The most valuable commodity in the world is not gold, nor silver, nor even oil: it is time. Managing it correctly doesn’t just mean having better performance at work, but also optimizing your time with family or your best friends.

Certain personal characteristics, such as general disorganization, anxiety and lack of attention to detail are among the factors responsible for poor use of time. As a result, everything that is done becomes much more tiring, expensive and, after some time, frustrating.

But this can be changed starting today: through certain attitudes (and tools), you will learn to manage your time better and, with that, make your life lighter and more fluid every day.

Read also: Use Trello to organize your business!

Tips to make the most of your time

Take time to set priorities

Do you feel like everything you do isn’t working out as it should? It could be that your priorities aren’t completely aligned with your daily tasks. Set aside a few minutes of your day, grab a notebook, and write down everything you do throughout the day – your routine, in detail.

Once everything is transcribed, analyze what takes the most time to do and at what activity or time of day the physical and/or emotional exhaustion begins to occur. Try to allocate (or even remove!) some of these activities to make them easier to complete.

Also, think about things that need to be a priority for your well-being: meditation, physical activities or even leisure time should be part of your planning. Don't forget that your mind needs relief from time to time.

Create to-do lists

Many people have never tried making to-do lists – and have no idea how useful they are. This way, you will no longer forget important matters, regardless of their nature.

There are smartphone apps, such as Evernote (available for Android and iOS) that serve exactly this purpose: to put all your tasks organized, centralized in one place. Notifications will be displayed on the device screen, alerting you about your commitments.

It doesn't have to be extremely detailed, or the experience becomes somewhat suffocating: include the commitments that you absolutely cannot forget, but that, for some reason, keep getting neglected.

Learn to take breaks

Some people, especially at work, dedicate themselves to their activities until the very end – and this is a terrible idea, especially in the long term. Anxiety, depression and burnout syndrome are just some of the comorbidities that can affect people who do not respect their own limits.

Whether you work from home or in person, take regular breaks of a few minutes. This is especially important if you have visual impairments and spend long hours in front of a screen.

Drink some water, talk to someone for a while or do something fun that takes your mind off what you were doing, even if just for a few moments.

Be flexible

Things don't always happen as people expect. Insisting on the same path can become a real waste of time. Adapting to adversity with ease and rationality makes a lot more difference than you might think.

Imagine the following situation: you work in an ice cream factory, but your machine breaks down and stops working. Instead of wasting time fuming for several minutes and giving in to panic and stress, how about calmly calling the supervisor and explaining what happened? Everything will be resolved much more quickly that way.

Find alternative ways to solve problems or do anything: think of a plan B for everything and execute that plan if necessary. Thinking outside the box is a great exercise for life!

Don't do it all alone

This problem usually affects perfectionists: people who try to do everything alone tend to spend much more time completing tasks, while collective work tends to be much more effective, competent and safe.

Several heads are better than one. Other people may spot errors or improvements that you have not noticed; in the same way, if you have any kind of problem or difficulty, you can ask your peers for help – and this is an exercise in coexistence that should be constantly practiced.

Delegate tasks to other people, both at home and at work: this way, you can optimize the time it takes to deliver everything you need! Don't forget to always ask politely and humbly.

Use your smartphone's calendar

Don't think that your mobile device's calendar is just for knowing what day it is: it's also an excellent tool for taking notes and creating important notifications about your routine!

Google Calendar, for example, is a service which comes standard on Android phones and can be downloaded on Apple smartphones, too. Considering that everyone carries their devices with them for most of the day, few gadgets are more effective for setting reminders, right?

Seek professional help

Have you ever stopped to think that your difficulty in managing your time may be due to some pathology? Well, certain psychological conditions can drastically affect your ability to organize yourself. In these cases, medical monitoring is essential to reverse or at least minimize the damage.

Try consulting a psychologist or psychiatrist: share your most primitive desires and instincts, get to the heart of the problem and treat it with the utmost maturity and lightness! Don't be in a hurry to change; just take the first step towards a better life.

Learn to say “no”

Saying “yes” to everyone else’s needs is a great way to get overly concerned about other people’s problems. Don’t be afraid to say “no”: respect your limits, or your daily performance will gradually start to decline.

Do you feel like your time could be better spent on other things? What would they be? Leave your thoughts in the comments!