MY TIPS ON EFFECTIVE TIME MANAGEMENT.

But mainly catching up on life.

We get very little time to just chill out and really catch up. Usually we’re just texting or even worse, Snapchatting. I mean, if I really want to know what my sister is up to in life, I just need to open up Snapchat. Welcome to the modern day real life. Amiright?!

Anyway, so we’re having this night in, catching up, I’m giving her the scoop into everything going on in my life. You know, the endless list of everything I try and do in life (work, events, blogging, shoots, volunteering, having a social life, etc), and she turns to me, and literally yells in my face saying, “HOW THE HELL DO YOU HAVE TIME FOR ALL THIS?!”

After a few minutes of pondering how the actual hell I do do all this, she tells me I need to write a blog post on time management. Such a smartie she is.

I’m definitely not going to go on and on about how busy I think my life is or anything, because we all lead pretty hectic lives. Regardless, I have been pretty good with time management all my life, and I thought I’d share some of the things that work for me.Let’s get right into it….

I love a good routine. I have been living my life in a very strict routine. I know what most of you are thinking…

…That my life is boring and I need to live a little. Trust me when I say, I live A LOT. And I do that because I have a routine. If I didn’t, shit would be everywhere, my days would fall apart, and nothing would get done. I’m able to make time for people in my life, do my job(s), come home and actually cook meals, and sleep at a decent time, ALL BECAUSE I have a routine.

I get it, not everything and not everyday should be a routine. You should be spontaneous, right? Ummm, how about let’s be spontaneous like a couple times a month maybe? (See, I’m even scheduling in some spontaneous days!)

Point is, I get that life should be spontaneous sometimes. And I’m all for that. But when you can, do the routine thing. You will accomplish a SHIT TON more.I aim to sleep at the same time every night. I wake up at the same time every morning. (Except on weekends. Everyone just leave me alone on weekends. I like my 11am sleep-ins). When you start to form a routine, you’ll make time for everything that matters to you.

And speaking of routine – here’s 3 things I always do on my birthday!

I’ve mentioned this before, and I’ll mention it again. WRITE IT DOWN. You want to accomplish something? You want to visit that aunt you’ve been meaning to? You need to change your tires? Get that oil change? Write it down. Like actually get a fucking pen and paper. Not your phone….

When you have a list that’s sitting in front of you all day, you WILL get shit done. I mean, how could you not? It’s staring you right in the face. And if you’re like me, you make it all pretty and colour-coded.

So, it’s not enough to just make lists. You have to make them, and then prioritize them. Because you could have 45867 things on your list, and not know where the fuck to begin.

Make your list, and then prioritize it. Actually go in and number everything that’s on that list. 1 being the most important. 70% of accomplishing something is in the planning itself.

For example, a blog post. I plan out the photos, edit them, make notes on what the post is about, THEN finally get to writing it. Majority of writing a blog post is planning it. Actually writing it, is the easy part.

As an event planner, I’m constantly working on multiple events. Never just one. This is something that has worked very well for me in staying on top of all the events I plan. Time Blocking.

This means, allotting yourself a certain amount of time for each project. So, you give yourself a cut off time, and you MUST abide by it. Let’s use blogging again as an example. I usually give myself 30 minutes to check and respond to emails. After those 30 mins are done, I HAVE to stop and move on to whatever else is on my list. If its editing some photos, I will give myself 45 minutes, and nothing more. Once that’s up, I move on.

Get it? If you do too many things at once, you’ll never fully accomplish anything. With time blocking, you’re focused on one thing and one thing only. And once the time is up, you move on.

Whether it is your phone calendar or your chic Kate Spade planner, BEFRIEND IT. It will save you. I have both…obviously.

I like my phone because reminders are everything! No one can remember everything, and why would you want to when you have your trusty device to remind you, anyway? The less you need to remember, the better. I literally have reminders in my phone for everything. From doctors appointments, to nail appointments, to even the smallest things like, taking my vitamins. It’s all there.

You don’t want to see my phone calendar…

I also have a calendar that I keep in my purse and take everywhere with me. I’m slightly old school that way and love writing things down. Judge me all you want. I love it.