With every wake, we're presented 12 hrs(at least) to make the most out of. For some people, these hours are translated to whatever their job demands of them on that day. For some others, it's whatever they feel they want to do with it.
Whether you’re a workaholic, or not, learning to properly utilize your daily hours will help you better understand the value of time. You'll understand the goals you need to set to make your 12hrs exponentially productive.
One way to make the most out of your time is by using schedules. All through school, classes are scheduled so that the whole term's work can be completed in a specified timeframe, and every graduation is evidence of the efficiency of scheduling.
Scheduling your personal time is the first step to time management. It must not be strictly adhered to, (because shit happens and not everybody graduates in the specified time), but the fact that you have it, makes it easy for you to know the next tasks you need to face.
By scheduling tasks, you find out the duration needed to run each of those tasks, which helps you make better plans with and around them. Plus, by having better plans for tasks you are aware of, you reduce the risk of getting swamped by unexpected/unplanned tasks.
You will spend less time looking for frequently used items when you have a designated spot for them
A first time teacher would probably use their first few classes to estimate how much material they can cover every class, structuring the rest of the term's material to be completed in the remaining time they have.
I’ve read about a few successful people, and one thing they all have in common is their value of time. They realize they are as valuable as the amount of time they put into creating something valuable, so they set timeframes for goals.
Elon Musk sets project deadlines that seem unrealistic, with the aim of maximizing whatever time is available for the task. If the deadline is exceeded, he notes the reason, learns how to manage it, and adjusts future deadlines. Some people don't agree with this, but it's his model, and it works for him.
Brené Brown teaches effective leadership to reduce time wasted on redundant or unnecessary communication. You say exactly what you need and confirm that your report understands and has the tools to execute the task successfully.
There are other aspects of life that, although could be trivial, need some time management attention.
Cleaning up properly immediately after a spill: By doing this, you spend less time on weekend cleanups. Imagine not cleaning spilled sauce properly, and by the weekend, you’re wasting time and energy scrubbing back and forth at that particular spot.
Folding your clothes after laundry: By doing this, you won't only look crisp in whatever you put on(PJs included), you save time and energy looking for what to put on.
Most people understand the frustration that comes with selecting the right outfit for an outing because they throw all their stuff in a dresser without any arrangement. Although you might have an idea where every single piece of clothing you need is in that cluster, you still spend time flipping through other clothing to get to it. And it's a gamble because sometimes you find what you're looking for quickly, other times, you take a little longer.
Either way, you end up spending time and energy you would rather not at that point in time. But when your clothes are folded in categories, you spend less time and energy remembering where you put an item, and making a choice on what to put on for an outing.
You will also, spend less time looking for frequently used items when you have a designated spot for them(I'll need to frame this paragraph and put it on my wall), like car keys, pairs of socks, headphones.
These examples seem trivial, but when two or three line up, you could easily convince yourself that you're having a bad day.
Another way I recognize the need to manage time is by trying to fail fast. By doing this, you quickly have an idea of what doesn't work, and with this knowledge, you can either choose to learn what's needed to avoid a repeat of the failure, or tow a different path; something I struggle with.
Whenever I need to make a change or add a feature to my web app, I always get scared of what might break in the process. I really don't know why, but the fear makes me think that I won't be able to fix whatever breaks. So I put it to the side and work on some other part of the code I'm more comfortable with.
But then I remember that I'm no expert web developer, and the only way to be one is to keep breaking things and learning how to fix them.
Recognizing these examples can actually help identify other ways time shouldn't be wasted, thereby freeing up more time for you to actually do more things that make you happy.
It'll be nice to learn to manage and enjoy whatever you do as much as possible because Time passes once. It cannot be reused or recycled.