Effective Time Management - The choice is yours

Does your to-do list seem to get longer rather than shorter as the week goes on? Do you struggle with knowing which tasks to tackle first? You're not alone! When we think of time management, we often think about how to fit in all the things we currently have to do in a day as well as how to manage our tasks and commitments more effectively so that we can squeeze more and more into our lives.

The fact is, time itself cannot be managed – we all get 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. This we cannot change. What we can change is what we do with the time we are given. Therefore, it’s not the amount of time that’s the issue, rather how effectively we use it. The choice is ultimately yours and it’s up to you to take ownership and decide what choices to make and the relevance (or impact) they have on your life.

It’s not just about managing what we do more in a more efficient manner, but also allowing ourselves to choose how we fill our time. In the words of the inspiration leader and author Stephen R. Covery, “The key is in not spending time, but in investing it
”. Managing our time is like managing our money. You can either spend it when you have it, or you can invest it, making it more valuable.

Less is more

How many times do you say, “I’m so busy” when it actually feels like the week’s gone by and you haven’t made much progress at all on any of the things you wanted to do? They then get carried over to the next week and then the next, and so on as the cycle continues.

Imagine you were given an extra hour to your day. What would you do with it? You might exercise more, get more tasks crossed off your list or meet up with friends or family. Some of you would probably think an extra hour wouldn’t make much of a difference as it still wouldn’t give you enough time.

What if we turned the standard thinking of time management upside-down. Take a step back and instead of thinking about managing your time so that you can add in even more activities, think about what can be removed from your day in order to make room for what’s more important and meaningful to you. The idea is to shift the balance from putting less emphasis on the “needs” and more on the “wants” so that you are filling your life with things that you choose, feeling happier and gaining more control over your time as a result.

Make the choice

Are you ready to take more control over your time? Here are some simple steps to help get you started:

1. Think of an area of your life that’s important to you right now (i.e. family, career, health, etc.)

2. Rate how satisfied you are in this area on a scale of 1(not at all satisfied) to 10 (life is sweet!)

3. Ask yourself, “How would I feel/What would it look like if this area were a 10?” and consider what’s really important about this area.

4. Set a goal you’d like to achieve in this area within 6 months that would get you closer to a 10. Reflect what difference it would make in your life if you did this.

5. Write down your goal (in present tense) and share it with someone.

6. Do one thing today that will help you get closer to your goal.

The key to time management is connecting with what’s important to you and investing your time on those things. It’s continually asking yourself, “is what I’m doing at the moment supporting me in achieving my overall goals?” If not, then consider switching to a task that does. It’s your choice. How do you want to invest your time?

Article by Megan Thomas, Business Coach

For help with goal setting or getting more control over your time, please contact [email protected].