THE BIG 'TO DO'

"To be what we are, and to become what we are capable of becoming, is the only end of life." - Baruch Spinoza

Hey guys! Here are some REALLY good links on having better time management skills! Best wishes in your future success! ;)

https://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/time-management

http://www.studygs.net/timman.htm

http://www.entrepreneur.com/topic/time-management

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/219553

http://www.time-management-guide.com

So this year I was rudely and repeatedly slapped in the face by father time. I found myself making lots of last minute to-do's, conflicting with my everyday bouts of productivity. The feelings of having so much to do in a matter of 24 hours and not getting enough done became overwhelming. I recently started thinking, "Somethings have got to change! I need a systematic approach to managing my time!"

What I've realized about myself, is that I can be a little unorganized in planning my day. My daily planning personality fits into the category of, "produce more/produce better, just KEEP WORKING" How many of you guys are with me on this? I mean, its so bad sometimes! I found myself not making routine plans for some of the very important and necessary things in life, such as making family visits, cleaning and reorganizing my home and work space, cooking, walking the dog, reading, etc., etc. Along with being successful, maintaining a healthy and happy home should be a priority and should fit into everyday plans.

Making a list usually makes me feel stressed out! I've read in a Forbes article, that instead of feeling stressed out by a list of priority, you should try to feel empowered. I thought to myself, "Energy!" Thats what we need to be managing even more than our time! Most of us put in more hours at work, 12-15 hours a day and that takes a tole on us mentally, physically, and emotionally. All that leads to is an increase in distractions, and will make you want to be less engaging with people. Energy is an infinite source, time is not. Systematically, energy can be renewed and expanded regularly through practice behavior. Time cannot. You will get more out of yourself if you put more into yourself and the results of fueling yourself with great energy, is that you will be more motivated and able to work hard and long when necessary. We have energy depleting people around us and we've accepted energy depleting obligations, without recognizing the cost of such things. Its important that we take responsibility in changing them, regardless of the circumstances you may face with these energy sucking people and obligations.

Part of prioritizing and planning has a lot to do with attitude. You gotta be ruthless! People want your time, energy, need your services, and sometimes its just hard to say, "NO!" Especially when there isn't anything that you really don't want to do. This is my problem, especially because I LOVE my work. Realistically speaking, you can only do a limited amount of things well. A mentor of mine, Elise McCoy told me something on the lines of, Whats important isn't always urgent and whats urgent, may not be important, but they all need to be organized plans. I let that sink in. 

Being ruthless is important because it makes you more careful about the things you take on! Once you get your list together, then thats when you prioritize your list. Whatever the most important thing is that you have to do, I would suggest that be done first. Things are just less stressful that way. You get that out the way, everything else is just a breeze. Also, just making a list isn't enough! you must have a schedule! Use a calendar on your smart device, etc. Technology we use makes this very easy for us, so take advantage! Leadership coach Peter Bregman says, "If you want to get something done, decide when and where you're going to do it. Otherwise, take it off your list.

Everything you do should all go onto one calendar. From small priority to large priority. Exercising for 45 minutes, to attending an awards ceremony. Whatever it may be, get in the habit to scheduling it in. Also, physically separate yourself from distractions. Especially if your work requires you to concentrate. I can't do all of my work in the same place because I can be distracted easily. Its easy to get veered off of the path of productivity with social media, emails, phone calls, text messages. You've gotta find a good spot for you to get things done. Away from the office helps. If you do all your work at your same workspace all the time, you're risking the chance of working less efficiently. You may notice yourself having a lot of add on "to-do's". Going into a different room, going outdoors, to the library or coffee shop usually helps me.

I've gotta touch back on energy management. TAKE SMALL BREAKS! Work hard, but take a break, refuel yourself, surf the internet, stretch, for no more than ten minutes at a time.

I usually don't like having much waiting time but I've been told to embrace it as it can be my best help. For instance, if you're visiting a busy restaurant, use that as a thoughtful time to work on things! The change of scenery can spark some creativity, so keep a lil work bag with you! Small downtime is a great thing. Take advantage.