4 tips for allocating time for the important tasks

June 27, 2017

Being busy doesn't always equate to living with purpose. We need to actively carve out space for what truly enriches us.

Often we form habits that need to be broken so we can allow time for new experiences and grow as individuals. It might seem impossible to take on further study, focus on fitness, pick up a new hobby or travel the world. In that case, it’s probably time to re-assess what’s truly important, and manage our lives a little differently.

1. Automate the cumbersome
   For activities that occur in your life regularly, alleviate stress and handle life admin by automating as much as you can. Set up bills to be paid automatically, sign up to a food subscription service such as Hello Fresh, invest in a smart home system like Google Home, and manage your reoccurring appointments through one central app. Plan out your year by scheduling the ‘must do’ stuff, so you have the mental space to explore exciting new activities.

2. Balance your priorities
   Living a balanced life is difficult to achieve. Assess where your focus lies by creating a wheel of life pie chart depicting how much time you spend on the following areas: family, relationships, career, money, health, personal growth, fun time and physical environment. This way you’ll be able to quickly identify which facets take up most of your energy. If you’re happy with the split, celebrate your wonderfully balanced life! If a big piece of your pie is dedicated to an area which you deem overkill, think about ways to shift your focus.

3. Cull your commitments
   Do you find it frustrating to catch up with a certain acquaintance or participate in an activity that no longer fills you with joy? Don’t invest time in people or things that don’t contribute to your ultimate happiness. We grow and change constantly, so don’t feel obliged to continue to carry on with activities out of habit. Outgrowing people and things, is ok—it’s an important part of our continued development. Of course you should be respectful and communicate why you no longer want to see someone or do something.

4. Create a good old ‘to do’ list
   Write down everything that you’d like to achieve for the remainder of the year. Be realistic, but incorporate some stretch goals too. Work through your list to categorise each project as ‘Do now’, ‘Delegate’, ‘Do later’, or ‘Drop’. Break down your projects into weekly or daily activities checklists. Use an app such as Wunderlist, or plaster your list on your fridge, or in your bathroom—anywhere where you’ll be forced to faced it often. Hold yourself accountable to the tasks by allocating desired completion dates and sticking to them. Enjoy the satisfaction of methodically crossing off items and achieving your goals!

Is further study on your ‘to do’ list? We can help.

There’s no need to turn your life upside-down to find time for education. Through Open Universities Australia (OUA), you can experience uni on your terms by choosing when, where, and at what pace you study.

OUA proudly partners with leading Australian universities to bring you hundreds of online degrees and single subjects in the one place. Study online to suit your lifestyle and graduate with exactly the same degree as an on-campus student.

If you’re anxious about going back, or starting study at uni level – don’t be. From day one to graduation, we’re here to guide you through. We’ve got student advisors who can help you find the right degree for you and assist you with your enrolment and study planning.