Your time is very precious. No one, not even you, should be the death of your time. You've had the phrase that we all have the same 24 hours in day but not everyone accomplishes much of it.

Do you need a routine? Maybe you thought you can 'wing it' now that you are the master of your own time - or so you thought. But to be effective, you need to be smart. Having a routine will not only be a guide, but also play a crucial role in ensuring what you need to do gets done efficiently and effortlessly.

Time management

It's important that everything you do is planned and mapped out. All that will be left to do is execution. Write everything down and structure it in a way that you can accomplish all your targets in time. It's always easier to start with the most difficult tasks then do the rest - later. This will create a mental routine in your brain muscle. Every day will definitely be different, but once you set out to achieve the written down tasks, then it all flows. Don't be afraid to take action on your real life projects - now! You can never be too busy for what matters.

The trap of Social Media scrolling

In this day and age, you'll want to check what's trending on Twitter, what's the latest TikTok dance, who has a new baby on Facebook and who is slaying on Instagram. What if I told you that you won't miss anything if you couldn't log on social media platforms for a day. These platforms can actually derail your thought process - even if you are working as a social media consultant. The first thing you do in the morning and before going to sleep is not checking your social media platforms. We are all guilty of doing this. It's not effective and kills so much precious time, will power and can sometimes bring in negative energy. Making it a habit will even become draining over time. Set out in a day how many times you will check social media, even in a week. You can start by monitoring how much time you spend scrolling social media. There are mobile applications such as AppDetox and Offtime that monitor how much time we spend online. Then set a target to reduce the scrolling, set screen times or even lock your apps to make it difficult to access or will require a password. That way you can consider focusing on what matters. Before you know it, less screen time will be routine.

When do you work best

Finding out when you are the most energetic is important. This is because you can work around mind draining tasks such as meetings and events. Your most precious hours will be used effectively and will not interfere with your schedule or time. You will also be able to work at your own pace especially because you are your own boss at this moment. It's crucial that your client's work gets delivered at your peak moments. Whether it's during certain days of the week or particular hours of the day. Only you can determine this.

Are you a consultant? Do you have more tips you can share with other consultants? Let's have a discussion.