Are you always running late? Do you feel like there is not enough time to get things done? Would you like to be more relaxed with your time?
Many find they are busy yet never seem to catch up on their tasks. Below are proactive strategies that will help with time management. Applying the following steps will help you reduce overwhelm and create more time, for what’s important.
1) Be a list writer Writing things down helps to be more organised. You will be more productive and you will never have to remember a thing. List writing literally takes a load off your mind. Write your list in whatever format works best for you; paper or digital.
2) Set priorities Each evening write down your TOP 5 priorities for the next day. Setting priorities helps you to focus on what is most important. Make it a point of pride to complete 5 valuable things each day, which means in a year, that’s 1500 positive actions taken!
“When chopping down a large tree, spend some time sharpening your axe.”
3) Work on one task at a time When working on something, work with all of your focus on that one task. Every 60-90 minutes, take a 10-15 minute break. This is healthy for the mind and keeps you refreshed. During your breaks; answer emails, check Facebook, chat to people etc.
4) Think about how you spend your time for a few minutes… Consider whether you are subordinating to what other’s want for you, rather than doing what you truly love. Large amounts of time can be taken up solving other people’s problems that have nothing to do with you. Who is the one person that is wasting your time away?
“It takes a minute to get distracted, but 10-20 minutes to get back into effective work flow.”
5) Utilising other people Other people can be recruited to do ‘busy work’ you don’t enjoy. I recommend selecting 2 things that are draining your time (and energy) and negotiating for someone else to do those jobs instead. Choose people that are a match for the type of task being delegating. For example, some people genuinely enjoy cleaning, so you know they will follow through to completion.
6) Fill your life with what you want I recently wrote down some new goals in conjunction with my Highest Values: Some people in my life wanted me to join them in trivial activities (not my HVs) but I had already pre-planned my whole week. It is really easy to say “no” if your life is full. There is no need for guilt, or indecision.
“Any detail you don’t plan for, others will try to plan for you!”
7) Gaining more time I know it is reasonably obvious, but could you move faster and get tasks done quicker? Could you utilise Step 3 to complete tasks without distraction. Is it possible to get a work task done in half the time, by using your speed?
8) Time management and energy It is important to keep up your vitality and health, so you can make the most of your time. To renew your energy spend an hour each day on self-care. Schedule this in your diary as if it was an appointment. The rewards of this will be worth it in the long run.
“The Seven Cornerstones of Health are; Breath, Water, Real Food, Exercise, Meditation, Gratitude and Doing What You Love”.
9) Excellence is enough Perfectionism can create unrealistic goals and foster procrastination. The fear of failure or falling short, could be the reason you are putting off your goals. When you’re 80-90% ready, you’re ready. Unless you are actually a brain surgeon, don’t fall into the perfectionist trap.
10) Great work, you’re nearly done With some real thought I would like you to answer the following 3 questions for yourself:
i) If you were to suddenly gain more time, what would you use it for?
ii) Is your current time management plan helping you get this?
iii) What are 3 realistic action steps you can take this week to make this happen?
“We have the privilege to create the life we want.”
Jeremy Walker’s background is in Hypnotherapy. He created the WARP (Walker Addiction Removal Process) and is located in Brisbane QLD. Confidential appointments are available for quitting smoking, weight loss, stress & time management issues. Jeremy enjoys nothing more than seeing others make a positive shift!
https://inspirehypnotherapy.com/hypnotherapy/quit-smoking-hypnotherapy
https://inspirehypnotherapy.com/hypnotherapy/weight-loss-hypnotherapy
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