I am a master of minutes
As a retired hot mess express train, I often wonder how I survived in the amount of chaos and stress in my days. I had zero concept of time management skills and as a mom of 2 girls, felt guilty when I was working and guilty when I wasn’t.
Allowing our day to run us is a recipe for anxiety and overwhelm. Create an intention morning and evening routine that will set you up for success and peace and ease in your days.
Pro tip: take inventory of what you are consuming versus creating. Trade consumption of content from social media, emails and news upon waking with gratitude journaling, visualization and meditation, personal development reading and a review of your calendar for the day.
“Our intention creates our reality” – Wayne Dyer (maybe link to his book on Amazon!)
I prioritize my time according to my values and level of significance and meaning
When I hit burn out and exhaustion and a mom and entrepreneur, I knew it was not only a goal to practice the skill of time management, but it was necessary. If my desire to be a present parent was a top priority, my calendar had to match it.
Learning your unique top 5 priorities is essential to finding ease and fulfillment in your days. I played the comparison game for too long, thinking my priorities had to match the women entrepreneurs who inspired me and it left me feeling less than,
unworthy and not enough, every time I failed at following through on my intentions.
I learned my top values to get my mind right for the day and to become the most effective with my time included a solid morning routine with prayer, gratitude journaling and personal development, movement, scheduled and intentional family time, work, and volunteering.
Pro tip: Make a list of your top 5 priorities right now. The order of significance of these priorities can evolve with time. Mine changed as I leveraged my time and residual income.
You will discover what works for you by being tuned into your emotions. We will talk about self care and grace in part 2.
“There is no one busy in this world, it’s always about priorities. You will always find time for the things you feel important.” Nishan Panwar
I am consistently time blocking my calendar according to my priorities
Once you have identified your core priorities, you are now ready for time blocking. You will need a calendar that allows for a 15 to 30 min blocks. I recommend PASSION PLANNER as it aligns with my values for personal growth and focusing on the daily process of progress. (Use Discount Code drdelrae@gmaiI.com for a 20% discount)
Block your time according to your top priority first. For example, if you need your morning routine and workout to be the best version of yourself for your work and family, block that first. I struggled with feeling guilty for putting myself first, until I realized it was essential for me to serve others to my best ability.
Pick a highlighter color for each priority and start blocking your calendar weekly. I like blocking my week on Sunday and entering monthly and yearly events ahead of time to avoid time conflicts. If you use a digital calendar like ICal you create different categories that each have a designated color.
Review your day the evening before and set a timer, if you are struggling to stay on task. I found myself wasting hours – yes HOURS in the scroll hole of social media or mindless activities and tv.
We will talk about how to eliminate distractions, raise necessity and behavior change in part 2.
Pro tip: Talk to your family and team members about your desire to manage your time. They can help hold you accountable and give you feedback as you develop this new skill. Remember, every master was once a disaster and it takes repetition, consistency and time for anything to become a new habit.
“’Time is free, but it’s priceless. You can’t own it, but you can use it. You can’t keep it, but you can spend it. Once you’ve lost it, you can never get it back.”