Mastering Time Management

I believe that time management is one of the most crucial skills in today's world. Time is a valuable resource, and unlike money, it cannot be replenished. Therefore, it's essential to make the best use of our time, not just for productivity but also for intentional and effective living.

In this blog post, I will introduce you to my Trident method, a three-pronged approach to time management. I will share how I personally implement these strategies in my own life, and I've even provided free templates in the video description that you can use to incorporate these methods into your routine.

The Bullet Journaling Game Changer

Last year, I decided to explore the world of bullet journaling. Initially a pen and paper productivity method, bullet journaling had evolved into an art form, with beautifully designed spreads flooding social media. Intrigued by this trend, I gave it a shot and spent the final four months of 2022 meticulously bullet journaling every day.

While bullet journaling was beneficial overall, one aspect completely transformed my time management game: the year-at-a-glance view. This view splits the entire year into 12 columns representing the months and 1 to 31 rows for the dates, resulting in 366 blocks. Unlike other calendars that typically focus on weekly or monthly views, this layout provides a comprehensive overview of the entire year on a single page.

Transitioning to a Digital Solution

In January of this year, I sought a digital alternative to the physical bullet journal. I opted for Google Sheets because, in a world full of fancy apps, a simple spreadsheet gets the job done just fine. I created a year-at-a-glance template that you can access for free through the video description. Feel free to duplicate it in your Google Sheets account for personal use.

Managing Time on a Macro Scale

This year-at-a-glance template has become an invaluable tool in managing my time on a macro scale. It allows me to zoom out and get a bird's eye view of my entire year, enabling better life planning. I can already see what the upcoming months hold, such as trips to Austin, adventures with friends, and a retreat to LA.

This macro-level view helps me plan weekend group trips, holidays, and other commitments well in advance. I synchronize these changes with my Google Calendar to ensure everyone on my team is aware of my availability. The simplicity of hiding past months' columns in the template makes it even easier to focus on the current and upcoming months.

Moving to the Micro Scale: The Ideal Week

Now let's shift our focus to the micro scale—your ideal week. We all have goals and plans, but with only 24 hours in a day, it's crucial to make the most of our time. I've developed a method called "ideal week planning" to optimize the 112 hours we have each week (assuming eight hours of sleep per night).

To create your ideal week, start by defining how you'd like to allocate your time within those 112 hours. For example, I wake up at 7 am and dedicate the first hour to my morning routine. This block is color-coded in yellow to signify the sunrise, and I even added an emoji to make it more enjoyable.

As for sleep, aiming for eight hours each night, I've set my bedtime routine to start at 10 pm. This block is lavender to represent nighttime. These two blocks—waking up and sleeping—form the foundation of my ideal week.