We may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post.
Last Updated on November 11, 2020 by karissa ancell

Now when I write about time management ideas and ideas for organization people who know me in real life might think that this is ironic because I am not known for being organized with my home or my time. I think that this is a good thing, though. Who better than someone who struggled with it and is making improvements to offer advice.
My mom is very orderly and structured so she never understood my chaos growing up. I never took her advice seriously because she hadn’t been there. She didn’t know what it was like to be messy and disorganized. Staying organized came naturally to her personality. So if you are kind of messy, struggle with organizing and getting things done, Then trust me when I say I understand.
So if you’re willing to listen to what I’m doing to change my ways. These are my top nine ways I’ve improved my life by managing my time and schedule. Some of them I’m really good at using in my life and some I’m trying to improve on because it would make me more productive in my home life and in business.
1 to-do lists:
The to-do list. I usually type mine out. You can write it on paper put it in your phone, whatever. Just get all the things you need to get done out and then you will know what you need to work on. It’s funny I’ve never been much of a list maker but my daughter is. When my mom took Bella shopping for school supplies, Bella made a list to take with them so she could mark things off.
2 schedules:
One of my big goals this year is to get better with scheduling. I keep track of things with Google Calendar so I can keep track of stuff on my computer and iPad. I’m really trying to schedule my blog posts better.
3 prioritize:
This point I’ve realized is so important in getting things done. You have to prioritize what’s most important to your life or your business and get those things done first. Then get the other things done. You have to put your effort and time into what’s most important. Once I started doing that. I have become more productive. Also, I’ve found that getting done the important stuff first helps you get it out of the way so that you can feel accomplished early on. Then do the lower priority tasks during the periods of time in your day when you aren’t at your best. Things like answering emails, going on social media, etc. still need to get done so you should save them for when you’re not at the top of your game.
4 use high energy times:
This one is so important. We all have times of the day where we function better and are more productive. I don’t like to work early in the morning, my brain likes to wake up for a long time. For me, I’ve found my best time starts at about 3 and lasts until 8. I can work other hours but I get the most done during that period. Find your time period and use it for your most important projects. I don’t work well in the morning. My brain needs the time to wake up and adjust before I’m able to be productive and do my work well.
5 get rid of distractors:
This is a weakness of mine, as I’ve mentioned before I like watching TV and reading and don’t want to give those hobbies up so I either watch TV while doing mindless computer tasks or reading or I go 1 hour of work 30-minute break back and forth. I use to watch a lot more TV and stuff but I needed those hours for more important things.

6 set mini tasks:
This is the one I’m working on improving. I have trouble breaking down a big task like clean the office into smaller more manageable tasks. So I see the huge task of this messy office and I don’t want to try to tackle it. I need to get better at making smaller goals and tasks so I will get them done.
7 set a timer:
We use the microwave timer at home for setting time for cleaning, Bella is supposed to do ten minutes of picking up at night, so she sets the timer. I also have the 30/30 app on my iPad and set 30-minute chunks of time to do certain tasks. Like 30-minute break to read, 30 minutes to go on social media, 30 minutes to write blog posts, etc.
8 know what you’re good at and what should be delegated
I don’t have anyone else in my business to delegate tasks to but hope as my blog business grow to be able to delegate some of my least favorite tasks to someone else. At home, we try to strike a balance of who does well but I accept doing more because my husband works a lot. We all have certain things though that are our responsibilities though to not feel too overwhelmed.
9.realize you can’t do it all:
You can do a lot and accomplish a lot but if you are trying to manage a home, a family, and a business not everything is going to be done perfectly, and sometimes things won’t get done and that’s why step #3 of prioritizing is so important to make the best use of your hours.
when working on finding time management ideas it’s important to realize that you only have a certain amount of hours to work with and not everything you might want to get done can be accomplished.
Sagar Sahay says
My day is becoming busier by the day with my blogging business. I needed this badly.
Sagar Sahay recently posted…10 Best Thanksgiving Desserts Recipes
Lanae Bond says
These are great tips which I seem to let go of since I am not in school. But these tips are still necessary!
Hdpape says
Form habits from the ideas listed above. Practice these time management tips and internalize a productivity mindset.
Jamie says
I think these are really great suggestions. I especially like to-do lists…I love to cross items off my list!
Jamie recently posted…Family Verse of the Week Challenge: Week 5
michelle snow says
These are great suggestions! I make to-do lists, but I have never thought about using a timer. I think that would really help because sometimes as I am going down my to-do lists I spend way too much time on one thing, leaving not enough for the other things on the list.
Lindsay says
Getting rid of distractions is my biggest issue with time management. I seem to always get distracted!
Lindsay recently posted…Pomegranate Chocolate Cups
HeidiDee @ Beauty by HeidiDee says
Great list! I need to master #5 so badly!! I sit down for lunch and Netflix steals away my life lol!
ashley says
To do lists are a must for me! Great list!
ashley recently posted…Mama’s Favorites [ 5 ]
Katie says
Some days I feel like managing everything is too hard. This is a great tool. Thanks!
Karissa says
I’m glad you enjoyed the post.
