time management

“Balance is not something you find; it’s something you create.”— Jana Kingsford, Time Management Author

When we think of the good ol’ days, we often cast a rosy hue on what once was. But when it comes to work/life balance, chances are our parents didn’t have a great one. It helped that they also didn’t have cell phones, internet, or social media, so when they were not at work, they may have been more mindfully engaged in the present. But they also lived in a world where working long hours was a sign of dedication and success. 

Now we know better. Research has shown, many times over, that productivity is not tied to the number of hours you sit at your desk. The truth is, the more time we spend at work, or thinking about work, the more likely we are to get burned out. Burnout leads to lower productivity, less job satisfaction, and increased health risks. A better work/life balance leads to improved efficiency and better overall health. If you’re wondering where to start, we’ve got you covered. 

How Do Life and Work Get Out of Balance? 

A first step is to identify things that may cause an imbalance. 

• Working long hours or working a lot of overtime. It’s important to disengage from work. That’s hard to do if you’re working all (or most of) the time.
• Little choice in work hours or not being able to take off when you need to. While most jobs have scheduling requirements, a rigid schedule without the choice for flexibility leads to stress and resentment.
• High-pressure, high-stress jobs. Some jobs come with higher levels of stress, such as the medical profession, law enforcement, and teaching. For these kinds of jobs, the ability to leave work behind and relax is crucial. 
• Unreasonable expectations. Whether these are self-imposed or come from your boss, this can lead to chronic stress. 

Ideas to Help Improve Work/Life Balance 

Once you name the reasons your work/life scale may be tipped too much to one side, it’s time to take a practical look at how you can make positive changes. 

Consider your personal and professional goals, and figure out what you must do to achieve those. If you want to grow professionally, set boundaries to make that happen. For example, spend x hours a month on professional development. If you want to spend more time with loved ones or pursuing a hobby, set boundaries for those things. Boundaries are meant to protect. They draw lines so other things don’t encroach on that time and space. 

1. Learn to set boundaries. Set boundaries for others and let them know when they can expect you to respond to texts and emails and when you won’t be checking or responding. Set boundaries for yourself. Unless you’re on call, leave your work at work. It will be there when you get back. 

1. Tackle things in order of importance. Do your most important or most dreaded task first. If you can’t finish it, set a specific amount of time you’ll work on it, then move to the next item on your list. 

Delegate. Do what you need to do, and delegate tasks where you can.  

1. Think in terms of outcome, not office hours. Do your job and do it well. When it’s done, go home or log out if you can. If your job doesn’t allow you to do that, take some extra breaks. If your work is already done, you’ve earned it. 

1. Prioritize your health (both mental and physical). Use your breaks to take walks, listen to relaxing music, journal, or work on an office-friendly hobby.  When you leave each day, reward yourself with something that supports your overall wellness. 

1. Put yourself—and your family—on the schedule. Those we love most often get put at the bottom of the list. Don’t do that! Make appointments to spend time enjoying the important people in your life. 

1. Get away. Take a vacation (or staycation). You’ve earned your paid time off, so use it!

Achieving a healthy work/life balance can prevent burnout, chronic stress, and a load of health issues. No one ever looks back at their lives and wishes they’d spent more time at the office. When you get to the end of the year or the end of your days, you probably won’t regret time spent supporting joy, fun, and loving relationships.

Time Management

Every human being has exactly 24 hours in every day, but how we spend those hours is our choice.  Our responsibilities can range from work to family to everything in between, and without time management, it can seem as if we all have too much demand and not enough supply.

What is Time Management?

Time management is how you prioritize your waking hours to increase efficiency and productivity.  At some point or another, every individual has to consider how he or she can best manage the minutes in his or her day.  Countless books, websites, seminars, classes, and day-planners exist to squeeze the maximum value from each moment.  Despite all the knowledge and devices we might own, sometimes it still feels like there are not enough hours in the day to accomplish the demands.  This often produces stress, leading to additional strains. 

 

Time management is possible because time is relative.  While clock time is exact, depending on what we are doing, time seems to move quickly or very slowly.  Time is also relative when age is considered.  A busy parent packing for tomorrow’s vacation might feel as if they blinked and the day was over.  However, a child could feel ready to explode in anticipation and the waiting is nearly too much to bear.  Time, therefore, is relative to our perceptions.  Since it’s relative, time is manageable. 

Time Management Tips

There is no shortage of material when searching for time management tools.  Here are a few practical and proven strategies for timely success:

• Just like people keep a food diary to track their daily intake, consider making a time log for a typical day or week. Record the time you expend on thoughts, conversations, and activities.  Obviously, daily schedules vary, but this exercise will give you a greater understanding of where you are productive or wasteful. 
• Schedule an “appointment” with yourself to accomplish tasks. Set a specific start and end time, so you can look forward to stopping if it’s an unpleasant task.
• Take daily time to plan your day. This is one of the most effective ways to use your time wisely and remain focused. Schedule important tasks during your premium hours of performance to be the most productive, and consider giving your attention to phone calls or emails during a scheduled time.
• Clearly define the desired outcome for a conversation or activity. This allows you to gauge success, and you can find small ways to reward yourself when you’ve met your goal.
• Eliminate or minimize social media and other distractions while working. If your work allows you small breaks to peruse the Internet, get a snack, or take a walk, then schedule those times rather than using them to interrupt your work or procrastinate.

Time Management Principles

Organization- Despite the volume of time management information available, one component upon which most agree is organization.  Though organization might seem like a costly time investment on the front-end, the benefits will far outweigh the overall costs. 

It is nearly impossible to maximize your time effectively in a cluttered and disorderly workspace. Even with a well-ordered schedule, time will be lost searching for important documents or items, and tasks cannot be completed in a streamlined fashion. 

Prioritizing- As long as there is time, there will always be a “tyranny of the urgent.”  Some things may feel immediately pressing when ultimately, they might not be all that important.  There is a key difference between being efficient and being effective.  You may complete a multitude of tasks or answer many emails, but if they lack in priority, it’s somewhat for naught.  Consider the motivation behind efficiency over effectiveness.  Are you possibly procrastinating on important tasks simply to shorten a to-do list?

Goal setting- One can never underestimate the power of goal setting.  Without a clear idea of what you hope to accomplish you can’t possibly know whether or not you have achieved success.  Establishing a plan with clearly defined goals is critical for effective time management.  When goal setting, remember these key elements: goals should be specific, attainable, and measurable.  As you plan, you should be able to break your end-goal into steps and review your progress. 

Positivity- One should never forget the power of a positive attitude.  If you approach your goal thinking, “Why bother?  I always fail,” you will probably never succeed.  Staying positive and celebrating small goals will likely ensure greater victory in the long term.  When you make mistakes or are not able to complete your goal, forgive yourself and start fresh. 

Ultimately, time management is an art form and the quality of end-results outweighs the quantity.  Budgeting time seems more important than ever before with the pace of most people’s lives.  In addition to the satisfaction of time used wisely, you will also improve your goal setting, prioritizing, and organizing skills.  We all have the same 24 hours in a day, so how will you spend yours? 

 

Want to talk to a counselor today about this? 

Call Amplified Life at 800-453-7733 and ask for your “Free 15 Minute Phone Consultation" with one of our licensed counselors. We’ll listen, answer questions you may have, and help you plan next steps.

 

Sources:

 

http://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/time-management

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/219553#

http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/sk/time.htm