ANOTHER LIFE HACK ARTICLE

9 Tips for Making the Most of Your Time

Simple Habits to Help You Tackle Your To-Do List

The holidays are a busy time. No one disagrees on that point. Even if you plan to keep things simple this time of year, the end-of-year obligations and deadlines can stress out anyone. And yet, even though we all have 24 hours in a day, some people just seem to be better at managing their time and getting things checked off their to-do list.

What’s the secret? Here are some tips that even the busiest, most disorganized person can put into practice.

1. Make a list.

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed when you don’t have an accurate picture of what all you have to deal with during the day. Budgeting money starts with looking at our expenses; budgeting time starts with looking at the tasks we have to complete. Write it down. Check it off, once completed.

The hardest part of making a list is often deciding what to do first and what to save for later. The important and urgent items on your list should obviously get priority. Beyond that, you may want to look at that one big task you’ve been avoiding. Accomplishing it will give you a sense of momentum. However, there’s no one right way to do it. (Some people enjoy starting the day with smaller manageable tasks to get into a routine.)

If it works for you, keep doing it.

2. Get enough sleep.

It may seem counterintuitive that the way to get more done is to sleep, and thereby reduce the available hours. But it’s true. Study after study has shown that people who get a full night’s rest are more productive and able to focus. If you can’t seem to focus on a task, instead of blaming the lack of caffeine, you might want to look into your lack of sleep.

3. Eat well.

We’re well aware of the numerous benefits to eating a healthy diet. Food is literally the fuel our body runs on. If you’re feeling run down, you need to evaluate what you’re running on. Are you eating the right foods? Are those foods prepared the right way?

Some people skip breakfast in the rush to get to work, and others will take a shortened lunch break to get more…