This is part 14 of my 'Led By Heart' series for the 31-day writing challenge. You can find the list of all my 31 posts here. Click here to check out the other participating blogs!
I don't remember when exactly I first noticed that I wasn't able to make good use of my time, that it was slipping through my fingers way too fast, that I was going to bed with regrets and lots of promises for tomorrow, which I then didn't manage to keep; it must have been some time in my late teens. And ever since I've envied all those purposeful, productive, fruitful people, who all have the same 24 hours in their day like me, yet they use them to get sooo much done! How do they do it?
I know that a lot of people who have difficulties with managing their time start beating themselves up and branding themselves as lazy. But I believe that being lazy is something a lot different; when you're lazy, you don't really care that you're not productive, or that you're wasting your time. You're just awfully comfortable and want to stay that way for as long as you can. But if you're like me, you don't want to be lazy, you want to get stuff done, work on your goals and dreams, and when you don't, you feel defeated and there's this sense of emptiness, even hopelessness sometimes. You feel that time has got the better of you once again, that you can't stay on top of things. You view time as something untamable, uncontrollable, ephemeral, and yourself as weak, distracted, purposeless. But with an attitude like that, how can you ever change it?
In order to finally crack this, I decided to first start observing my "time habits". I wanted to find out where I get derailed and distracted. I realized that I haven't learnt how to become focused; I possess an extremely flickering mind which tends to provide only a perfunctory perception. When there's a bit more demanding task in front of me, one that requires some active, productive thinking, immediately my mind gets busy to find something a little less difficult to do. And I don't even realize that I'm not doing what I'm supposed to till many minutes have already passed. In other words, I need to get serious about cultivating awareness, so that I can tell at all times if there's any difference between what I'm doing and what I should be doing.
The other problem is that I tend to just do whatever is currently "screaming" the most, instead of what is most important. And lastly, I tend to do whatever at the given moment feels the best and most enjoyable, instead of planning out my tasks (with their importance in mind) and purposefully completing them one by one; it's okay to take my time and do things slowly as long as I get them done eventually.
I once came across one of those motivational posters showing a young smiling woman resting her head comfortably on a pillow, and next to her it said Satisfied with today, eager for tomorrow. And it may sound a bit cheesy, but I became totally fascinated with this promise. How wonderful would it be to have this peace of mind, this satisfaction, at the end of each day?
Now that is a goal worth reaching, I thought. And so...
Here's my 10 steps to get in control of my (and your!) time:
#1 go to bed early and get up early
This one is sooo important. I know that when I don't have a good, early start in the morning and I don't get into the flow of work right there, my plans for the day tend to go awry. I'm going to start working on changing my routine and slowly begin getting up earlier - and then getting to work asap.
#2 cultivate awareness
I cannot stress enough how important it is to be conscious of what we're really doing, to be present at all times! We can learn it like anything else, it just takes patience and, well, practise. At first, we might manage to be truly aware only for a couple of minutes, but I believe it is possible to achieve complete, "full-time" awareness. That way we can be truly present at every decision we make, and when we become distracted and stuck on Facebook or youtube, we’ll be able to get back on track much sooner and more easily.
#3 limit significantly time spent on social websites, emails etc.
It should be something of a I-need-a-quick-break-to-clear-my-head, not our first thing in the morning go-to! It could be a good idea to ban yourself from checking those sites altogether for, say, a few days or even a week. And perhaps you'll see a) how much of your time it's been consuming, and b) that you can actually do well without it. If you don't want or can't avoid it completely, set a limit (30 minutes a day?) for the time you spend there. Block your browser from loading those pages if you must. I've decided to be strict with myself on this one.
Also, try not work on the computer when you don't need to! If you want to write something, and you know you'll spend half the time on Pinterest instead, take a notebook and a pen and write at least the draft in hand - sitting at a good distance from your laptop (maybe in the garden or a coffee shop?). For writing you can also use programs like OMM writer which take up you entire screen, not allowing you to see anything else (and it even provides some soothing music for you to listen to as you write).
#4 set a timer, divide your work in small portions
This is a really efficient way of getting focused - split your task into 20 or 30 minute increments and after each bit take a few minutes to do something just for fun, reward yourself (make yourself a cup of coffee, check your email...). But don't get stuck there! That's why it's good to set a limit to your breaks as well. Don't forget to get quickly back to work.
#5 make your to-do list the evening before
So that in the morning you know right away what you need to get done.
And make a weekly (or even monthly) to-do list as well. It's important to have the bigger picture in mind and know what you're working towards long-term. That way you don't get derailed by all the new things that are coming up. Set a bigger goal - should be just one or two - for the week/month, split it into smaller, manageable bits and tackle one every day.
#6 set reasonable goals
I know I can have totally unreasonable expectations for myself and I'm not the most patient person. Maybe that's the reason why I fail to accomplish what I want. Know your limits! If you can, always double the amount of time you think it will take to complete a task.
Divide your task into smaller chunks - don’t just put "learn French" to your to-do list, write "learn 5 new irregular verbs, or do 3 grammar exercises, or listen to 1 podcast", instead! This is also so much more encouraging, as you will actually be able to tick it off your list at the end of the day!
#7 prioritize!!
Are you sure that what’s on your list is really so important? All of it? I want you to take the time to reconsider every point one more time. Do you really want to do all that, or do just think you should? Is it necessary? Will it contribute to your (or someone else's) happiness?
DO THE MOST IMPORTANT STUFF FIRST!
#8 delegate
Do you really have to do it all yourself? Why? Make sure it’s not your ego telling you that only you can do it the best way, or that others just can't do it without you. Don’t take responsibility for anyone else’s tasks unless you have a very good reason for it, TRUST them they can do it!
#9 be accountable
Get it out there! Tell others about your goals, your struggles, your decision to get better at time management (or anything else) - write it on your blog or Facebook, tell a friend or a partner to keep asking you about your progress and checking up on you.
If you are a believer, don't forget you're accountable to the Spirit that you are and its purpose. Do you know that you have a destiny to fulfill?
#10 take it easy
You are not defined by check marks, and you are not defined by someone else's idea of accomplishment. Create your own perfect!
I believe we are supposed to thoroughly enjoy our lives and be proud of what we're doing. We should bear good fruit. What's the fruit of your life?
Here's my other post on making good use of time 'On waiting till Monday' ;)
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