How many hours do you have today? Do you need all 24? Can I borrow some of your time? I can return the favor later in the week.
Sound unrealistic? Yep, it is. We are all given 24 hours in a day – no more, no less. We can’t stretch an hour to be longer than 60 minutes. No matter how we use our creative problem solving techniques, we can’t touch this one. So, how are we supposed to get everything done when we don’t have enough time?
We asked Gloria Volz, Professional Organizer and Jane Bickford, Life Coach to share some tools for Time Management with us. Their philosophy is that Time Management isn’t about TIME at all, it’s about SELF. Self management determines how you use the time in your day, week and years of your life. In our Innovation for Results Program participants commonly want to find creative solutions to this “not enough time” challenge. We discourage the use of the creative process for this, as we know there are expert solutions available (assuming you’re truly motivated) and these two are experts. We think this will be an investment of time that will save you in the long run, but you have to read on. Before you do, set aside the hope for an answer that will make this challenge go away easily. You’re smart. If there was an easy answer, you would have already thought of it...
Getting organized is critical in how you approach your day whether it’s at home or in the office. Placement of things, scheduling of tasks, respecting your time and space are all things that help you stay on track. “Getting organized” Gloria warns, “is not the same for everyone.” She asks, “What works for you?” Some of us are morning people; some work better with visual instructions; some with spoken instructions; some work best alone; some as a team; some have physical challenges that are heeding their progress; some jump to accommodate others’ needs and whims; others know how to say ‘no’; some people have personal policies and boundaries, some don’t. What kind of person are you and what works for you? “In the end” Gloria says “know who you are. Manage yourself using your strengths. It just makes life easier.”
“Taking this into account, look around you and assess your situation. What’s working really well for you? What’s not? Determine how you would like it all to work and then devise a plan. You may want to ask a friend, colleague or professional to help you. By all means, if it’s your job, communicate with your Supervisor on ways you could be more efficient. Whatever your plan, schedule time to implement it.”
This is where Jane speaks up, “Yes, if you make a ‘to do’ list you are only ‘intending’ to do those things. If you schedule blocks of time in your planner, you are dedicating it to your self improvement.” Jane works with many of her clients to set and achieve goals. She explains the need for evaluating your current situation, asking you if you are enjoying yourself and your time in life. She also goes into the importance of an action plan again, coming back to scheduling the steps into your planner. “Action plans make the impossible, possible” says Jane. “As we get older and look back on our years” Jane continues, “our mind generally remembers only the significant events in our life. The way to experience more significant or specific events in your life is to set goals.”
Both Gloria and Jane agree that motivation is the key to successfully planning & forming new habits. Why did you read this blog? Why are you looking for better ways to manage your time? Is there something in life you’re missing? Some trip you’d like to take but can’t find the time? Want more time at home? What is it that you really want? Feeling motivated? Write it down…and then plan and schedule how you will get there.
Why Don’t We Schedule?
“It seems to me we schedule all the time” Gloria responds. “From the time we are born there is some sort of structure for scheduled mealtimes – morning, afternoon and evening. Many of us have a morning schedule that goes something like – take the dog out, have coffee, shower, eat breakfast and head out the door. When my mom was growing up, many families had their weeks scheduled. For example, Monday was bath day, Tuesday was laundry day, Wednesday was food shopping day and so on. So, we don’t think the question can be as easy as ‘Why Don’t We Schedule?’ We do schedule. Our schedules have become so routine we might forget to think of them as our daily schedule.”
She continues, “What we are trying to give you here is that once you have a goal in mind AND you are motivated to achieve that goal, it becomes attainable if you schedule the time in your planner.” Jane adds, “We often think our to-do list is scheduling. Even if we write our to-do list down, it is usually on a scrap of paper. Essentially, we are keeping it in our heads. Scheduling only works when you block out what you want to accomplish in your planner. Otherwise, within a world that’s become so chaotic with the many activities, choices and immediate communication techniques, it’s become really easy to loose track of time. In order to self-manage, it helps to have a schedule to guide you toward your goals.”
So, what was our key take away as we listened to the two of them? Schedule it. Whatever it is that’s important, Schedule it. Even if it’s “getting organized”. Get it on your calendar. Now, we’re still wondering how whenever they said the word “schedule” we heard it in bold. We’ve scheduled a meeting to find out.
Sound advise from a couple of savvy ladies!
Posted by: susan | 12/12/2011 at 01:32 PM