Motivational Monday #3

Good morning everyone J If ever there was a Monday that I needed motivation for, today is the day. I got up for the gym and battled with the notion of getting straight back into bed…I even pulled up out the front of the gym and considered driving home and getting back into bed! I didn’t though, which I am pleased about, and I pushed myself super, super hard. Now, I am exhausted. It’s been 4hrs since my workout, the euphoria has worn off and the reality of the day has set in...today, I have to do the BAS for Mat’s business (bluck!). Because BAS is due tomorrow and I am only starting it this morning, I thought I would address the topic of Time Management in our Motivational Monday segment…

“Saying you have no time is no excuse; we all have the same amount of hours in a day”. Unknown

I absolutely LOVE this quote because it really puts things in perspective with regards to time management. We are all busy, we all have goals, we all have “things that must be done” and we all have 24hrs in which to accomplish these tasks. Those with effective time management skills will obviously excel at making the most of every minute of the day and achieve what they set out to do. For the rest of us mere mortals struggling with time management, here are a few handy hints to try and become less frazzled and more effective:

1.    Write a To Do list. This is an important step and consequently, it is important that you do it right. Be specific. A large task such as “Clean the house” needs to be broken down into more manageable and measureable tasks, like “mop the floors” and “clean the shower”. Being specific will ensure you avoid procrastination and stay focused on the task at hand.

2.    A To Do list is a brilliant tool, but an important element of a To Do list is to Prioritise the tasks on it. You need to move past the notion that everything is urgent and identify the difference between Urgent tasks and Important tasks. For example, if you have a document at work due this afternoon, it will obviously take priority over the very important quarterly review that is due on Friday.

3.    Set goals, both professional and personal. This is so important because it gives your life direction and purpose. I like to imagine myself as a ship leaving port…if I don’t set goals, how will I know where to go? I could get lost at sea, run out of supplies or get caught in a storm and never make it to the destination I hoped to get to. If I set goals and plan ahead however, the likelihood of me making it to my dreamed of destination is considerably greater than just crossing my fingers and hoping for the best.

4.    Stay focused. This is a tough one because we are all faced with an endless wave of distractions throughout the day, welcomed or not. Those time management masterminds deal with or ignore these distractions quite well; the rest of us “normal” people however are usually swept up into the distraction wave. The result is a whole lot of precious time lost that could be used for working towards our goals. I am not in any way suggesting that you do away with fun and free time, what I am saying however is when you next log on to the internet to research your current project, ask yourself if reading up on Kim Kardashian’s latest butt implants is really that important? (The irony that while I was writing this particular point, I was distracted by a phone call).

5.    Work with what you’ve got. If you are like me and the morning is your most productive time, run with it. If however the evening is where you shine, get your head down and bum up after 5pm (this is not a Kama Sutra position, but rather a reference to work and productivity J). Most people cringe at the thought of working out at 4:30 in the morning but for me, it is the only time that works. Tap into your productive parts of the day and schedule more challenging and time consuming tasks for these times. You will be amazed at the difference this can make!

6.    Finally, and most importantly, learn to say “NO”. Taking on too much, or other peoples burdens will do absolutely nothing for you in terms of reaching your goals. Essentially, all you are doing is teaching people that they can use you or walk all over you because you never say no. Of course it is reasonable to help people out at times and saying “No” isn’t always possible. It is however possible to refuse requests that can be fulfilled by someone else and that don’t bring you any closer to your goals in life. Stay focused on what you want to achieve and only take on tasks that you feel are important.

I hope these little tips help you with attempting to become an expert at managing your time. Happy Monday J