YOU ARE NOT TOO BUSY!
24 hours a day – 168 hours a week.
You have the same time available to you as everyone else.
Are you using it wisely?
Or do you feel that everyone else manages to achieve a lot more than you?
Good time management means knowing what is important to you and getting it done no matter what. That’s why we’ve discussed goals already, because goals help you to decide where you want to go and what you want to achieve.
Having goals keeps things simple and enables you to be single minded in your daily decisions and activities. They help you to determine which tasks need to be given priority.
So, once you know what your goals are…
Plan ahead.
There are times when we all feel like life is running away with us – that we just can’t get the things done that we want to get done and before we know it, weeks, months or even years have passed and we still haven’t managed to get that ONE life improving/changing task done! This can leave us feeling frustrated and depressed!
So, here’s the solution:
Sit down each evening and THINK about what actions or things you can do the following day, to move you closer to your perceived destiny, to your goal.
Plan your day. Plan tomorrow. Leave nothing to chance – be in control.
Decide which tasks need to be undertaken the night before and make a list of them. Also note down any ideas that may have crossed your mind during the day, that you don’t want to forget.
You will have a much better nights sleep, because you can “switch off”, just by knowing that all the essential tasks and important ideas have been jotted down and will be remembered.
A fundamental aspect of human nature is that the satisfaction we experience in life is directly related to the extent to which we feel in control of events which concern us.
By making a list for tomorrow, you remove chaos from your mind and you are more able to clarify your thoughts, which promotes calm and prevents stress and tiredness, so you can rest easy.
You will awake the next morning feeling refreshed and knowing what lies ahead of you. You will also save yourself lots of TIME, as you can launch straight into the day and no longer waste time wondering, “oh, I’ve got a spare hour now, what shall I do…shall I do this? or shall I do that?” No more dithering! You are now focussed on the task in hand and you become a lot more efficient with every hour.
Then, at the end of the day in question, review your list and see what you managed to get done.
Diary it.
Achieving more control over time is almost certain to require a very focussed use of a diary system which helps to show a comparison between what is intended and what is achieved.
Note that there will be times when not everything on the list is achieved. You can choose whether to carry the tasks over the the next day, or to decide whether they were as important as you first thought. You may be able to delegate them, or cross them off altogether.
Realise that our day to day activities can usually be categorised in four ways:
- IMPORTANT and URGENT
eg, Paying a final reminder on your phone bill, or reacting to an irate customer’s loud complaints.
- IMPORTANT but NON-URGENT
eg, Getting fit.
- UNIMPORTANT but URGENT
eg, Answering a ringing phone and becoming involved in an unproductive discussion.
- UNIMPORTANT and NON-URGENT
eg, Excessive time on social media, or blaming others for the way things are.
Here, “IMPORTANT” means: Concerned with lasting personal or organisational benefit and, “URGENT” means: feeling immediate pressure to act.
Common sense tells us that if we want to make the best use of the time available to us, we should spend as little of it as possible dealing with unimportant issues, whether they be urgent or non-urgent. So again, KNOWING your GOALS will help you to classify each task.
Be aware also, that you will allocate a certain amount of time to each activity and some activities will require more time than others. You will discover that the quality of time you spend on something will become far more important…… than the quantity of time. Being completely focussed and “in the moment” will enable you to be so much more efficient, whether it be engaging in work or play. You will find enjoyment and accomplishment comes easier.
And finally, as Yoda, the Jedi Warrior said so well….“Try? There is no try. There is only do or not do” Make sure you DO the important things on your list. Take action today.
