Where is in world does time go? It’s not that we are getting older, the fact is we are getting busier. I used to think I was crazy busy when my boys were young, running from one sporting event to the next, Boy Scout meetings, keeping up with the household tasks and putting a dinner on the table every night, working a part time job while still finding the time SOME HOW for weekly errands. I remember barely having enough time eat because I was trying to fit too much into my small window of time, is this you? How did I do it? Why are you doing it?
Hmm…let’s see. How did I make this work and keep my sanity at the same time? Believe me the days flew by then and now they rush by even faster.
If you are thinking this sounds like your life you are not alone. How much time do you spend with family, your job and household chores? How much time do you waste waiting in lines or researching contractors for home projects? For most of us, waiting in lines or waiting on the phone are two of the biggest time wasters in our week. Imagine all those hours you could be doing more important things and more enjoyable things if we took the step to ask for help?
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I am not perfect at this time management thing but this is what I know for sure…having a plan, a schedule and someone to call on to say HELP, makes life a bit easier. There are only 24 hours in a day folks so if you are trying to jam 30 hours into 24 hours you will pay at the other end. You will pay with stress, frustration and won’t be a happy person to be around.
I am sure you feel the same as I do, I look forward to MY TIME where I can do some of things that I enjoy. For me it is fitting in my exercise routine that by the way here’s another tip…it gives me more energy in my day! :) Maybe just relaxing reading your favorite book is what you want more time for. It doesn’t have to be much, the small slices of time you create for yourself the downtime creates a better quality of life.
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I am going to give you some homework. There is no sense in asking you to do this for a week or a month because I am a big believer in breaking things down into small segments. Just try this for one day to start then gradually do this weekly, see how it makes you feel and the difference you see in your day. You will be surprised at how you can actually increase the number of quality hours in your day by your awareness of where your time goes.
Be mindful of these 7 things and watch where all your precious time is going:
What do you do with the first two hours of your day? It is surprising how much you can accomplish in the first two hours in the day when you stick to a routine.
How much time do you spend preparing meals? Do you plan out your meals or fly by the seat of your pants every day scrambling for dinner ideas at the last minute?
Do you run out several times a day running an errand here and an errand there? How much time do you spend in the car running errands? Do you consolidate errands getting errands done in one area of town as opposed to going here and there wasting time and gas?
Be aware when you are going off track with your daily to-do list. You may not fit it all in, just knowing you accomplished part of your list is a good thing.
Learning how to use the word NO when someone asks for your time that you know in your heart will take you away from all those other crucial things in your day.
How much time do you spend on Facebook or Twitter surfing around to see what others are doing when you should be focusing on what you want to be doing? I’m not saying to cut out your fun time chatting with others on the social networks. If you are an entrepreneur and have daily information you are putting out there to your audience, set aside a specific amount of time for this. Maybe you are looking for assistance with your business blog and want to get this one thing off your list, so you can stay tuned in to growing your business.
Write it down! I can’t say this enough. If you are not writing it down it won’t happen. I am a huge believer in writing out my to-do list in the evening so when I wake up in the morning it is right there, so I can get started.
If you are ready to reclaim your personal time, save time to focus on your business goals and have a better quality of life…we should talk. The It’s About Time team is here to help and have the solutions and resources for whatever you need. Make it your priority to delegate some of those things that steal your time.
Now that you have some tools to get started with creating more time in your day, sign up for our monthly newsletter and get our free download of my tips on “Stress Free Home Entertaining”. These useful tips will help you breeze through the planning the next time you are hosting a family gathering at your home!
