Time management seems to be an issue for a lot of people. I know it is for me. I’m always looking for ways to utilize my time better, and accomplish more in a day. My list seems never ending, and just when I think I’m getting close to the end of my list, I’m adding more to it.
So, the question is, how do we find more time in a day. We all know, a day is 24 hours-that never changes. I know I need 8 hours of sleep to feel rested and refreshed, so that leaves me with 16 hours. Sounds like a lot of time, doesn’t it? My biggest problem is, where do those 16 hours go? Some days they just seem to disappear. Poof! They’re gone, and I don’t know what I accomplished. If I were one who sat for hours and watched t.v., I would know where part of the time went, but I’m not a big t.v. watcher. I do watch t.v. to catch up on the news or to watch a favorite show,, so I have a small t.v. in the kitchen I can watch while I’m cooking or cleaning up after a meal.
My biggest discovery was that I wasn’t multitasking. Now I am. I recently bought a headset for my cordless telephone. Now, when I’m talking on the phone (provided the conversation doesn’t require my undivided attention) I can be on the computer, throw a load of laundry in the washer or dryer, dust, do my nails, walk on the treadmill, etc. I try not to do anything that’s too noisy, as that would be disruptive and disrespectful to the person I’m talking to.
When I know I’m going to at my desk for an extended period of time, or decide to go outside to do my gardening, before I start, I throw a load of laundry into the washer, throw dinner in the crockpot, or put the dishwasher going. Those chores are taking care of themselves, and I can concentrate on my work or gardening.
When I have a list of errands to run,, I take a little more time to plan my route. I try to plan it so that I’m not backtracking. With gas prices being so high, this way I also save a little on gas as well. Since I believe in making lists, I either create my list in the “order” of places I need to go, or just “number” my stops. If I have to run an errand for our business, I will also take care of a personal errand at the same time. If an errand isn’t a priority, I will often put it off for a day or two, and run errands when I have more than one place to stop.
I’ve found that by making just a few small adjustments in my daily schedule, by day’s end, I feel a sense of accomplishment. Plus I’m able to carve out time for myself, for a little bit of pampering. In this day and age where women are always taking care of others, I think it’s very important to make time to take care of ourselves, and to not feel guilty if we want to take a break away from it all.
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