In fact, I find that optimizing my time management and making the most of my days adds a sense of excitement and challenge to my daily life. It’s a fun little game I enjoy playing that helps me stay dynamic and focused. A meta-analysis published in 2021 in the journal PLoS One reveals that this is a common experience: optimizing time management is associated with a sense of well-being and life satisfaction.
In the long run, you won’t be able to keep doing something you hate for very long. That’s the golden rule for staying motivated!
With that in mind, here is my list of tips for busy people who want to better balance work and rest in their lives. I recommend trying them out and adapting them to make them your own. Keep these tips in mind and apply those that help you achieve your goals starting today.
One of the surprising aspects of motivation is that it can be inexhaustible. If you start your day on a positive note by accomplishing an important task, you’ll feel satisfied and more motivated to continue being productive for the rest of the day. But if you waste your time in the morning, finding motivation in the afternoon will be very difficult. This is why it’s a priority on my list of tips: successes early in the day guarantee progress and pave the way for an emotionally productive day.
Whether you prefer to organize your work into large or small blocks of time depends on your schedule and personality. After trying several different methods, I can confidently say that what works best for me are short blocks of time, combined with a very clear idea of my objectives. What do I consider short? I like to work in 25-minute intervals and I keep track of completed tasks using a simple list on a sticky note.
Another good tip is to set realistic goals. I used to set ambitious goals for myself every day, hoping it would motivate me to work hard. However, the opposite happened. I would end up feeling frustrated at the start of the day because I wasn’t making enough progress, and then discouraged if I couldn’t get everything done. So I decided to set more modest goals, and I found that this made my day more enjoyable because I was able to achieve them daily. It works so well that I sometimes feel motivated to do more—and I like the feeling of “working ahead,” rather than playing catch-up.
Here’s another key principle: progress leads to progress. We’re all motivated by a sense of accomplishment and discouraged by the feeling of going in circles. It might seem better to have higher standards in the long run, but I find that if those standards are too high, they prevent us from moving forward. So keep your motivation high and your progress rapid, and don’t worry about being perfect. Do your best, and trust in your ability to improve over time.
