First of all, apologies for the delay between posts, but you guessed it.... I've been busy! I don't know about you, but that excuse really irks me. Busy is the new catch cry of today. Busy doing what? Technology is as advanced as it's ever been, it's purpose is to simplify our lives but now we have email, Facebook, Twitter, Linked in and unloved blogs that get written when one has a moment of "spare" time in their busy schedule. Instead of simplifying our lives, it's complicated it because we're so busy telling everyone about what we're doing, we're not actually out there doing it. Go figure!!
By saying your busy does that make you more important or more credible than the person who is calm, relaxed and has everything under control? Does being busy buy you a pass into some exclusive club? I just don't get it! I used to be that. Being busy was my excuse for everything. When I really sat back and looked at it, I wasn't busy at all. I was ineffective at managing my time. Plain and simple. Yep, I will take responsibility for that.
Sitting on Facebook for hours on end, hitting the refresh button so I could see the latest happenings in my news-feed Man, my life was in a different stratosphere back then. Then that's a whole other post in itself!
Watching all the "must-watch"shows on TV. I had no time to exercise, I was so busy.... doing nothing productive!
Then I got involved in coaching and learned that I control my time. That was a fascinating concept and one that I have learned to love. I am now in charge of my day. My diary has become my best friend. I used to think that people who had diaries were geeks. Your memory is for remembering stuff. And yes, now I am a geek. I diarise the important things in my week - my classes, my appointments, my free time, my exercise time, my family time, my to do list. On Sunday I sit down and look at the week ahead, diarise what needs to get done and then when the time comes, I just go and do it. Busy is not even a word I would use to describe my days or weeks any more. I have action-filled and jam-packed days that I squeeze every ounce of goodness out of. More importantly I choose to love having a diary filled with my activities and keeping me on track towards achieving some fabulous goals I have set for myself.
If you continue to buy into the epidemic, what's your life going to be like in 12 months from now? 2 years? 5 years? How long can you sustain this for? What could you change if you wanted to? How could you be more effective with your time? Something for you to ponder over in your own time. Until next time..... keep being awesome!
Showing posts with label diary management. Show all posts
Showing posts with label diary management. Show all posts
Wednesday, 20 February 2013
Saturday, 28 April 2012
Procrastination is the thief of time
I remember being taught this saying when I was 11 or 12 years old. Procrastination was such a big word, I could barely say it, let alone apply it in context. As I have grown older and gone on my merry way in the big world, I have found myself to now be a master of "procrastination". Apparently, I am not alone.
These days we're so "busy" and are easily distracted by Facebook, Twitter, email, mobile phones or apps, that it can be easy to end up putting off the big things we want to do. When I say big things, I am referring to the things that we know we need to do or the things that we "should be doing" in order for us to be heading in the direction of our goals and our life's purpose. Well, at least this is what I have found for me. And I guess, when we break down these "big" things into step by step goals or daily actions, they're really not so big after all. It was only ever a perception that we had.
So the big question is, how does one go about applying themselves to achieving their goals and not end up distracted? I am still in the process of figuring that one out in its entirity. But I have found a few steps that have been most helpful in allowing me to be more productive, more focussed and getting more out of my days. I thought it may be helfpul for you if I shared some of them with you, to help you being to break the cycle.
The first thing, is to decide what it is that you really want out of life. What is your big picture, your end game, the place you want to end up? This becomes your "why". The reason that you would commit yourself to doing things that you wouldn't usually do, forming new habits. When you know what you are working towards, it becomes easier to focus on the end result. You will do whatever it takes to get you there. This big picture will keep you going on the days when you think you can't go any further.
The next thing would be to list the steps that you need to take to get you there. So for example, if your big picture is to change your career from retail assistant to running your own business, you would probably need to set yourself a timeline of when this would be achieved, what education would you need to undertake, who would you need to talk to about setting up your business, you may decide to join a networking group, develop a business plan, source a premise to run your business from - the list goes on. Then list out the steps that will take you to where you want to be. It's also really helpful to put dates of when you want to have achieved these by. If you're a visual person, make a timeline and stick it up in your office. It will be a constant reminder of the end picture you have in mind for yourself.
From here, it's a matter of looking at your daily actions. How do you structure your days? Are they structured at all? Could you benefit from some structure? Pencil in your diary time for you to carry out something for yourself for that day. And more importantly, make sure you actually do it. During this time, your phone should be off, computer off, no other distractions, just take this time purely and simply for you. For me personally, I find first thing in the morning is great. Mainly because no one else in the house is up and I can give to myself first and then am ready to give to rest of the world for the remainder of the day.
