Don’t you wish?
Can you actually manage your time?
The obvious answer is yes. The obvious solution is a bit more complicated. Everything depends on you…do you want to manage your time?
It requires a conscious decision on your part.
The first step is deciding you’re going to do it.
No matter how well you plan, you have to carry out your plans.
I’m a pilot. One of the first lessons we were taught… plan your flight, then fly your plan… just that simple.
The more complicated you make it, the less likely you are to actually do it.
- First comes the decision – to manage, or not to manage. That is the question.
- If the answer is yes, then we have to find a way to do it.
- If the answer is no, won’t matter what you use, it won’t work
What do I need to manage my time?
First comes the decision to do so. With that made, it can go from simple to complicated, cheap or expensive.
Now that you have decided to take control of your life, let’s explore ways to do so.
- Cheap or expensive? How much money do you want to spend on it?
- Simple or complicated? Do you want to waste more time trying to organize it?
- Time consuming or time saving? Is it more complicated than it’s worth?
Ideas
Let’s decide which way to go…cheap, or expensive.
- Cheap is a yellow pad and pen, which can be purchased at most stores for little money.
- Expensive is a time consultant to help you manage your time… question… do you really need one?
- Simple is the yellow pad and pen and one of the most effective concepts’ known.
- Complicated are some calendar/to do software programs… if you can’t understand it, don’t do it!
- Will it take MORE time using consultants and some complicated calendar/dodo software? Then why do it?
- Time saving are simple, uncomplicated calendar/to do software and the simple yellow pad/pen.
Solutions
I have always said that I don’t want you to tell me about a problem, until you offer me a solution! Here are some suggestions for solutions:
- David Allen is the master! His book, Getting Things Done, is a timeless masterpiece. I encourage everyone to read it. He also has an excellent website: https://gettingthingsdone.com/about/
- David changed my life several years ago with his “Mind like water” solution. The starting point in getting organized is to get everything out of your head. Several ways to do that:
- Sit down with a yellow pad and pen. Write down EVERYTHING that comes to your mind. Everything that you need or ever want to do. Get it on paper and out of your mind.
- You can do the same thing with a good to do software and there are loads of them for both the analog and the IPhone.
- Examples are: todoist, anydo, simplenote, Asana and many more. Most of these are free.
- After you have put everything on paper or in the “cloud,” then begin to prioritize each one: Things I HAVE to do, things I NEED to do, things I WANT to do and things I MAY want to do some day.
- Next, after your prioritize your list, set up steps to do under each thing you have to do.
- Example:
- Paint the kitchen –
- a. choose the color.
- b. buy the paint.
- c. buy the supplies (tape, brushes, roller, pan, ladder, etc.).
- d. choose the day to do it.
- e. clear the kitchen counters.
- f. mask the windows and areas you DON’T want to paint.
- g. PAINT
- You now have everything out of your head and on paper or the computer, an action plan, your paint.
- Keep it simple. Life is already complicated… don’t make it worse.
It is so easy to uncomplicate things!
Maybe all you need is a small pad on the refrigerator… just write down the things you need or have to do.
I personally use a simple calendar with a “to do” list included.
Just put everything in the to do list, then set priorities and times for each to do. When I find I have a to do that I don’t have to do, I just delete it!
What can be more simple than that? I can see all of my day in one glance. I can back up and look at my whole month to decide if I need to shift anything to another day.
Rule number one… don’t try to cram everything in the first day. Pace yourself. If it takes 5 minutes to take the trash out, allow 10.
If it takes an hour to do your grocery shopping, allow 90 minutes.
Conclusion
It’s not rocket science! You can decide for yourself if you want to uncomplicated your life by putting everything down on paper or in the computer. Only you can decide if you are going to follow through with an action plan. You can hire an expensive time management guru to do it for you or you can KISS it – Keep It Simple Stupid!
The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. You have to take the first step. You can do it today, wait for a better day (when?), or maybe someday.
The old adage is so true… today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday! Yesterday is gone… tomorrow is not here, so all you have is today… use it wisely!
Ball’s in your court. You can take control of your life, or just keep letting life happen. All too quickly the “time in the bottle” has spilled out.
I love this quote by Charles Richards:
“Don’t be fooled by the calendar. There are only as many days in the year as you make use of. One man gets only a week’s value out of a year while another man gets a full year’s value out of a week.”
I’ll be glad to help you anyway I can. I’ve been doing it for many, many years.
