Time is on Your Side

These days, many of us feel there’s too much to do and not enough time to do it. Everyone struggles occasionally with managing their time. When people are late getting to appointments or meeting deadlines, it can sometimes be uncontrollable — for example, maybe there’s bad traffic or an illness that is unavoidable. But sometimes it’s because that person didn’t plan their time as well as they could. 

Time management doesn’t have to mean getting more done, more quickly. It means getting more of the important things done in a day. It’s about using your time efficiently.

Time management is especially important for people with disabilities, and it’s essential for living independently. Often, it will take people with disabilities longer to complete tasks. Different types of disabilities can affect time management in different ways. For example, a person with a physical disability may need more time to complete tasks, use accessible equipment, or adjust to varied environments. Meanwhile, a person with a cognitive disability may face challenges in planning, organization, or following instructions. Understanding how your disability affects your time is important.

Here are some tips for managing your time effectively:

Determine your goals or the tasks you want to accomplish

You must not only know what you want or need to accomplish, but also whether there are times associated with it. Is there an appointment you must attend with a fixed time? 

Plan your day in reverse order

Once you know what you want to accomplish, you’ll work the steps to complete the task in reverse order to plan your day. For example, let’s say you want to make a meal to serve at 6:00 p.m. Think about the steps involved and how much time each step will take. Many recipes will even list the active, or hands-on, time as well as the cooking time, which can be helpful for planning. 

Once you know your goal time, then think about the steps involved in achieving the goal and how long each step might take. Then, work backward to create your schedule. For example, if you have a doctor’s appointment in the afternoon, your steps, in reverse order starting at the doctor’s appointment, might look like this:

• Travel to doctor’s office: 30 minutes
• Showering, dressing, personal hygiene: 90 minutes
• Eating breakfast: 30 minutes
• Making breakfast: 30 minutes
• Exercise: 60 minutes
• Feeding the dog: 15 minutes
• Brushing teeth: 5 minutes
• Wake up

If you back-time your day, starting at the appointment time, that will tell you when you should get started on the list. 

Plan for interruptions and be realistic

Think about things that might interfere with your schedule. For example, what if there’s traffic on the road and it takes longer to get to your appointment? Or what if your energy is low and it takes you a little longer to accomplish some steps? It might be a good idea to build in a little extra time to give yourself a cushion to prevent yourself from being late for things that have fixed times.

Another thing to remember is that it’s easy to get excited or overly optimistic about what we can accomplish in a day. When you start thinking about each step and how long it will actually take, you might realize there isn’t enough time to do it all, or that some steps actually take longer than you thought at first. That’s okay! That’s an opportunity to learn and make changes next time.

Prioritize your activities

Now look at your schedule. Does it look like you can accomplish everything you want to? If not, it’s time to decide what the most important tasks are or prioritize the activities. Ask yourself, “What’s the most important thing on my schedule? What has to happen today?” Rank the day’s activities from most to least important.

Perhaps there are things on your schedule that would be nice to do, but they don’t necessarily have to be done today. Perhaps there are other days when you might be able to do them.

You might also think about ways to cut back on the amount of time something will take. For example, what if you think about a breakfast that will be faster to make or that won’t need to be cooked? Maybe you can eat a bowl of cereal instead? Maybe you could cut up some fruit the night before, so it’s ready to eat the next morning. Maybe you can move your exercise to after your appointment, so you won’t be in a rush?

You might need to wake up earlier to accommodate your schedule. If it’s a priority to you that you exercise in the morning, perhaps you could wake up an hour earlier than usual to be sure you have time for it.

Look for shortcuts

Thanks to many modern conveniences, there may be ways to shorten the amount of time certain tasks take. For instance, if you want to make a recipe for dinner, maybe you can use a canned or frozen vegetable that is pre-chopped, a premade pastry crust, a premade sauce, or a boxed mix.

If you need to save time in the morning, think about shortcuts such as taking your shower the night before, putting your hair in a ponytail or under a hat, choosing your outfit the night before and laying it out, etc.

Do the hardest thing first

It’s normal to put off tasks that seem difficult or stressful. But this can lead to anxiety, which causes mental fatigue. Try doing the challenging task first, when you have the most energy. Checking the hardest thing off your list can give you a sense of relief and confidence, so you have energy for what’s left. 

Use planning and time-management tools

There are many tools that exist to help you plan and manage your schedule. These include paper calendars and planners; electronic calendars for your phone, tablet, or computer; smartphone apps (see Resources below); timers; and voice-activated smart home devices, like the Amazon Echo. Some people prefer to write things down, while others prefer electronic devices. Use the tools that work best for you. 

Remember that there may be accommodations available to help with your disability. For example, you may be allowed extra time to take tests, and there may be alternative delivery formats for certain materials that can help you take in that information more quickly.

Using calendars and other planning tools provides structure, which can help to build healthy habits and free up time and mental energy. It can also be very satisfying to check items off your calendar or to-do list as you complete them!

Take care of yourself

Take moments throughout the day to check in with yourself and your schedule. If you’re feeling tired and overwhelmed, you may need to rethink your schedule. Perhaps there’s something you can move to another day? When you’re feeling stressed, you can’t be your best self. Sometimes, managing your time well means doing less so you can do it well and enjoy yourself. 

It’s okay to say no! Avoid overcommitting, and check your schedule before committing to something new. Don’t let others control your schedule or get you off track.

Remember self-care. This may mean setting aside time for relaxation, doing activities you enjoy, spending time with loved ones, and being kind to yourself. This is what work-life balance means! Make time for things and people that make you happy.

Think over what went well and what didn’t

At the end of the day, think over successes or areas you could improve. If you accomplished everything you set out to do, ask yourself what went well. Is there an action you could repeat? What helped to keep you focused? If it didn’t go well, why do you think that was? Is there something you could improve on next time?

Try to build in time at the end of your day to plan for the following day, and think about whether there are ways you can use your time more effectively.