Life isn’t all about work. By focusing your day on what matters most to you, you can accomplish what you need to and bring yourself joy with time management at the same time.
There’s a quote by Jim Rohn that says
“Time is more valuable than money.
You can get more money, but you cannot get more time.”
This reminds us of the importance of making time for the things that matter most to us. We may say that our family or taking care of ourselves is a priority. But between technology that distracts us and the responsibilities of our daily life, it can be easy to put our intentions and plans off until tomorrow.
Bring Yourself Joy!
Moreover, studies suggest that we can enhance our well-being and energy if we spend more time on things that bring us joy and balance. Ultimately, this means that if we take the necessary measures to protect our time and stay conscious of how we choose to spend it, we’ll be happier.
Proactively planning your schedule will help you maximize your time so it’s possible to move toward a better quality of life sooner, rather than later. With that said, here are 3 basic steps you can use as a guideline to create a schedule that works for you.
Three Steps to Productivity
1. Determine What to Schedule
Start by making a list of your recurring commitments, the tasks or activities you do on a regular basis and the things that are non-negotiable. Meetings, phone calls, exercise and family/personal commitments that are set at a pre-determined day and time are examples of recurring commitments. Examples of regular tasks for your business could be client work, billing, marketing and business development. In addition, priorities in your life such as family time, self-care and goals should be regarded as non-negotiable.
2. Create Your Schedule
First, populate your calendar with your recurring commitments. This forms a foundation for your schedule and gives you a realistic idea of how much time you have left for other things. Once your baseline has been established, set aside blocks of time for tasks or activities you do on a regular basis and your non-negotiable items. Scheduling tasks from your to-do list at a specific time is also helpful for getting your most important things done. Aim for the top 3 most important tasks each day. In addition, it’s a good idea to build some flexibility into your schedule to allow for interruptions, distractions, and unplanned emergencies.
3. Maintain Your Schedule Daily
Once you have created your schedule it’s important to honor your commitments as much as possible. Most people agree that creating a schedule is the easy part; the challenge is to stick to it. When you are inevitably thrown off course, notice the reasons. Are you allowing too many interruptions and distractions? Maybe you’ve scheduled something at a time of day that isn’t realistic. For example, scheduling exercise at 6:00 a.m. when you usually don’t start your day until 7:00 is probably not going to work in the long-run. If you continuously pay attention to what’s working and what is not, you can make adjustments as required. You may even find that many interruptions and distractions are avoidable.
Stick With It
This is an ongoing process. Keep in mind that it will help you make time for the most important priorities and goals in your life. You don’t need to do this perfectly. Just give it your best effort consistently. Soon you’ll be spending more quality time on what really matters to you.
Take Action!
Are you ready to build in some joy with time management? If you’d like business consulting help on a particular project or business coaching to help you improve your personal time management skills, contact me to schedule a 30 minute complimentary consultation!
