Aloha,
This month's topic will be about time management and the tools you might use. This wasn't originally going to be the topic until several days into August when I realized that I hadn't written this newsletter yet. So, of course, it seemed like the perfect topic to share ideas on. Though you can't really manage time better because time goes at it's own pace, you can still manage your tools & activities better.
Here are some tools you might use...
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Calendar / Planner
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Since whole chapters can be written about choosing your calendar/planner, and days can be spent evaluating the various paper & electronic systems, I'm going to keep my advice simple and short. - Choose the format that works best for you.
- Schedule in time for yourself first and make sure you've added your routine responsibilities & maintenance before taking on new projects and activities.
- And the final, most important rule of good planning -- look at your calendar
These are the things that would have kept me out of trouble this month. I changed my planning system and ignored the fact that I need both an electronic format to keep all the extra details of my appointments AND a paper copy of the same calendar (in weekly format) so that I make my schedule real to me by touching it. I also need the paper format so that I can post movable sticky notes for my routine projects (like this newsletter). And then I forgot to look at my calendar because I thought I knew what was scheduled. |
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Your To-Do List
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Make it a "could-do" list: Instead of thinking you have to, should, need to, or must do, start thinking of these things as could do. You could do them if you have the time and desire.
Keep it short and sweet: Do not make a full page list of things to do today, keep it to 3 or at the most 5 items.
Find out how long "it" really takes: Take a minute (or rather 10 minutes) and estimate the time it will take for you to do each of the tasks on your could-do list. Time yourself as you do each task to get a realistic time frame.
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Setting Boundaries & Saying No
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Easier written then done, I know. We say yes to more and more requests for our time because we want people to like us, we don't want to hurt their feelings, and because we like the feeling of being included. But saying yes too often or to the wrong things gets us into over-commitment and overwhelm. We start taking on more and more, which squeezes out the time we need to maintain our organization and re-energize ourselves. It is okay to say yes to yourself and no to someone's request.
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