“Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.”

― Mother Theresa

Have you ever woke up excited for a new day? You decide that today is the day. You write your goals. The ones that make your heart scream. You write a plan. Maybe you tell your friends? You feel that you have a purpose. You jot down more ideas. Perhaps even start. Wait a minute, you have a full-time job, have to clean, promised to do your parents that favor, oh and you have that event. Life happened. Life will always happen. That is why it is important to maximize your productivity and master personal time management.

If you have ever done a plank, you would know that a one minute plank feels like an eternity. You always have more time than you think and at the same time, you don’t. Super confusing right? Well, you DO have time. Keep reading to discover 4 ways to maximize your time and productivity!

1. Wake Up Early

Waking up early gives you more time to get your tasks done. You ease into your day feeling empowered and positive because you didn’t have to rush and instead have already set the mood for the day. Whether you made your bed, listened to a podcast, or took a walk, taking time for you is ALWAYS important.

2. Budget Your Time

Just like money, time budgets exist too. Track the time you spend doing certain activities throughout the day. You may realize that you are spending too much time doing something insignificant. Bingeing on a TV series sounds harmless. Although, if you are spending hours watching television while pushing off a project, you might want to make adjustments.

3. Cut Out Distractions

Unplug. Unplug. Unplug. Distractions are everywhere. Your chatty coworker, email notifications, social media, and text messages. While you may think it only takes a few minutes, it is still shifting your mind from your core tasks. Let’s be honest, a few minutes every few minutes is A LOT of minutes. Repeated interruptions affect concentration. Challenge yourself to limit your phone time. Tell your coworker you can catch up at lunch. Disable your notifications. You won’t work 8 hours non-stop with no distractions. It is impossible, we are human. Though, prioritizing your responsibilities will make this easy peasy for you.

4. Take A Break

It sounds counterintuitive but taking a break can help improve concentration. Taking a break will refresh your mind and give you a moment to regroup with yourself. According to author Nir Eyal, “When we work, our prefrontal cortex makes every effort to help us execute our goals. But for a challenging task that requires our sustained attention, research shows briefly taking our minds off the goal can renew and strengthen motivation later on.”