How to Actually Manage Your Time Better

As someone who likes solving problems, I think solving your own character flaws/habitual problems is a unique challenge to tackle.

Here’s some tips I learned through other people that helped me manage my time better.

Define “Good Time Management”

The first step to fixing bad time management is defining what good time management looks like.

In high school, I wanted to:

  • Spend the minimum amount of time on studying to get good grades (≥ 96)
  • Fulfill my responsibilities in school clubs (computer science club, math club)
  • Spend lots of time on extracurriculars
  • Spend lots of time on coding projects
  • Sleep ≥8 hours a day
  • Still have some time to exercise, socialize, and have fun

In university, my goals are slightly different:

  • Spend the minimum amount of time on studying to get decent grades (≥80)
  • Spend lots of time applying to jobs, polishing my resume
  • Spend lots of time on coding projects
  • Regularly exercise, socialize, and have fun
  • Sleep ≥8 hours a day

I believe that listing down your goals immediately makes them more achievable. After all, you can’t succeed at anything if you don’t have a clear definition of what success looks like!

Analyzing the difference

So, you’ve decided what “good” time management looks like. Take the time to analyze the difference between the quality (or lack thereof) of your current time management and your goal.

If you often feel like you don’t even know where your time is going, (or simply don’t want to admit it), try tracking your screen time usage (because, after all, that’s likely where all your time is going).

Spending too much time on Instagram and Reddit?

Spending too much time on gaming?

Spending too much time on… something else that isn’t productive?

Make a plan

Whatever the case is, make a concrete goal to reduce that difference until it is 0. For example, for me, I added an app blocker to my phone called “StayFree”. It sets limits on my apps and websites, and also sends me a daily summary of how much time I spent on my phone.

Don’t become a victim of your own weaknesses. Put systems in place to stop yourself!