How to become the master of your time?

A huge problem faced by many in this age is 'lack of time'. Everyone has aspirations and wishes, but no one seems to have the time to do it!

Adults wish to give more time to family, travel, etc., kids want more time for playing, and (serious) JEE aspirants need more time for studying. No one seems to have enough of it. No one. 

I myself have faced this problem multiple time, but somehow I feel I have a few principles with me which can enable everyone to become the master of time, and hence carry out all the productive tasks one aspires for in the same 24 hours God has bestowed on each and everyone of us. I spent most of my first year struggling to find a balance between work and play. I never had this issue before college, because my life was restricted to the size of a peanut. The real world is different and demands much more sophisticated planning in order to excel.

So, coming to the issue of tackling this issue, I will mention a few principles (based on my own life) which helped me overcome this issue faced by probably billions of people. First things first, let us focus on the 'why' part. This will probably solve more than half of the issue. Ask yourself-'Where does my time go?' You will find the answer for sure, I guarantee it. You might be ashamed to admit the reasons, but you know them. Mostly, these will make the list-

• Social media
• Unproductive entertainment (TV, Games)
• Random thoughts (leading to procrastination)
• Spending too much time socializing with people.
• Not prioritizing your tasks
• Sleeping too much/too less
• Chatting too much with friends/partners.
• Doing random things at random times.
• Spending time being sad/happy/(insert another emotions here).

 You can definitely reduce your Social media and TV time. To know more about my view of social media and how to remove it, see this answer on Quora.

Unproductive entertainments are okay in a limit. They lead to recreation for a certain time, but after some time, they lead to bad health, loss of productivity and guilt of wasting time. I have recently started to read books for leisure(not academic book). But I do that in a very concentrated way and for less than an hour daily. This isn't much of a time waste as I spend little time and it leads to some good entertainment. Problem starts when you start following too many hobbies/TV series. It's okay to be a cricket fan or Harry Potter fan. It's not okay at all to be a fan of GOT, cricket, football, F.R.I.E.N.D.S, Marvel, dancing, music, all at a time and spending too much time on these. Limit your TV/hobby time to a fixed hour daily. This way you'll be able to take out more time both for your hobby and for you job/study.

Random thought and emotional havocs are yet another major cause you of worry to many. I used to spend a lot of time thinking about other's opinion of myself. Some people might be suffering from some personal issues, and hence it's quite possible that they end up overthinking a lot. It used to happen with me too. I spent time talking to positive and motivating people and stayed away from negative people. If you have some personal issues, sharing them with someone close is the best way to tackle it. Talk to your friends/parents/ have some counselling. It's really going to help you.

Now I hope most of the 'unnecessary' and avoidable factors have gone. What's left is planning, and a good schedule. You must make a very tight schedule. You must become concious about your time. Until and unless you put in genuine and concious effort to make better use of your time and get that extra hour, you won't be able to make it.

So let's get to the point and discuss about a good schedule. First thing is to wake up and sleep early, and at least for 7 hours. In my first year at college, I got into this vicious cycle of poor and late sleep. I used to go to bed not before 2 in the night and my average sleep was probably less than 6 hours. I have changed this habit and it has made me much more productive. I wake up at 7 and go to bed around 12 (or at least try to). I sleep more than 1 hour more as compared to last year. This has made me much more energetic, and I hardly feel lack of energy at the end of the day. I get a good night's sleep.

Now, do keep time slots for things other than your job. I do a lot many things apart from studying. It helps me get relaxed and ensures more productivity.

Read this to know more about my schedule and activities.

Try to make a draft of all possible activities you will do during a day, including your working hours. Write it down very neatly somewhere and stick to it. Mention hours when you would do a certain thing. For example, you can say that 8-10 ->study Math/complete assignment/achieve any target. 12:30-2-> take a break/read/sleep, etc. I keep my Saturday for completing stuff left in the week. Sundays are usually free. Make sure to have a day left after putting down all your commitments, so that you don't end up failing to achieve your goals for the week.

I hope this helped. Do comment and share! BTW, I made this post using small bits of 10-15 minutes spread over many days. Time management, folks!!!

P.S.- Now I am active on Instagram again. Check me out!