Local Adventurer says
these are all great tips.. and i know i have to work on breaking my goals down into even smaller tasks. 🙂 i also have a hard time with wanting to do it all.
Local Adventurer recently posted…Lovely Letters – Sign Up for Your Blogger Pen Pals Now!
Shipra says
Great tips! Definitely helpful to do things when you have the energy! 🙂
Shipra recently posted…Gerard Cosmetics 1995 + Berry Smoothie Lipsticks and Plum Crazy Color Your Smile Lipgloss Photos, Swatches, and Review
Emily Augustine says
I really needed this! I am awful with time management.. Thank you so much!
Emily Augustine recently posted…Get the Look: Olivia Palermo’s Style
NJ @ A Cookie Before Dinner says
My best tip is one that you mentioned, get rid of all the other distractions! It is so easy to lose focus and get nothing done when I’m distracted!
NJ @ A Cookie Before Dinner recently posted…Project Sweet Life: Erin S.
Karissa says
It’s a good one, that I need to work on.
Brenda says
I write everything down! If I write it down, it somehow makes it seem more manageable plus then I get to cross it off the list when I’ve completed it!
Brenda recently posted…January Favorites
Ashley Servis says
I should try the timer idea. I always say just 10 more minutes. This might help me finish other to-dos on my list.
Ashley Servis recently posted…Monthly Themed Fridays: Motivation Vol. 5
Kyla Currier says
I use to-do lists literally every single day, for anything I do! They are so handy!
Kyla Currier recently posted…Olivia Palermo – Get the Look (Guest Blogger!)
Katie says
To-do lists are the saviour of my life – I don’t know what I’d do without them!
Katie <3
Katie recently posted…The Meat Co
Robyn says
Making lists literally saves me! If I write it down I wont forget it. I find when things get especially busy, it is totally necessary to actually write your to-dos down. 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Robyn recently posted…BEAUTY SLEEP
Roselynn says
YouTube is my biggest distraction, so I’m definitely working towards getting off the internet while trying to write my posts.
Roselynn recently posted…Nail Art Thursday
Eliz Frank says
These are all very good tips, but we need to follow them to make them work. My favorite is #9 realize you can’t do it all. Amen to that one.
Sarah says
I think distraction are my biggest crutch, my phone and Instagram being the biggest one ):
Olivia Schwab says
These are great tips! To do lists are soo important and helps me a lot! I use the reminder app on my phone to help with my different types of lists (life, school, and blog)
Olivia Schwab recently posted…Healthy Thursday: How Aromatherapy Can Help You
Soap Opera Spy says
I really agree with the last one, sometimes you can’t do it all; you have to admit it to yourself
Karissa says
It can be hard to remember some times.
Laurie says
My mom was very structured & organized, too. Me, not so much. I think it skips generations.
Laurie recently posted…Cumin & Dill Maple-glazed Carrots
Cara (@StylishGeek) says
Love your time management list! I agree with all of them! It’s interesting that a timer can be a fun thing too. For example, I use TV commercials for that momentary 5 mins. break to do some chores. 🙂
Cara (@StylishGeek) recently posted…My KEEP Designer Story
Shannon Peterson says
To do lists are my best friends! And I’ve realized I do just need to let some things go and life has been so much less chaotic since then.
Shannon Peterson recently posted…Ramblings // Sleep
Laura says
my mom heard a great way of prioritizing your to-do lists. separate them into Need to do – Should do and Want to do. i try to write them down, one long list, but in that order to help me with that. so ‘clean oven and bathrooms’ isn’t right below ‘paint nails’ =) this is a great list and something so many of us – especially bloggers – deal with!
Tori says
Great tips that everyone can apply! I like to create to do lists as well. Even if I don’t complete everything on my lists, I like to be able to cross off at least some items. That motivates me to keep going.
Tori recently posted…30 Subject-Specific Blog Post Ideas and Prompts
Laura Lohr says
You have some really great ideas here! I’m going to try them out. Really good tips, Karissa! Prioritizing is my worst enemy! It goes along with distractions, I guess. It sounds like you’re well on your way to an orderly life!
Laura Lohr recently posted…Samsung Galaxy Note from Verizon Wireless Review
Christine says
I could not live without organization! It would drive me absolutely insane! I really liked this post. I liked how even though you are disorganized that you are going to try it out and Abe strategies on how you are going to do things from now on! Great post! Thanks for sharing!
Jason (from BluePromoCode) says
Fantastic post. Thanks for doing this.
We are going to tweet it out.
Raquel says
Yes to all of these! Distractions are the worse interrupters in my opinion. I love all my lists and could not live without them. Great tips Karissa!
Michelle says
I’m working hard this year on getting organized. I am a list maker but sometimes I end up making lists of my lists! Great tips, thanks!
Michelle recently posted…Shit, you shouldn’t know what taste like, but yeah you do!
Louise Behiel says
great tips. I especially like number 1, although I have to be careful – I can spend more time making lists than completing the tasks on them. LOL. I’ve also been focused on long term big hairy goals but realized tonight I need to bring that down to today and tomorrow. I end up getting little done if I’m focused too far in the future.
Louise Behiel recently posted…Big Changes and Fresh Starts