It can feel like you are never really free to relax nowadays with how much there is to get done. Your job, responsibilities around the house, and fulfilling family responsibilities are all enough to be a full plate for anyone.

So how do you stay on top of getting it all done?

If you have been struggling to manage it, a post from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania elaborates how you can better utilize your time and meet your goals.

As you might expect, it all starts with a plan. Be realistic about what you want to get done, as well as what you are likely to get done.

If you know you are going to be working from home and will have constant disruptions from your kids, it is probably not realistic to try and tackle the task that will demand your focused attention that day. Perhaps save that for a better day and plan to work on other projects instead.

You also need to learn from your history. What has happened in the past when you have wanted to accomplish a lot on a certain day? What derailed those plans? This can help you identify factors that might be good for you to change.

One thing mentioned in Wharton post is that with many now working from home, self-imposed distractions are much easier to slip into. Are you procrastinating by getting involved with chores? Maybe rewarding yourself too heavily with a break to grab a snack and watch a show, or unwind with a video game?

It could be your homework environment enables too many bad habits. See what happens if you take your work to a coffee shop or library instead.

Time management is all about prioritizing what needs to get done and being able to block out extraneous matters for the time being. Start with building your plan so you focus on what matters the most.

For further reading on what you can do to manage your time better, consult the post from the Wharton School here.

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