It is the method that I personally apply when I am busy. The most important ones I select first and the less urgent ones I leave to be selected later. By doing so I get a lot done with minimal stress.

Image Source

Another important thing in time management is to avoid procrastination. Procrastination refers to the act of trying to postpone significant tasks. Many Nigerians including me formerly enjoy saying I will do it tomorrow. The issue is that tomorrow can never be. When you postpone any duty, it starts accumulating, and then it becomes too cumbersome.

One of the time management tips to procrastination is the two-minute rule. This rule is that in case a task can take less than two minutes then do it instantly rather than delaying it. To take up an example, an answer to a simple email or organizing your desk. Small successes such as this encourage you to be productive.

The next trick that is useful is to minimize distraction. Social media is one of the largest time wasters in the modern world. Most Nigerians take hours on WhatsApp, Tik Tok or Instagram without realizing it. I observed that I would spend two hours watching videos which would not add anything to my life.

One hack that is good is to schedule certain times to use social media or even to disable the notifications when one is doing work. The same thing is applicable to television, unexpected guests or unwarranted quarrels. To manage your time effectively, you have to learn to guard your time.

Time management includes rest and relaxation as well. There are those who believe that time management involves being busy 24 hours hence that is not the case. The brain and body require rest in order to work properly. When you sleep properly at night, you become a more productive person during the day. Even brief work breaks can make you feel better yourself.

According to the health experts, adults should sleep about 7-8 hours a day. Without giving yourself a break, you will be worn out, fatigued, and less productive. That is why good time managers take working and rest.

Another time management secret is delegation. You cannot do it all on your own. If you try, you will break down. Intelligent individuals divide tasks. Parents in Nigerian households provide children with some chores, and owners in businesses do the same to employees. By doing this you are able to stick to the things that are actually necessary. It is an effective way of saving time by learning to entrust others with some responsibilities.

Last but not the least, time management is a matter of discipline. You might be aware of every hack, but unless you are disciplined you will fail. Discipline is being able to train yourself to adhere to your plan even when you do not feel like doing it. It is the capacity to rise early in the morning, maintain schedules, unnecessary chatter and goal orientation. There are numerous successful individuals in the world including in Nigeria because of discipline in the way they used 24 hours.