GIVE YOURSELF A time makeover
A FEW PRODUCTIVITY-BOOSTING SOLUTIONS WILL SEE YOU CONQUER YOUR DAILY TO-DO LIST
Struggling to find the time to do more of the things you love? Whether it’s juggling a busy work-life schedule, running a household or fitting in family commitments, there never seems to be enough hours in the day to get everything done. And it’s often the things we enjoy most that fall by the wayside.
“People keep pushing so hard to be everything to everyone at a cost to their health, their stress levels, and potentially their relationships, too,” says productivity and life coach, Aerlie Wildy.
However, by learning to manage your time more effectively, it is possible to organise your life, bring balance to your daily routine and find time for the things that bring joy to your day.
IDENTIFY HOW YOU SPEND YOUR TIME
Life is short, so it’s important to eliminate any unnecessary, time-wasting tasks. Tracking your activities over a substantial period of time is the best way to pinpoint where you’re spending – or rather misusing – valuable minutes, says psychologist and life coach, Naomi Arnold. This will free up more of your day to do the things you actually enjoy.
Start by keeping a log of your daily activities – work duties, housework, exercise – for one week, then look back over your log and decide which activities are still important, and which can be reduced or cut altogether.
If this just sounds like another task to fit into your already busy day, you can get help tracking your time by downloading an app such as Optimizeme or Atracker (both from itunes). These apps do all the hard work by timing and keeping a record of each of your activities, which can be categorised under labels such as ‘fitness’ or ‘routine’.
The apps convert this data into a report that shows exactly how your time is being spent and allows you to identify areas that can be improved.
MAKE A TO-DO LIST
Utilise your time effectively by writing a list of tasks that need to be achieved that day, then set yourself a time limit to complete each task. Make a pact with yourself to stick to the list, and cross off each task after you accomplish it.
“Work out what tasks you’ll do first, second and so on, and stick to the time limit so they don’t run on for hours.
“If you find yourself procrastinating, do the thing that’s causing the delay, but give yourself a time limit on it,” Aerlie advises. This method ensures you start out with clear goals, and as you won’t get sidetracked throughout the day, it will help you be more time-efficient in the long-term.
“Plan what’s coming up so you know when the busier times are and when you can make the most of downtime.”
SCHEDULE
IN TIME FOR ACTIVITIES YOU ENJOY
Most of us tend to only focus on the must-do tasks in our lives – errands and chores
– but what about setting aside time for wellbeingboosting activities?
“If you make a daily to-do list, then it needs to go one step further,” Aerlie says. Consider writing a want-to-do list, that way you’ll always have something to look forward to each day in between less enjoyable tasks – whether that’s watching an episode of your favourite TV show, taking a yoga class or reading a book. “Taking time out is really important. Be mindful of what’s important to you and pencil those things into your daily life. It doesn’t take much to recharge your batteries; it could be just five minutes sitting in the sun, having a cup of tea, or going for a massage,” Aerlie adds.
FOLLOW THE 90/10 PRINCIPLE
Finding ways to factor
‘me time’ into your daily routine shouldn’t be complicated. “When you value me time, it seems to impact on everything else in your life and can make you more productive, even if you’re
stressing about work and getting things done,” Naomi says. A rule of thumb is to limit the time spent on must-do activities – work, exercise and errands – to 90 per cent of your day, while keeping the remaining 10 per cent free for other items on your want-to-do list, such as catching up with friends. That way you won’t miss out on this valuable time. “It’s something you need to be conscious of,” Naomi says.
CHANGE HOW YOU THINK ABOUT TIME
If you’re still struggling to find time to enjoy all of the things you want to do in one day, consider this: your perception of time may be all wrong. Instead of limiting your goal-setting time to a mere 24 hours a day, think in terms of one whole week – that’s a total of 168 hours to complete your to-do list. That way you’ll be able to do more of the fun things on your want-to-do list by spreading them out.
“People need to reshuffle things around and change their mindset about time; that’s what’s holding them back from doing what they want to do,” Naomi explains.
“If you actually put value on me time, it will spur you on to get through your to-do list quicker, so you can focus on and achieve your want-to-do.”