I don’t know why, today, I am a bit philosophical. Think about how much time I’ve been spending in this world and what I have been doing. Just like a book,  I realize that one chapter ends and another begins. The question is what the hell I was doing in the last chapter, is it worth my time?

I believe everyone knows the famous line time is money! Yes indeed, time is money and even more. Time is energy, is power, is knowledge, and is everything you have besides yourself.

So think like this: you are in charge of what happens with you and with your time. It’s the most important resource you have. Well…you don’t actually own it, but definitely you have plenty of it.

And the first step to take before investing your time is to know its value, and to become aware of how you use time. Thus, evaluate your time. And be honest! Only if you are honest, you can really see if you use your time efficiently or you waste it. Use a journal, a time chart, or just a small notebook where you write down your daily schedule.

If you waste it – not all of your time, maybe just a part of it – maybe you should consider changing something in your life. And you will see the results in short time.

Once you evaluated your pattern and habits in terms of spending time, put together your goals. Good questions to help you determine what are your goals are: who am I? What do I want to do with my life? What I like to do most? The answers might surprise you. You might discover your true passions, ways to develop a job from what you like. And keep in mind, always be honest with yourself.

The next step is to prioritize. For sure you can’t do everything you want in one day/month/year. Therefore, after you have the list with the goals, put them in the right order for you. Decide how much time you want to invest in each of it, depending on its importance for you.

For example, if you want to take a new course on a hobby you have, take time to do it, everyday a little bit.
It is not enough to just prioritize.

Me, I love to draw, I draw everyday and I could spend hours just to finish a bit detail of my drawings.

You have to also plan your time. Take into consideration not only your goals, but your friends and family as well. They’re part of your life and good time spent with the close ones brings joy and happiness.

Value your time. Pay attention to what really matters to you and don’t waste such a precious resource on things that don’t help you grow or don’t bring you happiness. It is alright to say no from time to time and decide how you want to spend your time.

Now, have you done all these and still you feel you need more time? There are still some things that you can’t manage? Well, see a list of useful tools for a smart and efficient investment of your time.

  1. Begin with the most important goal for you. It is the same with prioritizing. Don’t feel sorry you cannot do them all, just do something.
  2. Refuse what doesn’t suits you. It is perfectly alright to say no. It is important not to feel guilty about it. No one knows better than you what is good for you.
  3. Multitask…but not too much. When in a hurry, a lot of people choose to multitask. But not everything can and should be multi-tasked. See what you can do and never overload yourself.
  4. Be spontaneous…up to a point. This means you should prepare for meetings at work, school, and faculty. In simple words, do your homework. It is cool to act on the spur of the moment, but it’s not cool to make mistakes because you didn’t prepare before.
  5. It’s no shame to ask for help. If at one point you cannot take it anymore, or you need a little break, ask for help. This means you are human, aware of your limits.
  6. Cut out diversions. If you cannot work or do what you like because some other things happen in the same time, just cut them out. Unplug the TV if it’s distracting you, or set a place only for you to work – if possible – or close the tabs you don’t need in your browser – especially for the ones working online.
  7. Don’t be too harsh with yourself. After you have achieved a goal, or you have taken a step forward in something you wished for, take a little time to enjoy it and be thankful for it. In other words, don’t become workaholic. Award yourself when you achieved something.

Take your time and invest it wisely!