Self Management

Hi!  I hope everyone had a great weekend or long weekend, whichever the case may have been for you.  I spent some time reading Take Time for Your Life by Cheryl Richardson.  I love it.  I'm up to the point where she discusses where time goes.  She talks about the time management myth and notes, ". . . we can only manage ourselves."

So, it's not time that we need to manage; we need to manage how we go about spending time.  I'm a perpetual list maker and schedule setter.  I mean well, but just can't seem to resist over-scheduling my days and weeks, then I wonder why I can't get everything done.  We only have 24 hours in each day; 168 hours in each week.  It's important to look at our priorities, as Richardson also notes, and make sure we're taking time for the most important people and tasks in our lives.  The book is full of wonderful tips and real life examples of how to make that happen.  One of my favorite tips is to learn to say no.  I admit to saying yes way too much in the past, then wondering how I'm ever going to meet deadlines and expectations.  

What I do is, yes, make lists.  I've also opened up my schedule.  No longer do I cram it full of tasks and meetings that I know I don't have time for.  Okay, well, maybe I still do this on the weekends.   This past weekend was a good example of an overbooked schedule.  Chores, walks, errands, projects.  Both my husband and I made valiant efforts to pack as much into the long weekend as possible, and we really did accomplish quite a bit, I must say.  But really, the best thing to do is to keep weekends clear of cluttered time in favor of quality, relaxed time.  We're still working on that.   But on the week days, I pick the most important ones that I want to concentrate on and fill other less important tasks in the little nooks and crannies of time that present themselves throughout the week.  Sometimes I get distracted by the phone, email, and unexpected interruptions and delays, but so far it's working quite well.  

It's best to first find out what's important to you; what are your priorities, then start planning how to make them a part of your life.  See if you can save money, outsource or ignore the mundane or unimportant tasks, and tear down other road blocks that have stood in the way of making your life the best it can be.

What about you?  Are you a good self manager?  Or do you find yourself frustrated by your crammed schedule?   Let me know.  I'd love to hear from you!