Time management seems to be a topic that many people struggle with. How do you balance your schedule between family and business? When do you find the time do nurture YOU?
The tip I'm going to share today is certainly not rocket science. It's a simple little time management technique that has the potential to make a world of difference if you put it into play.
I'm a single mom of 2 little ones (almost 2 and almost 5). I have my own business, so my hours are flexible, but I also have to have some time away from my children in order to get everything done. My kids go to preschool 3 days per week, and this is my time to be productive.
What I've found is that if I'm not practicing the little time management tip I'm about to share with you, I drop my kids off and then go into 'frantic mode'... running around like a chicken w/ my head cut off trying to be as productive as possible in the short amount of time I have without my kids.
When it's time to pick them up, I look back at the day and wonder, "What did I accomplish today?" Does this sound familiar?
So, here's the strategy that works wonders...
All it involves is planning out your day, every minute of it. Remember to schedule time for YOU (exercise, yoga, meditation, etc) first, and then plan everything else around that. Otherwise, as we all know, we get caught up in everything else we have to do, and these things don't happen.
I know for myself, if I don't get my exercise and meditation in, the rest of the day definitely doesn't go as well. And these are the things that tend to be the first to go when we have a big to-do list. It's amazing how much MORE I'm able to accomplish when I do make time for the activities that nurture me.
I recommend making your schedule the night before for the following day. When making your schedule, remember to schedule things like lunch, shower, returning calls, etc. And the KEY to this system is to delegate a certain amount of time for each task and stick to that task. Don't answer the phone or do anything else during that delegated time except the scheduled task.
Don't worry if you don't complete the task in the time you have scheduled. Just get as much done as you can, and then schedule another window each day until you get it done (for example, if you're writing a book you can't expect to get it done in one sitting, but if you schedule little chunks of time to focus on it uninterrupted, you'd be amazed how fast it gets done!)
Since you won't be answering the phone when you're working on a specific task, be sure and schedule an hour (or however long you may need) to return calls.
So your schedule may look something like:
8am- drop off kids
8-9 meditate
9-10 yoga
10-11 shower, check email
11-12 make business calls
12-1 lunch, return calls
1-3 meeting with sally
You get the picture.... In any case, it's a very simple time management technique, but what I've found is that when I use it, I get a lot more done, I feel more organized and less frazzled, and I stay much more focused on the task at hand and am much less likely to go off on all kinds of crazy tangents throughout the day. Try it on for size... you might be amazed!
