6 Time Management Guidelines to Create More Leisure Time

1. All calendars must be synchronized.
   Rather than managing multiple calendars from work, school, and other activities, combine them into one system. 

• Choose one specific type of calendar, transfer all the information to it, and combine records from family members and colleagues into one calendar. Who needs a second or a third calendar anyway?
• No need to maintain a separate chart for your kids’ activities such as soccer games, dance recitals, or choir practice. Simply add everything together into one calendar for simpler scanning and reference.

2. Schedule a routine time off.
   Include time for fun in your daily, weekly, and monthly calendars.

• Make it one of your top priorities to include leisure time in your calendar.
• Scheduling time off involves a commitment to completing other tasks on time and meeting all the deadlines.

3. Learn to be selective.
   The constant stream of emails and demands on your time call for being more careful with your tasks. Keep in mind that rethinking your approach to work, as well as delegating tasks, will help you find more time to relax. 

• Known as the Pareto principle, this 80/20 principle is a popular way to manage time. The Pareto principle states that 80 percent of your success comes from 20 percent of your efforts. This is why it’s really crucial to focus on important tasks first and delegate lesser important work to others.
• Grouping tasks together also improves time management by generating a stream of similar work without interruption. Choosing the key tasks is easier once they are in related groups.

4. Find and remove hidden time-wasters.
   If you are spending a lot of time checking Facebook messages, logging in to Twitter several times a day, and doing other social media activities, then you are guilty of being a time-waster. Altering this habit by removing the hidden daily time wasters, will offer you true relaxation and will lead to more leisure time.

• It is essential to limit how much time social media takes up on your calendar. Get rid of the bookmarks to these websites, remove the pinned tabs, and only log in when it is extremely necessary. 
• Hidden time-wasters can divert you from important tasks and affect deadlines. By eliminating them, you’re back in control of the more important schedules of life.

5. Use online tools or the traditional egg timer to monitor time.
   To be more efficient, specific tasks need to be timed to ensure you stay on schedule.

• A conventional kitchen egg timer is an easy way to keep track of tasks. It can be set up and left on a desk. 
• Online versions of kitchen timers function in a similar way, but they don’t take up desk space. They can be used to schedule tasks and help you stay focused.

6. Generate leisure goals and include them in a calendar.
   Calendars are very useful, not only for tracking meetings or phone calls. They can be powerful tools for tracking objectives while providing daily reminders of what you want to achieve during your time off.

• Creating a set of objectives for leisure time will help you to stay focused. Do you want to paint enough artwork to redecorate your entire house? Do you want to spend more time watching the kids play soccer? Each of these objectives can be tracked with a calendar for better time management.

Discover more leisure time by streamlining how you manage your time. Calendars will certainly help you keep track of daily tasks at work and home, but it is the commitment to creating positive change that matters.