If working from home during the day, I find it useful to plan out my time. Schedule and allocate time in your diary for tasks ie. answering emails, developing business plans, making phone calls etc etc. I also allocate tea breaks, a lunch break and "my time". Then, as I complete each task I tick it off.
If there's a task in my diary that I really don't feel like doing, then I put a timer on for 30 minutes and spend a solid amount of time on that task. I may not complete it, but at least I have put in some action towards completing it. Most of the time though, once the 30 minutes are up I keep going any way beacause I am already in the groove and the sense of accomplishment that comes from completing something dreaded is awesome.
When you sit down at your computer, put a timer on for 30 minutes while you are checking your email/facebook/twitter. This will allow you to become more effective at spending your time wisely, rather than frivilously. I'm not sure if I am the only one that it happens to, but time seems to disappear when I am getting caught up in everyone else's world and their drama. Once the timer goes off, log out of your account and get back to what you need to be doing.
I trust that you've found these tips useful. Have a go at implementing a couple of them into your daily routine, you never know you just may be able to become the "Master of your time", making the most of every day. I will leave you with this thought...
These days we're so "busy" and are easily distracted by Facebook, Twitter, email, mobile phones or apps, that it can be easy to end up putting off the big things we want to do. When I say big things, I am referring to the things that we know we need to do or the things that we "should be doing" in order for us to be heading in the direction of our goals and our life's purpose. Well, at least this is what I have found for me. And I guess, when we break down these "big" things into step by step goals or daily actions, they're really not so big after all. It was only ever a perception that we had.
So the big question is, how does one go about applying themselves to achieving their goals and not end up distracted? I am still in the process of figuring that one out in its entirity. But I have found a few steps that have been most helpful in allowing me to be more productive, more focussed and getting more out of my days. I thought it may be helfpul for you if I shared some of them with you, to help you being to break the cycle.
The first thing, is to decide what it is that you really want out of life. What is your big picture, your end game, the place you want to end up? This becomes your "why". The reason that you would commit yourself to doing things that you wouldn't usually do, forming new habits. When you know what you are working towards, it becomes easier to focus on the end result. You will do whatever it takes to get you there. This big picture will keep you going on the days when you think you can't go any further.
The next thing would be to list the steps that you need to take to get you there. So for example, if your big picture is to change your career from retail assistant to running your own business, you would probably need to set yourself a timeline of when this would be achieved, what education would you need to undertake, who would you need to talk to about setting up your business, you may decide to join a networking group, develop a business plan, source a premise to run your business from - the list goes on. Then list out the steps that will take you to where you want to be. It's also really helpful to put dates of when you want to have achieved these by. If you're a visual person, make a timeline and stick it up in your office. It will be a constant reminder of the end picture you have in mind for yourself.
From here, it's a matter of looking at your daily actions. How do you structure your days? Are they structured at all? Could you benefit from some structure? Pencil in your diary time for you to carry out something for yourself for that day. And more importantly, make sure you actually do it. During this time, your phone should be off, computer off, no other distractions, just take this time purely and simply for you. For me personally, I find first thing in the morning is great. Mainly because no one else in the house is up and I can give to myself first and then am ready to give to rest of the world for the remainder of the day.
If working from home during the day, I find it useful to plan out my time. Schedule and allocate time in your diary for tasks ie. answering emails, developing business plans, making phone calls etc etc. I also allocate tea breaks, a lunch break and "my time". Then, as I complete each task I tick it off.
If there's a task in my diary that I really don't feel like doing, then I put a timer on for 30 minutes and spend a solid amount of time on that task. I may not complete it, but at least I have put in some action towards completing it. Most of the time though, once the 30 minutes are up I keep going any way beacause I am already in the groove and the sense of accomplishment that comes from completing something dreaded is awesome.
When you sit down at your computer, put a timer on for 30 minutes while you are checking your email/facebook/twitter. This will allow you to become more effective at spending your time wisely, rather than frivilously. I'm not sure if I am the only one that it happens to, but time seems to disappear when I am getting caught up in everyone else's world and their drama. Once the timer goes off, log out of your account and get back to what you need to be doing.
I trust that you've found these tips useful. Have a go at implementing a couple of them into your daily routine, you never know you just may be able to become the "Master of your time", making the most of every day. I will leave you with this thought...
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