VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WVEC) -- Too much to do, not enough time to do it.
Professional and personal demands are even harder to juggle these days. Thanks to electronic devices, your assignments seem to follow you around.
"You're able to be way more efficient as a worker, but that's causing the bar to be raised for all these employees," says Ryan Culkin, Regional Clinic Director of Thriveworks Coaching and Counseling.
An electronic device, though, may also hold the answer to your schedule struggles. Culkin says the right app can help make your day less stressful.
Consider one that categorizes your checklist items, like Clear Todos, so it's easier to see and accomplish your goals. That app is available for iOS, OS X, and Apple Watch and costs $4.99 in the App Store.
There are also apps that schedule and coordinate your meetings for you, like Clara, an artificially intelligent email app. Clara is a more expensive investment, though, with packages starting at $99 per month.
Culkin says with the right schedule structuring app, "I don't have to wonder, 'Oh, did I forget to do that? Did I do this? Is there anything I'm forgetting at this certain location?' That's stress right there. And I don't need that when I can have it all organized through an app like that."
However, Culkin says an app only works if you take a few steps first:
- Prioritize
- Work smarter, not harder
- Identify ways to make better use of your time. An app called Workflow can help with that. It automates some of the intricate things you do on your phone every day, and it is available for iOS for free!
But keep in mind, a complete calendar overhaul may not happen overnight.
"You don't need to become this huge scheduling, task junkie the first day," Culkin says. "You wanna make sure you're adding slow because this is gonna be a change for you."
And those small changes in your daily routine over time -- plus the right app -- can help you check "cutting down your to-do list" off your to-do list.
"If you don't, you're gonna end up burning out at the end and it's just not gonna be pretty," Culkin says.
If you've already tried time management apps and your schedule is still overwhelming, Thriveworks Coaching and Counseling may be able to help. The company was founded on the premise of creating better customer service in the mental health field.
For more information, visit http://thriveworks.com/virginia-beach-counseling/.