If you’re feeling like you don’t have time to exercise or plan and prepare healthy meals, you might find these time-management tips helpful.
- Make a to-do list. Put down on the paper things you need to get accomplished to help boost your productivity.
- Mark your list in order of priority. The most important tasks should be tackled first.
- Be reasonable about what you can accomplish each day. Start by seeing where you have free time to be more productive in the future.
- Cut your larger projects down to size. This will help you see progress, and by doing a little bit every day, you’ll have it done in no time.
- Pair things up to improve your time management skills. Use time on the phone ot do mindless tasks like loading the dishwasher or sweeping the front stoop.
- Take time to relax. As you improve your time management skills, you can carve out stretches of time in every day to do the things you want.
Problem:
“I don’t have time to cook during the week.”
Solution:
Re-allocate your time by creating a weekly grocery list. Come up with three freezable meals that you can double for six night’s worth of dinners. Spend a few hours of the weekend to shop and cook. Keep Sunday and Monday night meals in the fridge, and freeze the rest in small, re-heatable portions for the remainder of the week.
Problem:
“I’d like to cook healthier meals for myself, but chopping all that produce takes forever, and I lose interest.”
Solution:
Learn to cut a few corners by stocking up on convenience items like pre-chopped, frozen vegetables and stir-fry mixes or pre-cleaned and chopped, plain veggies from a salad bar.
Problem:
“I get hungry in the middle of the afternoon, and the only quick snack around is a candy bar from the vending machine. Who has time to run down to the deli for a piece of fruit or baked chips?”
Solution:
Buy an apple at lunchtime and keep it on your desk for later. Store staple snacks like mini boxes of raisins and microwave popcorn in your desk drawer as a back-up.
