1 . How to Create a Personalized Daily Routine

Figuring out how to create a daily routine (常规) that works for you — and how to stick to it — can take some time. Here are a few steps to help you make a daily routine for yourself, even if you’ve never had one.

●Make a list

Figuring out how to write a daily routine begins by writing down everything you need to get done daily, both at home and at work.

    1    . This is a brain dump, not a to-do list. Simply take down everything you do each day, as well as everything you should get done. No task is too small — if you want to work “brush teeth” into your daily routine, put it on the list.

●    2    

The point of creating a daily routine is to use your most productive (富有成效的) hours for challenging tasks and your least productive hours for the simpler tasks.     3     . For example, you might have a doctor’s appointment during the time you usually set aside for work. Arranging free time in your daily routine will help to keep things flowing smoothly despite atypical events.

●Test drive your new routine

Once you’ve created your daily routine, take it for a test drive. Did you schedule your tasks at times that make sense? Stick to the routine for at least 30 days.     4     . Once your tasks are arranged into the right spots, you should find sticking to your daily routine to be easier than you ever thought.

    5    . But you will soon see the benefits when your productivity rises and you find you actually have pockets of free time.

3 . Today, we’re constantly interrupted by tools, emails, social media-you name it. In our distraction economy, it’s nearly impossible to focus on what truly matters. But time management can bring more mindfulness into your daily routine.     1    

Timeboxing

Timeboxing is a goal-oriented (面向目标的) time management strategy.     2     And then complete those pieces in a reasonable amount of time. Each task should have its own unique timebox that lasts no more than three hours. By breaking the work into smaller pieces, you can make steady progress towards your goal over the course of days or weeks.

Pomodoro method

The Pomodoro method helps you deal with work within short time frames and then take breaks. This strategy is particularly helpful because it actively encourages regular breaks.     3     Start by setting your timer for 25 minutes, and try to spend that time working on a task-avoid checking your text messages or social media if possible. Then, once time is up, take a five-minute break.

Eating the Frog

Mark Twain famously said, “If it’s your job to eat a frog, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning.”     4     It encourages you to tackle big or complex tasks first before working on your less important or less urgent work. With the Eat the Frog method, you can ensure you’re getting to your most important work every day.

Getting Things Done

    5     By freeing up brain power and instead relying on task management tools, you can focus on taking action and not remembering what you need to do. To use the GTD method, capture all of your upcoming work in one place. Then once you’ve written down everything you need to do, sort and prioritize (优先) your work.

5 . Most of us think we have very little time, but the truth is we actually have a lot — on average, five hours 49 minutes each day, which means we typically have somewhere between 36 and 40 hours available to be spent every week however we want. So why don’t we feel time — rich?     1    

One is that we earn more, so time feels more expensive. Then there’s the way we’ve come to see busyness as a status symbol: important people are busy, so we want to be busy, too. Add to that the flood of incoming emails and texts, along with the endless ocean of possibilities, and it’s easy to see where time goes.

A second factor is the comparison we make between what we can do and what others are doing, making us anxious.     2     This fools us into thinking we’re being more productive with our work time, so we try to do it with our leisure time, too. When we’re playing with our kids, we check Facebook. When we’re hanging out with one group of friends, we post pictures to show another.    3    

We’re also addicted to our devices. In 2007, the amount of leisure time we spent on devices like smart-phones could be measured in minutes. Now, we spend on average 3.5 hours a day online.     4    

You might be wondering why you need help deciding how to spend your free time — after all you know the sort of things you enjoy, so what could be so difficult? Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi has a surprising opinion on it. “The popular assumption is that no skills are involved in enjoying free time, anybody can do it. Yet the evidence suggests the opposite; free time is more difficult to enjoy than work.” Worryingly, scientists have found that people are often no happier after a holiday than if they’d never taken one.     5     The question still remains unsettled.

6 . How to Get More Time in a Day

Do you feel like there are never enough hours in a day? Are you always behind on your tasks? If so, here are some tips to help you take control of your time.

    1     Writing down the things you need to get done removes the stress of trying to keep track of them mentally. What’s more, it will be easier to make a plan to address your tasks.

When making your to-do list, be aware of unrealistic expectations. If your list is too long, you’ll feel discouraged when you can’t get through it.     2     Decide what absolutely needs to be done that day and what can be put off to the next. Chances are that putting some duties off to the near future won’t bring any serious consequences.

Once you have your list, attack it one item at a time. Many people believe that performing multiple tasks simultaneously (同时地) saves time, but in truth multitasking takes 30 percent longer than doing things one by one.    3    

The next step is to find ways to use time more wisely. Plenty of time each day is spent texting or emailing, so imagine how much time we’d save if we just called people instead.    4         It’s faster than typing, and it’s often easier to grasp someone’s meaning when we can hear their voice.

At the end of the day, it’s important to give your mind and body a chance to rest. Take breaks to stop, breathe, and clear your thoughts, and don’t let mounting duties prevent you from getting enough sleep.    5