Where Did My Day Go?

If you’re like me that is not an uncommon question you ask of yourself.  I think knowing the answer is part of the solution to spending time wisely.  If stress and disappointment are knocking on your door telling you that either you have too much to do or that you just can't seem to get where you want to go then changing a few habits and building an action plan might be in order.

Do you think you’d be willing to keep a time log for a couple of weeks?    It will help you see if you’re making the best choices; choices that fit well with your values and your goals.

In my last blog I encouraged you to picture how your life would be better if you managed your time more effectively.  You want to write that out.   Keep your description handy so when you feel the tug of old habits you can quickly remember the value of making a few changes.  Changes that will help you get what you want.

Here is the second of five fast track tips on eliminating self-defeating habits.

2.  Carefully define the new habits you wish to develop. 

Consider what three time management habits you think would help you the most.   Write them down, describe each habit.  Be honest with yourself.  Gather the information you need to implement the change and visualize yourself putting the habit in place.  Develop a realistic action plan and get started.

Consider some of the staples of time mastery like planning, prioritizing and project planning.

Getting into the habit of planning might look like this:

First thing each day create your to-do-list so you get into the habit of planning. 

The habit of prioritizing works like this:

Review the list and determine what needs to happen by noon and give those items an A, everything that needs to be completed by 6 PM is marked a B and items that need to happen before you retire for the night are marked C.  Estimate the time you think is needed for each item on the list.  You will quickly know if your plan is realistic or not.  Adjust where needed.  Then determine what happens first for each section of the day.  Whenever you can, do what you LEAST want to do, first.

Learn how to master project planning.   

When you’re working on a project, estimate the total amount of time it will take to accomplish the project.  Work from your deadline date backwards to see how you can weave time into your schedule for the project.  Ideally you break the time into a stated period of time, i.e., 20-minute segments.  Set your alarm or timer to notify you when the 20 minutes is up.  Most of us can’t stop the workflow to work exclusively on a project but we can master segments of time devoted to the project.

A sense of accomplishment is a great motivator!  That is why list making and prioritizing will help you get done what is most urgent/most important. 

Pause your life for 10 minutes and come up with your list of new habits you are willing to build an action plan around so you can have the TIME OF YOUR LIFE!

Stay tuned, step three is coming next…

Still learning,

Honey

It's Time to Have More Time!

Ever wished you had more time?  You’re not alone, me too.  I have found a few tips along the way that have helped me manage time more effectively.  Let’s get started.

Like with anything you want different for yourself you have to ask yourself a few questions.

How much do you really want to change what you do that wastes your time?  Desire is the key to success or failure.  The stronger the desire the better the odds!  The want-to must be yours and come from within.  What would your life be like when the change occurs?  Write out your answer; picture how your life would be better.  How will you benefit?  Who else would benefit?  What do you think this habit has cost you?  Many of our choices about managing time have been expensive, whether that is being late on paying a bill or late in responding to an important email or phone call.

Some of our time wasting habits are relatively easy to change; others extremely difficult.  Like any other self-improvement choices, a change in how you manage your time will have a direct impact on other parts of your life.  Sometimes a habit is a bear to change because it is interconnected.  A single behavior becomes a cue for another behavior, which in turn may cue another behavior...you get the picture.  You've developed habit sequences that form well-exercised patterns of behavior.

How long will it take to replace a poor time management habit with a better time mastery habit?  Some three days, some several weeks.  If you choose to consistently practice the new behavior for three weeks it will become your predominant response pattern.  Keep it up and soon you will have kicked the old habit and replaced it with a rewarding new one.

Here's the first of five fast track tips on eliminating self-defeating habits.

1.  Identify the habit you want to change.  Examine it carefully.  The more you know about what you do, when you do it and why you do it the easier it will be to identify the habits that are creating the problem.   Start a “wish list” that only pertains to you.  Wishing others were different is a real time wasting habit.  Your wish list is a daily review of what you find frustrating or disappointing about how your time was spent each day.  Get busy on answering the questions listed in today’s blog.  Start your “wish list” and look for my next blog on how to eliminate self-defeating habits.

Still learning,

Honey