5 Free Time Management Tips

- How to make the most of your free time

How much time do you get to yourself?

Whether it’s a lot or a little, use these free time management tips to help you make the most of yours.

Before we start, it’s helpful to see where your free time fits in.

Every day consists of 24 hours, made up of things you:

1. Have to do
2. Feel you should do
3. Want to do

Time management is about doing what you:

1. Have to do efficiently -- as quickly as you can without compromising on quality.
2. Feel you should do appropriately -- acting on what you know you're responsible for, not what you feel guilty about.
3. Want to do frequently -- making sure you protect time for what matters most.

Here are five free time management tips to help you use yours well:

1. Maximize it. The quicker you do what you have to do, the sooner you can do what you want to do. In other words, minimize the time you spend doing 1 and 2 to maximize the time you spend in 3.

   Better time management in the workplace is the key to maximizing the amount of free time you have.

2. Plan it. One of the principles of time management is clarity. The clearer you are about what you want, or have, to do, the more likely it is that you’ll do it.

   Whether you use expensive software or scribble down your intentions on a scrap of paper, plan what you want to do.

   Personal goal setting is a skill that applies to your free time as much as it does to your work.

3. Use it. This is one of the most important tips to work on. Being busy is a habit that can easily spill over into your free time.

   Learning how to relax, however you do it, is a skill, but, for the sake of your health and well being (and for those around you), it’s one that's well worth learning.

   It pays not to be productive sometimes.

4. Record it. Keep a record of what you do with your free time. This is a great way to help you to focus on how you use it. It’s also good to look back periodically to see all the good things you’ve done.

   You can also learn from how well you’ve used your free time. Keep a time management log to look back at what was worth doing and what wasn’t.

5. Enjoy it. Okay, it seems obvious -- after all, that’s the point of free time, right?

   Well, if relaxing is a skill, then enjoyment is an art. This is all about the attitude you choose to adopt when you’re 'free'.

   Have fun when you’re having fun!

Try these 5 free time management tips to make the most of the the hours you choose how to use each day.

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