My mother once said that the older we get, the faster time flies. How true is that! In today’s fast-paced world, we work, raise families, manage household chores, run errands, volunteer, help our neighbors and community, etc. There never seems to be enough time in a day. Despite this, there are some things you can do to better manage your day and still take care of yourself.
1. Realize that you have control over your time management and make a conscious decision to do so. Many people complain about not having enough time in their day, but never develop an action plan to address this problem.
2. Commit to getting organized. The more organized you are, the more fluid your day will flow. This is because you will have set aside time for your most important activities (your daily priorities) first.
3. Buy a daily planner and develop a schedule for each day. You will notice that certain activities will be repeated constantly (for example, work, picking up the children from school, meals).
4. Think about what you have to do every day; What are your priorities? Do you have any deadline? Plug them into your schedule first. Then insert other (non-priority) activities as time allows. Make sure you make time for yourself, even if it’s only fifteen minutes a day.
5. If possible, delegate or eliminate non-priority items or reserve them for a specific day of the week. Or, consider hiring someone to complete some of these items (eg, cleaning your house, doing yard work).
6. Combine errands so you only do them once or twice a week instead of every day. Run your errands in a specific geographic order (eg circle) to be more efficient and avoid backtracking.
7. Make “to do” lists so you don’t leave anything out or waste time trying to remember specific items. An errand “to do” list helps you run all the errands you need in an “orderly” way, which also saves gas. A grocery “to do” list saves time and eliminates the need to return to the grocery store for a single item. Post your “to do” lists on a board or in an area where they are visible and easily accessible.
8. Keep track of how you spend your time each day. Reviewing this log, where are you wasting your time? Do you spend too much time engaged in a specific activity (eg, watching television)? Could you spend less time in this area, freeing up time for more important activities? What you find may be surprising.
9. What support systems are there to help you? For example, can a parent, friend, or babysitter watch your child or children for a few hours on a specific day so you can run errands?
10. Can you exchange favors with a family member, friend or neighbor? For example, if it would take you hours to fix a computer problem, could you get someone else to do it for you and in return do something for them that would take them more time but require less time on your part?
By consistently considering and implementing one or more of the steps above, you will find it easier to manage your time and your day. In addition, you will have time to take care of the most important thing in your life… YOU!
Copyright 2009 © Sharon L. Mikrut, All Rights Reserved.