Today I wrap up the three article series covering best practices for managing time more effectively. These practices are:
1. Generate and work from effective to-do lists.
2. Use time blocking techniques
3. Track your time and tweak as necessary
To sum up what we’ve already covered, first you create effective to-do lists. Second, you block time for the priority tasks in both your personal and professional life. Now, we look at what to do when your “plan” loses effectiveness.
The reason to follow these practices is to create a balanced life. Who determines when your life is balanced? You do! When you feel satisfied with your time and energy spent, and feel accomplished and content at the end of the day, you have likely found balance. Congratulations!
Now what’s this? A few weeks later your focus and energy are scattered again. Here’s the thing, balance is a moving target, and not a one time fix all. When stress and overwhelm creep in, and you lose that sense of accomplishment, try this: Track your time. Start by creating a one page sheet with each day of the week and times noted at least every half hour. Take a second every 15 minutes throughout the day and write down what you did in that time. Be honest! If you are working on the computer for 10 minutes and find yourself watching You Tube videos for another 10, that does not count as 20 minutes of work time. The more specific you can be, the more this exercise will help. Look at your week and determine where you can improve. Tweak as necessary and then see how it goes. Hopefully you’ll find yourself back on track. You can repeat this as often as necessary.
If you would like a copy of the time management exercise I created for my clients, please email me at lauren@myfocusnowcoach.com. I’m happy to share it with you.