Whether you work outside the home, work from home, are a student, are a stay at home parent or retired, our time is one of our greatest assets and investments. What we do with it, how we “spend” it and how we prioritize it, will determine many of our successes and stresses. Having worked shifts, I know that those circumstances can change our energy and our ability to manage our time. Working outside of the home during typical work hours of Monday to Friday, 8 day time hours, means that you typically spend 50 to 60 hours a week dedicated to work, including transportation time. One week consists of 168 hours or 10, 080 minutes. It sounds like so much and yet, it doesn’t seem like that much most of the time. Admittedly, some days seem to last 168 hours and some days seem to last 24 minutes. We feel like we are busy every moment. Many of us do not get enough sleep, eat on the run at least once or twice a week, skip meals due to lack of time and do not have enough time to volunteer or take a course or prepare home cooked complete meals. Are we using all of our time productively without wasting any of it? I venture to say that most likely, we are not. Let us begin by being clear that being “productive” does not just mean working time. Productive includes being pro active on your health, your relationships and your future. If you do not take care of yourself, you cannot possibly take care of anyone or anything else.
Time management means exactly what it is called. It is managing your time so that you have a sense of accomplishment, sleep restfully and eat healthy. We always need to be moving forward whether it is in our relationships, our careers or our health. We need down time and tools such as social media can be an outlet in the middle of a stressful day, however there is really very little that is social about social media. We play games against images of “friends” that may or may not be their actual picture. We post our status constantly as if anyone really wants to know what you are doing every minute of the day. We lose track of time and time that, once gone, can never be gotten back.
When on various social media sites, put an egg timer or an alarm on so that you become aware of the time. Do not allow yourself to reset it. Make a list of at least three things to accomplish in the upcoming 24 hours and make sure you complete them, whether they are making appointments for the dentist, registering for a course you want to take or meeting face to face (not online) an old friend. Plan your time and think three steps ahead for everything. For instance, plan meals so that you do not have to eat out, plan your wardrobe to make sure your clothes are ready and plan your errands so that you are not backtracking wasting both time and fuel.
Time is a precious commodity that, once gone, can never be gotten back. We cannot rewind the clock, time travel nor even know how much time we actually have to accomplish what we want to. When my mother was ill and elderly, I refused to acknowledge that time was running out. I treated it as a never ending supply…until she died and time was gone. Understand that time is an investment as much as our health, our bank accounts and our homes. Treat it as a commodity too valuable to trade for anything less than the best.
For a coaching program to help you learn to manage your time and increase your productivity, contact Unleash the KNOW at info@unleashtheknow.com
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