Time is a fickle and stressful part of our lives. We all desperately hope that we can master our time. Time to balance our careers and home life. Time to wind down at the end of the night. Time for recreation, house projects, vacations and family. But most of us complain and say this: “There’s not enough time to get it all done!” Time sucks out peace and replaces it with stress. Time cannot be bought, frozen or extended.
How do we take what time we have and manage it to the best of our abilities?
Prioritize
What matters to you? What is important? What has to get done today? I am a list person. I love the feeling of checking off my “To Do” list. The problem is, I write a week’s To Do List and then feel bad when I don’t get it done in one day. Analyzing the day’s activities and deciding what’s most important is how we prioritize. We need to choose the most important thing to accomplish first.
Make a Schedule
Writing everything down hour to hour of my life’s activities is a time sucker, but after its done, my life is jotted down on paper. It gives me comfort and peace of mind. There are chores to be done, career dreams to fulfill, mom duties to perform and quality time to be given to my children. If I don’t follow the schedule, life is more hectic.
There are days of sickness, holiday or exhaustion that prevent us from following the schedule. Instead of wanting to pull out your hair in frustration (like me) roll with it. Understand that many days will be like this. Find ways to fulfill a few scheduled items into your “off-day.” Getting a few items on your to-do list done is success! Most of our lives are shaped by the small and simple things we do each day. Keep trying, praise your effort and find ways to find joy in each day.
Take Action
When it comes to planning, I am a pro. I can plan plan plan, but fail at executing! On the days I succeed, I need to pat myself on the back and say, “Good Job.” Positive reinforcement is essential for a healthy lifestyle. People are built up when they are given compliments. People need praise. We all crave it. We all crave to feel accepted, loved and admired. Praise yourself often and move forward. Taking action requires discipline. It requires sacrifice. It helps if someone is on board with you, someone who can hold you responsible—like your husband, friends or mom.
Time will always be our enemy if we waste it. It will be our friend if we prioritize, make a schedule and take action. Don’t focus on yesterday’s mistakes or tomorrow’s clean slate. Focus on TODAY. What will you do with your time TODAY to make YOUR life happy and successful?
