Having just completed a very condensed graphic and web design course at the ripe old age of 51 I have had to do some experimenting with time management. Thankfully I don’t struggle too much with procrastination but I do get lost at sea at times and need to bring myself back to the task at hand. I also can spend too much time doing fine tuning on a design that may not make it past the drawing board. Here’s a few tips and tricks that have worked wonders for me to make sure that I’m using my time wisely.

1. Break every project down into manageable chunks. Decide how long each task should take and set a timer to let you know when you have 10 minutes left.
2.  Plan the day and follow the plan. Give yourself rewards for getting things done so your brain sees the benefit of being efficient and the habit gets formed.
3. Once you are done working on a project for the day, spend 5 minutes writing down what the next steps will be so that the next time you sit down to work you can hit the ground running and won’t waste time trying to remember where you were.
4. Schedule in some motivation – podcast, great book, youtube, Ted Talk, at least twice a day.
5. At the end of the day look over your plan and write down what went well and what didn’t. What would you do different next time?
6. Don’t wait until the finish line to enjoy life – there will always be more projects. I grew up in a household where first you did the work, and then you played. Problem with that is that there is always more work to do! Schedule in some fun and don’t neglect finding pleasure in life, even in the midst of a deadline.