Many of us obsess over personal finance. We are very careful about how we spend our money—we set budgets, we save and we monitor how much we are spending on a regular basis in order to stay on track.

But we often don’t show the same self-awareness with our time. Why is this the case? Time is our most valuable resource, and there is no way to get it back once it’s gone. As we do with personal finance, we should obsess over personal time-ance.

Making better use of our time is often discussed in the topic of becoming more productive at work. But the truth is, time management is not just instrumental to our work life, but also to our social and personal lives. Time management transcends the limited scope of productivity, as it can give you the freedom to take control of your life and live each day in a rich way.

The following are tips to implement (or at least think about!) as you strive to make the most of your time each and every day.

Eliminate: Say no to the less-important tasks, obligations, hangouts, favors or time-spenders.

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Saying no to an unimportant task allows you to focus on your priorities.

Saying no to an invitation you aren’t excited about allows you time to spend on more meaningful events.

Saying no to an unimportant favor allows you to just be there when it matters.

Saying no to a certain app allows you to focus on what actually makes your life better.

To-Do List: Make a short to-do list of the top three daily priorities, including personal goals. For example:

• Write blog post draft
• Request revision from team
• Facetime my friend to relax and catch up

Time-box: Create a time-boxed daily schedule, blocking out time intervals for your top priorities and goals. The key is to not go over and stick to the time-boxed boundaries. For example:

• 8 AM-9 AM: Morning exercise
• 9 AM-12 PM: Focused work session
• 12 PM-12:30 PM: Take a Netflix break!

Pro tip: Intentionally scheduling time to scroll throughout the day can be an excellent method to reduce digital distractions.

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