Manifesting Time: Locating the Time Drains in Your Day
Posted on July 05, 2011 by Andrea Bown, One of Thousands of Life Coaches on Noomii.
The key to managing your time better is getting clear on exactly what you are doing during your days so you can spend more time doing what you WANT!!
Where does the time go?!? Sound familiar…? It’s a common complaint I hear. So why do some people seem to have more problems juggling their time than others? Have they figured out a secret and they aren’t sharing it with the rest of us?
The solution is getting clear on exactly what you are doing during your days. What is it exactly that is eating up your time? Imagine knowing and seeing exactly what it is that you spend time at (doing). When you realize what that is, you can then make a choice for the best use of that time.
Your assignment is to “remove the time drains from your day.” Sounds simple enough, but it might take some time (ha ha) to identify where the drains are located.
Let’s do it together and see how we do.
*Make a list of all the things that are eating away at your time. *Keep this simple and start by listing all the things you do in a day. Have a shower, eat breakfast, get kids dressed, take dog for a walk, drive to work, check email, check facebook, etc. Make sure you include as much as you can think of right now. Then keep your list handy during a typical day and write down any others you missed. Don’t worry about categorizing or doing anything about them just yet. We’ll get there. You should have at least 15 things on your list (perhaps someone can help you with this).
Check out your list and let’s get started creating time for you. Go through your list and number them 1, 2 or 3 based on the following description.
1. I can get out of this obligation and need to…
2. I can delegate this forever or at least a few months to enable me to create my new routine…
3. I have to do this, so I better calendar it well and be efficient…
You should have more 1’s than anything else. Do you need to go back and give this another shot? I know this is challenging, but it is also rewarding. Stop and remind yourself how great YOU are and you deserve this time for yourself. Get an image of what you will do with your extra time. Take a breath and know that this next step will not only serve you, but the family and friends that are part of you!
Take ActionTake all your 1’s, and over the next week, make the necessary calls, emails and connections to resign, remove and resolve yourself from these time drains. Keep your list with you and add any others that you missed during the first step. Managing time is not a one-time thing. You have to keep on top of it, or it will get on top of you before you know it!
