There never seems to be enough time in any given day to get to all of our to-do items. The day begins and we’re off to a good start, and then, before we know it, times up. We stop and wonder, “Where did the day go?”
The scary thing about this is that it can be a pattern when you’re really not aware of where your time is going. Do you? If not, it’s time to get a handle on things right now before more and more of your days end up being like the scenario that I just mentioned.
Most people don’t know that they have a relationship with time; after all, life is all about how you relate to the things and people around you. Your friends and family, how you do business, everything is based upon relationships and those relationships impact everything.
The same is so when it comes to time. Your relationship with time impacts everything. Most people aren’t really conscious of how they relate to time. What about you? Do you squander time, or value and use it wisely? How many times have you overlooked or not allotted time for that particular project, then found yourself scrambling to get it done by the deadline. In that rush, other things get delayed, put off or completely forgotten along the way, each having its own impact on you and others.
That domino affect has a lasting impact. Not only are other to-do items affected but your reputation may be as well. To stop the dominoes from falling, take a step back and explore your relationship to time. It’s as simple as looking at how your time is being spent by logging what you do for a week or so. Create a log that you can use to keep track of what you’re doing during the course of each day. Record everything; not just the work that you’re doing, but the level of importance as well as the times that you stop and what you’re doing when you stop.
To make this easy for you, I’m giving you a ready-made time log. Use this log for about a week and, once again, be sure to log everything that you do in that time. Now, since this is something that you aren’t used to doing, it’s a new habit that you’ll have to incorporate, so be patient with yourself. Set reminders if you have to for support so that you’re sure to have a complete log at the end of one week. The best thing that you can do for yourself is to be honest about what you’re doing and how long it’s taking you. Remember to include the times you stop, segue or are interrupted and what it was that caused you to stop. Those things may not look so good on paper, but they’re important to see.
After your week is over, come back and check out Part 2 of this post for your next steps.