Manage Yourself, Not Your Time
We’ve read the books, bought the planners, and even attended workshops. Still, we find ourselves overbooked, overwhelmed, and UNDERPRODUCTIVE. Where did we go wrong? The emphasis is on tools and resources, not you – the manager.
Before I begin, please know that I am an advocate of day planners and time management theories. My favorite planner is made by Franklin Covey. As a former project manager and executive assistant, I relied heavily on the ease of scheduling and the daily notes to keep track of my resources and myself.
That said, the way we approach how we plan–professionally and personally–should focus more on the task completer than the task. We have to make assessments of what we are capable of completing in a realistic amount of time and when we function best. I’ll discuss these two items in later posts.
I came up with the manage yourself theory while sitting around the house procrastinating. Boxes from a recent move cluttered the dinning room floor and table, loads of clothes filled my laundry room, and other items crowded my home. I could not move or act. My listed life was out of control.
Yes, I had a list and a planner. I planned everything but did nothing. Well, I did little. I’d start my day and housework at the designated time but nothing was every really complete. The problem: I over scheduled. This caused tasks to get moved to the next day or even deleted. I had to stop the madness.
After a self-evaluation filled with procrastination, blame, and discontentment, I realized my problem. I was not managing me. I’d wake up, get started, get side-tracked and get fed up. If the phone rang, I answered. If someone needed me to do something for them, I’d stop working for me and my home to take care of their needs. I made poor choices which led to an unkempt home, a scattered brain, and a strained relationship with my husband.
How do I mange now? Its been a process (and still is a work in process) but I manage me. Here’s how you can do it?
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Before you accept a task, ask yourself can I realistically do this without it impeding my schedule. If the answer is no, say NO.
When you plan your tasks, plan in a way that will allow you to accomplish them. For example, instead of taking an entire day to clean your house break up each room into task you can do once or twice a week. In my home, toilets are cleaned on Tuesdays and Fridays; I vacuum on Saturdays, Mondays, and Thursdays; and I dust on Wednesdays. There are also items I complete on a bi-weekly or monthly schedule.
Plan for interruptions. Whether you work-at-home like me or on-site, every person is interrupted on a daily (or in my case an hourly) basis. Leave about 15 minutes an hour free when you plan. If you are not interrupted and continue working, the next hour you will be 15 minutes ahead of time.
Plan for travel time. Your car ride and travel are not the only factors needed to determine travel time. If you are a mom of kids in car seats, allot time to buckle the little ones in and to remove them. A pre-car bathroom/diaper break is good too. There is nothing like hearing I have to pee when you minutes to spare before an appointment.
Wake up, get dressed, get moving. The most important thing you can do is act.
How do you manage yourself?
***Photo from Apartment Therapy.com
