Peggy W Barnes

Strategically Simplifying Lives

Time management

Time – Where Is Yours Going?

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-Money, I can only gain or lose. But time I can only lose. So, I must spend it carefully.- - Author Unknown1 (1)

Money I can only gain or lose, but time I can only lose. So, I must spend it carefully. ~Author Unknown~ peggywbarnes1

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Fact……We all have 24 hours or 1440 minutes or 86400 seconds in a day.

There is no one anywhere that had, has, or will have any more or any less.

So what are you doing with your 86400 seconds?

Many times we are in circumstances beyond our control, but more often than not we can control most of how we spend our day.

Here are some things I find are time suckers and result in unproductive time during our day.

  • Computer– Let’s face it.  Many of us read a lot of blogs, look at a lot of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.  We sit down to do one quick thing and the next thing we know, 30 minutes or even 2 hours have come and gone.
  • Phone – Phone conversations with friends are great but sometimes not timely.  Phones can even be mini computers where we spend time playing games or getting involved in social media.
  • TV– Oh my.  This can be a total time sucker!  How many hours of TV can you watch in a day or night without really realizing how much time has passed? With at least a gazillion TV stations at our fingertips, it is easy to channel surf our way into oblivion.
  • Twirling– This is a common practice when dealing with my clients…….they twirl.  They start cleaning out a desk drawer, see something that needs to go somewhere else in the house, they go to that spot, they see something in that area that needs attention, they take that somewhere, they see something in that other area of the house that needs attention and this goes on and on and on.  Then at the end of the day, the desk drawer remains cluttered, unorganized and relatively untouched.   Twirling and not being focused will suck time out of productivity.
  • People– I know this sounds a little harsh and it does not encompass all people all the time.  I am specifically talking about those people that stop by your office for a chat, regardless of what you are doing.  I am talking about those people who use you as their personal water cooler to catch up on the latest and greatest news, sports and office related banter.  If you work at home, it can be a roommate, spouse or child.
  • Perfectionism– Trying to do things perfectly will absolutely suck time out of your day and your life.  No one is saying you should not give any project or task your best but many people will not begin or move to another task unless perfection can or has been achieved.What are your personal time suckers?  Where are you wasting valuable time that would be better spent somewhere else?

Next week’s blog post will be on how to solve the time sucker problems.

Why You Are Never On Time

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“Either you run the day or the day runs you” ~Jim Rohn~

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Are you one of those people that can never seem to make it anywhere on time?

Here are some of the reasons why:

1.  You don’t really care if you are late.  I know that sounds harsh, but if you cared  you are always late, you would do everything possible not to be late.  Possibly you know people expect  you to be late, so you know, in your mind, you have that option.

2.  You think you have more time than you do.  You try to squeeze one more thing in before you go.

3.  You are unrealistic about how much time it takes for you to get out the door or how long it takes to get to where you are going.

4.  You are not paying attention.  You get distracted without realizing you are distracted.

So, here is how to be more consistent about being on time.

1. Care.  Again, sounds a little harsh and silly, but start caring whether you are on time or not.

2. Get totally ready first, then see if you have time to do other things once you are completely ready to walk out the door, including getting everything in the car (with the exception of children or pets)

3.  Time how long it takes you to get out the door.  Most of us have a typical routine that can be easily timed.  Know how much time that is and work backwards.  What time do you need to get out the door to get to where you want to be?  What has to be done between now and the time you leave?  How long is that going to take?

Be honest with yourself about the time it takes.  If it takes you an hour to get out the door, then don’t pretend otherwise.  If your routine includes letting the dog out before you go, making the beds, getting a load of wash in the washer, then include that in getting out the door time.

Also, plan some wiggle room.  Plan for those unexpected, but inevitable interruptions.  Plan a few minutes into your time schedule so you will be much less stressed when those unavoidable situations arise.

4.  Pay attention;  when you see you are getting distracted, write down what you are distracted by so you can come back and do it later, then go about your business of getting out the door.   When you know you have to be somewhere, set a timer for 10 minutes before you need to leave the house.

Let me know other reasons you are always late.  Maybe we can put our heads together on a strategy to help you be more on time.