Calm your chaos A strategy to restore some order to your life

With clever time-planning and personal organisation, you’ll find managing your diabetes is a breeze rather than a daily tornado

WWhen you can’t keep up with life’s daily demands – you’re always late for appointments, forget to pay your bills and often arrive home to an empty fridge – it’s a sure sign you need a personal organisation overhaul.

Feeling time-poor is common in our busy world, and having diabetes means you have one more element to manage. Good time management and organisation are essential skills to help you avoid the stress and exhaustion that can lead to poor diabetes control and weight gain. Whatever your age or stage of life, putting systems in place will put an end to chaos and help you streamline serenity for a calmer, more productive existence.

“Planning ahead and creating healthy routines provides supportive scaffolding for day-to-day life,” says psychologist Dr Elizabeth Foley. “It enables you to feel more organised, which makes your head clearer and your day less stressful. Even just doing one thing differently, like adding half an hour of exercise or meditation daily, can give you a huge sense of achievement, control and momentum to make more positive change.”

Try these ways to become more time-savvy and replace daily chaos with calm to stay on top of your condition.

MANAGE TIME

Tiredness is time management’s enemy. “So, when your mind says, ‘I’m too tired to do this,’ test this thought,” says diabetes educator and health psychologist, Lisa Engel. “If someone called for coffee, would you be too tired to go? If the answer is yes, your fatigue could be a habit.”

Feelings of weariness can be a symptom of low-level depression but, while you should seek medical treatment if this persists, you may be able to energise yourself with a simple change of pace.

“If you’ve had a reasonable sleep and your blood sugars are below 15mmol/L, challenge that habit. Instead of sinking into the couch, which will make you more tired, stay active and you’ll realise you have more energy than you think,” adds Lisa.

A positive approach is the first step to identifying some clear-cut methods to manage your time.

STOP INTERRUPTIONS

Whether at home or work, make sure those around you understand that there are times when you’re focused elsewhere and should not be interrupted. Make it clear you’re unavailable by screening calls, closing the door or hanging a ‘Do not disturb’ sign on it for an hour.

If you have a busy day ahead, try to keep your phone conversations short by saying to the caller, “Sorry, this has to be a quick call as I’m on my way to an appointment.”

Plan ahead so you don’t waste any time – arrange meetings and appointments so they dovetail efficiently. For example, set aside a particular day to deal with medical matters or home repairs and tradespeople.

IMPROVE YOUR HEALTH

Create routines that build diabetes management into your everyday life. Make use of the longer days by getting up half an hour earlier and taking a walk to energise you and kick-start your metabolism for better blood glucose levels. Prime your mobile phone with reminders to do BGL tests so they become a habit that is second nature.

TURN OFF TECHNOLOGY

Switch off your phone for an hour while you catch up on paperwork and bill-paying, or exercise with a streaming yoga class. Ignore messages unless they’re urgent and set aside only one or two blocks of time every day to check emails, tweets and texts.

TAKE A BREAK

Give yourself a mini-break from work to catch up on tasks such as

completing your tax return, Medicare claims or changing your

inefficient mobile phone or internet carrier. Taking time out to catch up on these niggling concerns is empowering - it will give you a sense of control over your life and means that you’re free to make the most of your holiday time

when it comes around.