Tips to maximize time management and avoiding becoming overwhelmed
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- With so much to do and so little time, trying to get everything done can seem impossible.
So, where do you begin to tackle your must-do task that seems overwhelming?
KDKA's John Shumway found an expert with thoughts on how to manage your time.
We're talking about time management and Dr. Ryan Miller at the University of Pennsylvania says to take it one step at a time.
While the task ahead might look like a mountain, Dr. Miller says to scale it down.
"A lot of people like to make to-do lists, but often those lists have 50 things on them," Dr. Miller said.
Then comes the dread factor.
"When they have a task that they don't really want to do, or that seems difficult, you know, we procrastinate and that's a normal response," Dr. Miller said.
As the Director of Academic Support at Penn, Dr. Miller tells his students the first thing to do is trim the to-do list.
He says that trying to identify tasks that are manageable helps set you up for success. He also says to give yourself a break if you don't accomplish all you wanted to in a given day.
When it comes to completing what you've set out to accomplish, Dr. Miller suggests breaking it all down into achievable bites to allow people to manage their time for maximum benefit.
Dr. Miller says that just getting started is half the battle.
"Go, you know, I'll just either start typing, I'll start writing and I'll start cleaning, you know, whatever, whatever that thing. Is, that feels really hard to get started doing," Dr. Miller said.
Dr. Miller says to go for the worst thing on the list early. Otherwise, you'll find reason after reason to put it off and before you know it, the day's gone and now you're frustrated.