We all have the same 24 hours in a day to accomplish what we need or want to, so why is it that some of us seem to accomplish so much more than others? I cannot tell you how many days I have chased my own tail only to wind up at the end of the day asking myself “what on Earth did I accomplish today? If only I had more time…”
Having a plan to start with is always a plus, so here is how I keep my time management in the “sane” column and out of the “insane” one:
First Make a List of all of the things you need to accomplish for the day. Making sure to prioritize your events from most to least important. (I usually number them 1-5 with #1 being the Most Important) Then put the events that take the least amount of time at the top.
Next Attack the List! Do the items that take the least amount of time in 15 minute increments. (Like answering an email, returning phone calls, etc…) Now attack the “bigger” events taking 30 minutes to achieve them. I like to use a timer, racing to see if I can do it before the ding!
The last step, and the most important one – Reward Yourself! Take a 10 minute break, catch your breath and then don’t forget to Start Again!
Keeping on track each day can be an event in and of itself so I always “Calendar” everything. I make sure I have appointments written down and next to my calendar I have my “here’s what you need” stuff to get through the day.
Like today… My oldest daughter has her piano lesson, my son his soccer practice, and my youngest daughter playgroup at 9:30 am. So my “stuff” pile consists of a piano book bag, soccer gear bag, and ingredients to make homemade play dough for the group. (Unfortunately, the dough won’t make itself…)
So as you can see today is Full of Events, all fun and satisfying from meeting with my business partners, to cheering my sons team, to listening to some sweet music, to helping others both big and small build their dreams. And at the end of it all we can all learn from the kiddos at playgroup and smile and laugh with glee as we knock over our wooden block buildings and start all over again revealing in the fact that we have the time to do it again.
So don’t wait for “More” time to come down the pike for it never will unless you make the time happen!
Here’s to accomplishing all that you want today!
