If you're like me, many days are jam packed with more items
on your "To Do" list than any human could possibly handle
in one day. Why do we tend to put ourselves in this
situation, when we end up with little or no time to enjoy
life? Most of us work until 7-8pm, go to bed at 9-10pm,
then get up early the next morning and do it all over
again. Before you know it the week is gone, then a month
is gone, then you're celebrating New Years Eve wondering if
you enjoyed the year that just flew by...
While I'm not a big fan of most time management systems,
it's becoming obvious to me that I need to get a better
handle on my work days, not only to get done what I need to
do, but also to learn how to alleviate stress and overwhelm
- since they both pop their ugly heads up all too often.
So in the interest of keeping my sanity, and finding some
balance in 2008, here's the plan I'm using. You may want
to give it a try.
1. Begin documenting each task you do during work hours,
including the time you spend doing laundry, having lunch,
and going for a walk. This definitely sounds more
analytical than I consider myself to be. You will
hopefully be able to tolerate this extensive documentation
for about a week. This should be enough time to determine
where you may be losing time to tasks that are not helping
you reach the goals that are most important to you - in
other words the goals that keep you healthy, happy, and
that feed your bank account.
2. Decision Time! After a week, analyze where you're
spending unproductive time and make decisions based on your
priorities. This, of course, assumes you know what your
priorities are, which leads to number 3.
3. What do you want? Many people won't make it through the
first two steps, unless they are ready to live an authentic
life. An authentic life means that when you are drawing
your final breath you will have no regrets. You won't look
back and say, "I wish I had..." On the surface it may
appear that making money and having a successful business
is what will lead to happiness. In reality, however, it's
how making money and having a successful business makes
most of us feel that leads to happiness. What's important
is how we feel - more than what we have. For most people
that includes such things as spending more time with
family, friends, and having fun.
4. What can you give up to get what you want? Can you hire
someone else to do the things that are keeping you from
your priorities? Can you reorganize, refocus, reinvent a
new system, or just plain quit doing something that's not
really that important? There is a wonderful feeling of
spaciousness in your life when you decide to give up
events, situations, obligations, or even people that are
eating into the precious time you have to do what you
really want to do.
5. Make a commitment - to yourself - to take action towards
removing what's not important, what you dread doing, what
doesn't make you feel good about yourself and where your
life is going.
This is my plan for 2008. I know there are many different
ways to approach time prioritizing. This time next year,
with a whole year of thinking and testing to look back on,
I will most likely give you a new system to consider. In
the meantime, here is a quote by Alice Bloch to put time
into perspective, "We say we waste time, but that is
impossible. We waste ourselves".
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Would you like to learn more about how building a
soul-based business can create a thriving business that
feeds your spirit and bank account? Visit my website at
http://www.soulpreneursuccessstrategies.com to check out my
free "Creating Money" ebook, free articles, and Soulpreneur
Coaching Services.
Sandy Reed, the Soulpreneur's Coach, is a business coach,
writer, ex-corporate manager, and co-owns her own
successful home-based business.
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