Time Management and Finding Time When There is None

Time is something that we all have a very limited amount of, especially in the work industry. College and school did a great job on teaching us time management. The balancing of class work, sports, and for some of us a job on the side. All of this is a great example of reaching a point to where we are splitting our time efficiently and effectively. Now that we’ve made it past those late nights of studying and finishing up homework for multiple classes, there’s no way that we don’t have this whole thing figured out. Right?

I’m now three and a half years removed from school, and while I do credit these experiences in life being the foundation for healthier and more effective time management skills, I still find myself learning how to better balance my work time. There are always multiple projects, meetings, and collaborations going on inside of the office. It can make it very difficult to find a groove when your focus can be pulled in so many directions. Being an effective communicator to my team, responding at reasonable times to the clients, and still being able to get the design and draft work done makes for a full day.

Balancing multiple tasks is something that this industry requires us to be able to do. This can lead to long days and longer nights at times. Some nights work comes home with you, and some weekends work seems to not leave your mind. Even when we’ve reached this point, we still need to be able to find a balance. There is always going to be more work to do, so it is up to us to make sure that we are in the best mental state to ensure that we can give our all and our best in every project, every client, and every day.

The secret to finding time is really that there is none. All this reading to rob you of the ultimate life hack! Just as we have done to reach this point in our careers, diligence is key. There will always be days to where we feel that there is too much to do. There will be days that we feel that the weight of the job can be a bit heavy, but there will always be one thing to carry us forward: the foundation that we built to get to this point. We have overcome and persevered through finding success in pressing times, and gotten here by making the most of what we have, and using good time management for finding time when there is none.

A screenshot of an Outlook calendar. Some confidential information has been redacted. This shows how the author utilizes various tools for time management.
A jam-packed calendar, with all gaps likely filled by independent work. Time management requires a lot of different tools!

 

 

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