Five tips to get more time
I haven't got enough time. There are not enough hours in the day. So, where does the time go?
Time. It's something we all seem to want more of; there's never quite enough of it, and it's always disappearing.
Time is probably one of our most precious commodities. It's something that we don't get back. Once we've spent it, it's gone. And then often we're left mourning it, that we wasted it, we could have done more, we should have done things differently.
And yet, despite all this, it's something we give it away SO EASILY. Years of being told that we have to put others first and say yes to every opportunity that comes across our door has resulted in a nation of people feeling frazzled, overwhelmed, and lacking the one thing we all seem to want more of; time.
Do you spend your time how you would like? If you had all the time in the world, what would you do? What could you achieve? How would you live your life differently?
I wanted to share a few tips to help you get some more time in your life with all this in mind.
Get clear on what it is that you want the extra time to do? So often, it's a knee-jerk reaction to say, 'I haven't got enough time,' which can then send you into a spiral of always thinking that is the case. It might be that you don't have time this week, but next week is much better for your availability to do what you want.
Once you know what you're going to do with the extra time, schedule it in your diary and make it a non-negotiable! Want 30 minutes a day to read your book? Pop it in the diary! Want to spend an hour playing with the kids after school or get yourself to the gym? Pop it in the diary. It's easy to put your needs at the bottom of the pile, but this way, it's already in your diary so that you can plan everything else around it accordingly. Also, once it's in there, it's more likely to happen.
Single-tasking is the way forward. For years, the multitasker has paved the way. And women are heralded as the best multitaskers in the business. But in reality, how much time does it save you? Do you end up doing everything a little bit half-arsed because you're not giving it your full attention? Research has shown that multitasking takes as much as 40 percent more time than focusing on one task at a time -- more for complex tasks. It turns out focusing on one thing and being present in the moment means you're much more productive and waste a lot less time. Who knew?!
Prioritise the important stuff and batch your time where you can. Are there things on your to-do list that keep carrying over for days at a time? You spend time getting the little bits out of the way first and then get dragged into other things, and before you know it, the day has gone. Do the stuff you're putting off at the start of the day, and then it's out of the way! If you get swamped by emails and distracted every time you get a new one, CLOSE YOUR EMAILS! Even if it's just while you're getting that important task done. It will free up some more time.
Check your boundaries. And perhaps revisit them completely. It's an excellent way for you to free up some time in your life to do what it is you want - without the guilt! Okay, there might be some guilt to start with, which is natural, but I promise it will fade.
If you're interested in getting better at setting boundaries - I have just the thing for you. A comprehensive workbook that takes you through every stage of setting boundaries. From helping you figure out where you need them, understanding how it will help you, and communicating them!
Want to get better at saying no?
If you're a self confessed people pleaser, find it difficult to say no without feeling guilty - feel frazzled or overwhelmed, which is having an impact on your life - then get hold of this workbook today!
