How to Manage Time Better rachelalexandrahill.com /manage-time-better/
How to Manage Time Better How to manage time better is an age old problem and as we all have the same 168 hours per week it can feel as if some people do it better than others. As an online tutor, I have learned a few things to save myself time and taught myself how to manage time better. Organisation is definitely key here and my legal training has also assisted me in terms of how to set up an automated system that works over and over again in a fraction of the time.
Work and home life – How to manage time better? How to Manage Time Better
When I’ve tutored in the past, I’ve driven to people’s houses, spent time there doing my tuition, spent time afterwards with parents discussing the tuition and then spent more time driving back home again. This was eating huge amounts of my time and so I decided to think about a solution that would enhance rather than dilute the experience. The answer came in the form of online tutoring or in other words, leveraging the internet to reach a wider audience. I was nervous at first and unsure about how to set myself up with the right tools to do the job properly. However, I asked a lot of questions and after being pointed in the right direction, I set myself up with an online, interactive whiteboard and free Skype calls. Result: I can work from home, I don’t have to travel and now I can tutor anyone in any part of the world as distance poses no restriction to me anymore. In all honesty, I’ve reached as far as Ireland whilst tutoring in England but you get my point!
How to manage time better? How does this apply to me? Technology has improved in so many ways and opened up so many avenues of opportunity for us all. You can do your grocery shopping online at the kitchen table whilst minding your children or you can pay your electricity bill using your phone when you’re stood at the school gates. It’s all about maximising your time opportunities and getting the Work Life Balance . The majority of people now have laptops and smartphones which enable us to be more mobile than ever. Certainly, the same principle applies to most people: mums working from home, people who go out to work, women who have elderly parents to look after etc. The list is endless. I recently discovered Google Docs [which is like Word] and Google Sheets [which is like Excel] to store important business information which means that I don’t have to rely on memory sticks and if my laptop broke I could still immediately access my documentation from another device anywhere in the world. I couldn’t live without them now, simple as that. This is because it’s all stored ‘in the cloud’ and it’s an excellent way of protecting yourself from disaster. Think about all your photographs, insurance documentation, passport details that could be lost in a fire. Scan your paperwork and store them in a free cloud service such as Google, Amazon or Dropbox. Trust me, I have experienced ‘disasters’ when laptops have broken down on me in the past and I’ve had to wait for days to get an expert to retrieve my data. My time was wasted so I learned my lesson.
How to manage time better? I’ve got a family and kids! As a solicitor [lawyer] I learned very quickly that automating my work systems was the only way to
ensure I used my time to best effect. This meant creating standard letter templates or statement frameworks that I could just tweak to fit the circumstances accordingly. I had to do this due to family commitments and because I didn’t have a secretary either. Similarly as a tutor, I know that parents often struggle with the amount of homework their children receive and how it feels as if it’s taking up a lot of precious family time. I always recommend that families should make their own children more self sufficient. In other words, it’s my job to also tutor the adults/parents/guardians in such a way that can help themselves so they can, in turn, help their children. How to Manage Time Better
Yes, we live in an age of digital technology and the wonders of the internet but we also live in a society where most people [kids included] want instant gratification. By this, I mean they want to be entertained without making any effort or get an answer without doing very much. If you help your child think for themselves, they will develop their own self sufficiency skills which, in turn, makes them more capable of dealing with the rigours of homework and life in general. Switch off the X-Box and enjoy researching together. Perhaps you could even squeeze in a visit to the library as books are still a brilliant resource.
Tip of the Day: Combine learning with fun = How to manage time better I always recommend combining learning with fun as this makes the best use of everyone’s time. For example, if your child is learning about fractions you can halve and quarter sandwiches or pizza when you’re in the kitchen. Alternatively, if your child is learning about literary devices [e.g. similes and metaphors] you could go onto Youtube and listen to Katy Perry’s ‘You’re a Firework’ song. The title is an example of a metaphor and the line, ‘Do you ever feel like a plastic bag?’ is a simile. It’s a win win situation, I’m sure you’d agree. You feel less stressed, your child is having fun whilst learning and time isn’t being wasted as everyone is getting something out of the experience.
How to Manage Time Better
More tips will follow in future blogs of course … As always, I wish you every success for your digital future! Rachel A Hill LLB [Hons] Digital Entrepreneur, Private Tutor and Author PS. If you want any further advice about your own situation, please contact me and I’d be happy to have a chat.