This page is about my own efforts to manage time.
In February 2021 I sent the following question to family and friends by email/social media: I got behind on things like housework this Fall. I'm trying to gradually catch up, while also taking time to relax and do things that I enjoy. For tasks that I need to do once and then they're done, I'd like to catch up on a few each weekend, but do I schedule a certain amount of time to do the tasks, or do I schedule a certain number of tasks I need to do on a specific weekend? (I've used the "schedule a certain number of tasks" approach in some situations, like stuff I need to do after work each day before I can do what I want. I've used the "schedule a certain amount of time" approach in other situations, like spending a specified amount of time on the weekend catching up on in-depth news.) I don't know which of these 2 approaches is best for weekend tasks, because I get things done faster when I think I'll have more free time if I finish them, but on the other hand if I never finish the tasks then at some point I do want to stop and enjoy the rest of the weekend. To summarize, do I schedule to do a certain number of weekend chores, or schedule to spend a certain amount of time on the weekend chores?
I received several responses to my question. Soon after I received their responses, I wrote: I plan in advance some chores that I'll do on a Saturday or Sunday, but also set a time at which I'll stop if I haven't finished all the chores. So I'll have some incentive to get things done quickly, because if I get everything done before the time limit I can do what I want sooner. If a specific task is open-ended (like "read up on masks"), then I also set a time limit for how much time I'll spend on that task.
Some articles that people sent me:
My father had written this article for Newsmax a month or two before I sent out the question: Papa's article
A friend posted this article on Facebook: Parkinson's Law article
Other suggestions people have sent me that I haven't tried at this point:
Try a daytimer. Or try using Asana, MS Planner, Outlook's calendar, Google Calender.
I could occasionally show someone else my list of tasks, in case I need to move some tasks up on the list. Say, if I keep putting off a task and someone else tells me to do it.
Do the toughest chores first.
Do some trial and error, no-one can tell you what will work best for you.
Don't beat yourself up if you don't stick to your plan. Making a plan can save you some time, even if you don't always stick to the plan.