One question I am asked often is how I manage to juggle everything in my life; work, school, girlfriend, gym, without going crazy or forgetting something because I am so busy. It’s not easy, but there are several things you need to understand before you can begin to better manage your time.

1. Time IS a Resource

I know it sounds basic but you really need to understand that time is a valued resource that you need to cherish at all costs. Life is far too short to just waste your time on trivial matters, which is not to say you don’t need some “downtime” to relax once in a while. It is critically important to understand that time is a tangible resource that must be managed for you to succeed in improving your life. It is also important to notice how others value time, lest you let them waste yours.

2. Gain Situational Awareness

This sounds like a no-brainer but in reality it’s anything but. To even begin to manage time you need to know how many hours in a day you have to actually use outside of your sleep cycle. It can be helpful to write down what you do on a typical day to being to get a handle on where you currently spend your time. Before you can being to manage time you need to know exactly where your time is currently being spent and how. I usually set aside at least several hours a week (usually on a Sunday) to go over what I have coming up for the next week and more importantly, how last week went time-wise so I can plan and evaluate past performance at the same time. This lets me use what I learn from my “situational awareness” to help make changes to my schedule for the upcoming week.

3. Don’t Let Others Run Your Schedule (or your life!)

Ok, this one is hard but vital to your success. You simply cannot let others dictate your schedule, period. To do so makes it impossible for you to reach your goals. Don’t let family members, bosses, or anyone else tell you how to plan your day. Bosses at work can give you tasks and family can make requests on your time, but never let these requests directly dictate your actual schedule. This is important because YOU need to be able to control what gets added to your to-do list for you to have even a tiny chance at managing your time. Some tips; when the boss hits you up for something with no notice (drive-by-tasking) always respond with “ok, let me check what I have on my schedule at get back to you”, and always make sure to follow up later with a communication to let him or her know that you have managed to “squeeze” it into your busy schedule (even if you had plenty of time to spare). This allows you to use some flow-control in how others make demands on your time. Eventually the people you interact with will begin to respect your right to manage your own time and future interactions will become much easier.

4. Write It Down

Now is the easy part, just write down your schedule! My recommendation is to get comfortable with a tool such as Google Calendar or in most work environments you can use Microsoft Outlook’s calendar to keep track of your schedule. Another great tool is to use a PDA or a Blackberry to download your calendar so you can keep track of events and task while on the go. I love to use my Blackberry to monitor incoming email from both work and home so when something comes in that requires my attention I can make it a task right away. Another important aspect to this step is the need for you to categorize your tasks on your schedule. This lets you group things in ways that are meaningful to you. I find that I can better understand and manage demands on my schedule if I have a high-level understanding of where (or who) is placing those demands.

5. Make Time For Yourself

Perhaps the most important step in better managing your time is to make time for yourself. I always make sure to set aside at least one day a week to take care of my own personal mental health and to reflect on the last week or so. Just a day (or maybe a few hours) to relax and do something mindless without feeling like I have to keep checking my schedule to see what’s next “on the list”. This works for me, but you can do whatever works for you, so long as you get some time to yourself at least once a week. Some people only need a few hours every now and then to “decompress” but everyone still needs it! Before I understood that I needed to take some time each week for myself I would go several months non-stop till I would end up having to suddenly take a few days off from everything because I would make myself sick trying to keep up with everything. So always remember to make time for yourself!