Most people are always stressed from trying to complete tasks and thinking why they never have enough time to enjoy life. Are you one of those people where you feel like you are on a hamster wheel going round and round in circles every day wishing it would stop so you can at least have some time to enjoy a tea break. Everyone is looking for ways to increase their productivity and complete all the tasks on the list but an important question to ask yourself should be: “Who am I becoming in the process?” Time management is important for everyone, especially if you have goals and you want to achieve success in your life. Think of your goals and what do you want to achieve in the future, where do you want to be in 5 years time. With this in mind, it helps to plan the day, week, month and year. Time is our most important resource and it really is all about planning our time to create a successful future and a lifestyle we love. There are the same amount of hours in the day for everyone, but it is how you DECIDE to use your time that will make the difference in your life. For example, if you are stuck in a soul destroying job and you want a different career and future, start creating a plan with a schedule to work towards learning a new skill after work or building a business in the evenings. It takes time to achieve anything great, but if you are prepared you can move forward to your new career or business and create a life you love. Time management skills are essential in all areas of our life and creating a plan will help us achieve our goals. I will share some tips on how I manage my time and I hope that it will help you to implement some of these ideas to create your own time management schedule in any situation and accomplish your goals in your life.
MANAGE YOUR MIND WITH MEDITATION
I have learned that before starting to plan a new schedule we need to organise our mind. Negative thoughts need to be cleared as they hold stagnant energy in our body and prevent us from moving forward with our goals. In order to prepare for your new future, remove any limiting beliefs about where you are and how you have lived your life. Let go of the past, forgive yourself and the people that have hurt you and accept it as lessons on your journey that have brought you to the present moment. Clear any unfinished tasks, remove clutter from your home that is weighing you down blocking your energy and preventing you from moving forward with your goals. This is your chance to change and create your new life doing something you love, to grow and develop on a personal and professional level.
Meditation is a great tool to help raise vibration and positive energy and has helped me to focus my mind. If you don’t have much time, you can start with 10-15 minutes every day and you will start to feel the benefits of the practice. Think about all your goals that you want to achieve and visualize that you are already living your dream life.
When you free your mind from clutter it will be easier to focus on the present and start planning your new schedule for your future.
DECIDE YOUR GOALS
The next stage is decide your goals and write them down, it might be that you want to complete a course, start a new career or business, whatever you want to achieve write it down. It is important to create a plan to manage your time to achieve your goals if you want to change your life and be successful. Your time management techniques don’t have to be perfect in the beginning, just get started. Once you start, you can evaluate what works and continue to adjust your process until you feel comfortable with the schedule. Decide which calendar is best for your lifestyle. For example, if you need to share your calendar with your partner or manage your business, a paper calendar might not be suitable. I have learned to block every hour of my day with tasks and activities and I don’t leave any empty spaces, even on weekends! I like to add everything into my calendar, even rest time and exercise. If I haven’t decided what I will be doing for my rest time, then I will just block an hour and call it, REST. I even block time for lunch and dinner as cooking healthy meals is a very important part of my life. I usually work late so making time for things I enjoy helps to create variety during my day. I believe it’s important to have regular breaks and schedule time for self-care to avoid burnout.
PLANNING YOUR WEEK
Most people plan their week on Sundays, but I like to start planning my week from Tuesday evening as I work from home and this works well for my schedule.
Decide the time that you want to wake up in the morning. If you are able to wake up earlier, you can schedule more in the day. I am not a morning person and I have learned to listen to what my body needs and if I’m working late then I make sure I get enough sleep. I enjoy a relaxing morning routine, I block 2 hours for a leisurely breakfast and I call this, MORNING GRATITUDE. It is important to me to start my day with meditation, affirmations and writing in my journal. If you are a parent and you need to take the children to school or travel to work, try waking up earlier and create your own special routine, whether that is writing in your journal, meditation, exercise or whatever makes you feel good and sets the tone for your day.
I believe that a morning routine is the most important part of the day, create a schedule that will work for you, know that your plan for the week will not be perfect as there will always be changes, so allow some time for these unexpected tasks and know that you are doing your best.
SAY NO TO DISTRACTIONS!
Learn to structure your day and focus your energy on those important tasks or projects that help you move closer to achieving your goals. Recognise those activities or people that are stealing your time and there is no reward for the time you invested. For example, are you wasting time by reading social media or speaking with people that want to catch up on the latest news from the weekend? Schedule times in your calendar for calls and checking emails and learn to say NO to people and situations that are distractions to your schedule.
Decide when is your most productive time during the day, are you more productive in the morning or in the afternoon? For example, I know that my afternoons and early evenings are my productive times when I can write without interruptions.
COMPLETING TASKS
If you want to achieve your goals then you need to choose a completion date. With this in mind, it will be easier to plan the tasks or projects that will move you closer to completing your goals. It is important to be consistent and stay on your path. It is easy to lose motivation when things don’t always work out as planned, but you can always adjust your plans and your calendar or try a different process. This is why it is good to add everything to your calendar as you will be able to monitor your progress and know where you are spending your time. Try and do 5 things every day to move closer to achieving your most important goal. If you are busy with many projects, learn to prioritise your tasks, and schedule enough time for relaxation and self-care. If you are not able to achieve all your tasks on the list for your day or week, don’t despair, just move them to another day. The main purpose is that you keep trying and NEVER GIVE UP on your goals. Remember, that creating a lifestyle you love takes time and changes will not happen overnight. It takes time to change your habits, but creating a schedule will help you know where you are going and keep track of your achievements.
Enjoy the process of achieving, make sure you make time for fun activities. You are on a journey of self-discovery and learning what works for your new lifestyle. Don’t give up at the first signs of difficulty when you are not able to complete everything. Remain focussed and make time work for you; maintain balance and when you start feeling like everything is falling apart, STOP and review your process. Your plan can evolve as situations change, take time to breath and then start again with a new plan. Learn to be patient and gentle with yourself, it is about who you are becoming in the process. There are many routes to the top of the mountain, make sure to celebrate your achievements regularly and enjoy your journey to creating a life you love.
“The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.” – Confucius