“I’m sorry, I just don’t have time.”
“If only I had more time.”
“There isn’t enough time in a day.”
How many times have we made a statement like this to ourselves? How many times have we heard these words escape our lips? Ever wonder where all that time goes? Ever wonder if you could get more out of each day, what you would spend that time doing? Would it be with the kids? The grandkids? Out shopping? How about at the ball game or the fight?
The truth is you probably don’t even have time to read this, do you? We are too busy working to maintain living our ordinary day to day lives. There are so many obligations adults have these days. Our parents & grandparents didn’t grow up struggling with cell phone, internet, and cable bills. We have to make enough money just to live don’t we? How can someone create more time and not lose their footing in everyday life?
It’s simpler than you think.
You’ve just probably been too busy to notice how much time you waste during the course of a day. The reason is we tend to concentrate on what tasks we have done, and not on the results we’ve achieved. This simple error causes us to feel like we’ve accomplished something, when all we’ve done is waste precious time.
Here’s 2 very simple steps on how to slowly break out of the habit of wasting time…..
STEP 1: Track your daily life with an activity log for one week. An activity log is an hour by hour breakdown of what activities you have done during the day. Take the time to track a week if you can, or just start with a single day if that’s all you can muster. It will amaze you when you look back on the log how much time certain daily activities take out of your life. The question now is, which ones are worth the time? A great place to dig deeper into time management is another great website, MindTools.com. They have a free activity log here.
STEP 2: Take Action. Start to cut out some of the wasted time in your schedule. Putting your weekly routine on paper allows you to prioritize. Are you really working during all those work hours? Are you really too busy to take better care of your health by working out? Ask yourself this simple question after every listed activity: ‘What results did I achieve from this?’. It works to prioritize which tasks are necessary, and which ones are just habit, except for going to the bathroom and showering of course.
Try to take the time to really break down your week, month, or even year. Time management is a key trait that every successful person has in common. Take the time to manage your life. Otherwise your life will just manage you. It’s your choice.
One Comment
In life you have to make the time to decide what is important. For those who are still in school it may be what to be when you grow up. If you do not make that decision during school, someone else will do it for you later. Make the time to do all your essential chores so you have a clear mind to think afterward. For parents it may be planning dinnertime with the children every night. For workers it may mean getting into the habit of doing rather than talking about a chore. Instead of charging things when you WANT them you may find the time to WORK part time to earn more money. Instead of going to the gym to walk on the treadmill, go for walks with your spouse after dinner each night. Yes, MAKE the time and time will make you.