One phrase that bugs me more than anything is, “I don’t have time for that.” It always feels like a proclamation that the speaker’s time is more important than the person to whom he or she is speaking. When I find myself saying or thinking this, I remind myself that I can find the time, if it’s a priority. Since I was a kid and watched, Cheaper By the Dozen, the original with Clifton Webb and Myrna Loy, I have been fascinated by efficiency. It’s the story of Frank Gilbreth, an efficiency expert, and his wife Lillian and their twelve children. Frank would time the family as they went about their daily routines, always trying to shave off some time. While I don’t go to that extreme, I am always happy to find a way to save time.
Determine Priorites
Most of us have time to spare in our day. If you find yourself watching TV, mindlessly surfing the internet, or spending hours every week shopping, there is time to be found. The first step you should take when trying to find time is to analyze a typical day. Write down the things you do each day and the time it takes to do them. Then make a list of the things you want to be doing or working on daily. Writing these lists down is an important step; physically writing it down helps maintain focus. I don’t know about you, but often when I try to list something in my head, I am interrupted with another thought and never really develop a complete list. Analyze the two lists and determine what changes can be made. Maybe you want to exercise more. Can you give up part of your TV time or exercise while you watch television?
Schedule Your Time
I have found that setting a schedule helps a lot. My speech teacher in high school used to always tell us, “Work expands to fill the time allotted.” She used to drive us crazy with that, but it’s just another one of those things that as an adult I’m finding is really true. A big part of blogging and design is reading other blogs and looking for inspiration on the internet. But if I’m not careful, I can find myself spending too much time each day looking for inspiration and nothing to show for it. On the days I work from home, I begin my day by deciding how much time I’m going to spend on each task before I begin. I find by doing this, time doesn’t get away from me like it used to and I usually complete the task in the time allotted.
Organize and Develop Routines
How much of your time is wasted because you can’t find what you’re looking for? Or because you begin one project and are distracted into switching to a different one? Much of our time can be saved by developing routines and being organized. Have you ever noticed when you first learn a new skill it takes a long time to do a task, but once you’ve perfected it things go so much faster? When you complete one task it frees you up to move on to another. An example I’ve found in my own home is straightening up the kitchen. I refuse to go to bed until I’ve loaded all dishes in the dishwasher, cleaned up the counter, and prepared the coffee maker for the next morning. I’ve found by doing all of this, I begin the morning fresh and my mind is free to begin thinking about my first project for the day.
Since making a living without a job is largely dependent on wisely spending time, my goal is to share more organizational tips as I find things that work. I ams also considering creating a system for this blog which may include setting a certain subject matter that I will write about each day of the week. I haven’t made a firm decision, and the artist in me is fighting it. Maybe I will have five different categories that I try to stick to each week but not make one day always equal one topic. Do you struggle with time management?What do you do to find extra time?
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