Hey girls! I’ve been on this journey of trying to make the most of my day, and let me tell you, time trackers have been a total game-changer! I used to feel like I was constantly running around like a headless chicken, with no real sense of what I was actually achieving. But then I discovered these amazing apps and techniques that have revolutionized how I manage my time.
One of the first apps I stumbled upon was this super cute and user-friendly one. It had these adorable little icons for each task category, like a little shopping bag for when I was doing my online shopping sprees (guilty pleasure, I know!), a little book for when I was reading, and a little running shoe for when I was hitting the gym. Just looking at those icons made me excited to start tracking my time. And it was so easy to just tap on the icon when I started a task and tap again when I was done. It gave me this instant overview of how much time I was spending on different things throughout the day.
I realized that I was spending way too much time mindlessly scrolling through social media. I mean, we’ve all been there, right? You start by just quickly checking your notifications, and the next thing you know, an hour has passed and you’re still looking at pictures of cute puppies and amazing travel destinations. With the time tracker, I could actually see how much of my precious day was being wasted on that. So, I set myself a little challenge. I allowed myself a specific amount of time each day for social media, and when that time was up, I had to put my phone down and focus on something else. It was tough at first, but after a while, it became a habit, and I found myself being so much more productive.
Another technique I started using was the Pomodoro Technique. Oh my gosh, you guys, this is amazing! Basically, you work in short bursts of focused time, usually 25 minutes, and then you take a short break of like 5 minutes. After a few of these cycles, you take a longer break. I set up a little timer on my phone with a cute alarm sound (I chose a little bird chirping sound because it makes me feel happy and motivated). When that timer goes off for the work period, I know it’s time to really hunker down and get things done. And during the breaks, I do something quick and relaxing like stretching or grabbing a glass of water. It’s incredible how much more focused I can be when I know I only have that short amount of time to work on a task before I get a break.
I also started making to-do lists on my time tracker app. But not just any old to-do lists. I added little emojis next to each task to make it more fun. For example, if it was a task like cleaning my room, I put a little broom emoji next to it. If it was writing an email, I put a little envelope emoji. It made the whole process of looking at my to-do list less daunting and more enjoyable. And I could prioritize my tasks based on how important they were and how much time I thought they would take.
Now, let’s talk about the benefits I’ve seen from using these time trackers. First of all, I feel so much more in control of my day. I know exactly what I’m spending my time on, and I can make adjustments if I see that I’m spending too much time on something that isn’t really important. I’ve also been able to get so much more done. I used to have this long list of things I wanted to do but never seemed to get around to them. But now, with the help of the time tracker, I’m ticking off tasks left and right. And it’s not just about being productive for the sake of it. I actually have more time to do the things I love. I can go for a longer walk in the park, read that book I’ve been meaning to read for ages, or have a nice long chat with my girlfriends without feeling guilty because I know I’ve been using my time wisely the rest of the day.
But it’s not always been smooth sailing. There were times when I just didn’t feel like tracking my time. I was having a lazy day or I was just in a bad mood. But I learned that it’s okay to take a break from it sometimes. The important thing is to get back on track when you’re ready. And sometimes, the estimates I made for how long a task would take were way off. I’d think it would only take 30 minutes to write a blog post, for example, and then it would end up taking an hour and a half. But that’s all part of the learning process. I adjusted my estimates over time and got better at predicting how long things would actually take.
In conclusion, girls, if you’re feeling like your days are slipping away from you and you’re not getting as much done as you’d like, give time trackers a try. Whether it’s an app with cute icons or using the Pomodoro Technique or making fun to-do lists, there are so many ways to make it work for you. It might take a little while to get used to, but once you do, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it. So go ahead, take control of your time and start making the most of each and every day! 💖