It’s common knowledge, but it’s easy to forget that every moment of every day, whether you know it or not, you are thinking. We all do it. Even when you’re not thinking of anything, you really are. Close your eyes right now and think of nothing. Impossible. Now think of a pink tiger with a hat on. Your mind visualizes a tiger but you’re now thinking, why, what am I doing, why and tiger, what good is this, and so on. You’re a machine every second deciding what to do, how to do it, what’s more important, and where to direct your energy.
The point is, we are always using up energy, and to organize the powerful mind we each possess is extremely important. When your calendar at home or work is as full as this one to the right, there’s going to be some brain overload. When you understand just how complicated your body and mind are, how they work arduously together, it’s easier to understand how and why managing time and effort is key.
Only with great time management and prioritizing of your personal self, can you handle the amount of pressure and responsibility it takes to function at optimal speed and efficiency. With downtime/prioritizing yourself, away from pressures and/or stressors, you are able to recover the energy and a sense of control over yourself and the life you manage.
This whole daily schedule nightmare—whether you’re a single-mom, corporate executive, handyman, or a frantic student—is essentially managed the same with a few adjusts to one’s priorities. Single-moms prioritize the unexpected doctor visit, where a handy man rushes to the scenes of a flooding kitchen, and a student pulls an all nightery for an exam. If you learn time management, every level or area of your life will blossom to achieving better quality of life.
And keep one thing in mind. Great time management it’s about having enough time for what matters most to you. It’s not about being perfect and getting everything on your list done. I don’t know a list that can’t be cut back.
Managing your times includes charting your sleep. I can’t tell you how many people think giving up a few hours sleep here and there to catch up solves the issue. Forfeiting sleep, nutrition, relaxation, and hygiene, is like buying stock in “Stress Me Out Now Inc.”
Now the most important. How do you feel physically? Be honest about your health. High blood pressure, and sleep apnea cause 63% of professionals to suffer time management skills. And young people who don’t get enough sleep might as well know they may look young, but their mind and body will function like an old fogey.
Health is a big issue. How we eat, sleep and drink is everything. If you’ve not read my eGuide on How To Wake Up Like New. Now is the time. Starting with this eGuild helps determine if simple things like water intake, sleep, and the right snacks at the time can change how you feel and sleep.
REASONS WHY TIME MANAGEMENT FAILS
- When you are unmotivated.
- When your hearts not in it.
- Procrastination
- When you don’t plan your time well.
- If you have a poor good sense of time, where estimating time is not your strong suit.
- Failing to keep a to-do list. A good example is when you think you don’t need one and you run on memory.
- When you don’t set goals.
- Not prioritizing your goals and tasks.
- Those who schedule tasks ineffectively.
- Those who fail to manage distractions; allowing things to interrupt their efforts.
- When you take on too much. This can happen when you don’t’ take the time to plan out a to-do list resulting in more than your calendar can handle.
- You love being busy so much that you don’t slow down. You’re on the move all time, but actually not accomplishing things as you might think.
- You’re burned out. Sometimes you’re so burned out you don’t know it.
- You’re pushing goals and tasks out, overextending yourself and you never catch up.
- Multitasking.
- Not taking breaks.
What is your personal evaluation of your time? As you read the list of why time management fails, what part of the list do you feel describes you accurately?
Your success sits in that liminal space between having the courage to keep going.
