A budget is a necessity for the fiscally responsible. If you don’t know where your money needs to go when you get your paycheck, chances are it will get blown before you get through week one (or maybe that’s just me). A budget allows you to put your money where it needs to be and then use what is left over for whatever you feel.
Your time should work the same way.
1. Prioritize
Prioritize your time in the same way you would prioritize your spending. What are the daily categories you HAVE to get done? Maybe yours are sleep, work, work-out, cook, and do homework. Everyone’s priorities will look different, but make sure yours are helping you get toward your goals. The main objective is to compile a list of your must-dos for a typical day.
2. Attribute Hours
Attribute hours to every category you have outlined. This might look something like:
Work: 8 hours
Sleep: 8 hours
Work-out: 1 hours
Cooking: 2 hours
Homework: 2 hours
Total: 21 hours
Now, that is a loaded day. Still, there are three extra hours left to decide what to do with. That is what this process should help you realize, that you have more time than you think.
3. Put the Necessities in a Schedule
Open up your iCalendar, your notebook, or your preferred method of scheduling. If you don’t have one, get one. Put your necessities into your calendar so you can see what type of days you are working with and where you have extra time. Each day of the week may look a little different, just make sure you are putting in what needs to be done FIRST.
4. Fill In the Gaps
Look at where your extra hours are. These are the hours you get to say “yes” to whatever you want. So, maybe that is “yes” to extra sleep or to a coffee date with a friend. Whatever it is, try and make it something restful.
5. Relax
Once your schedule is made you don’t have to worry about missed appointments or deadlines. When the time scheduled for work is done, don’t think about it. When the time for your assignment is scheduled, don’t worry about trying to get to it at other times. Take the hours as the come and use them to the best of your ability for what you have scheduled them for.
Budgeting your time will leave you feeling like you have even more left over than before, just like with your finances.
