Time Secrets (no one tells you)
Everybody loves a secret, right? Well, for the next couple of weeks I’m going to let you in on a few secrets that help me organize my time so that I can accomplish more and live my true priorities.
Unfortunately, the truly helpful classes like Balancing Your Checkbook, or Time Management 101 aren’t offered in most schools, so many of us are left with trying to figure things out on our own. I have definitely had to learn some of these lessons the hard way, but hopefully by sharing them with you, I can help you find some shortcuts to living a fulfilling and purposeful life.
So here’s secret number one:
Time Management is really Self- Management.
Ack! Blech!
I know, that wasn’t one of those sugar-coated, “rainbows and lollipops” kinds of secrets, but it’s the truth. Managing your time is really managing yourself. It’s deciding what your priorities and responsibilities are, and choosing to line up your actions with your beliefs. It’s living like you mean it.
It’s much more fun to buy a new planner or a shiny new organizing bin than to deal with our habits and thought processes. Hey, a planner isn’t a bad idea, but it is simply a tool . Buying it doesn’t make you more organized. The trick is to train yourself to use it well.
Action Point: So, what are we going to do about this revelation? For now, write down your life values. (For example: have meaningful conversations and fun time with my husband, show my children I value them by really listening and spending one-on-one time with them, help others, take care of my body, etc.)
Begin paying attention to how you spend your time this week and notice areas where your actions don’t actually match your priorities. Maybe you spend several hours a day on social media or look at your phone while your children are talking to you. Maybe you want to talk to your spouse, but you just end up watching tv for hours each night. Don’t be discouraged if you find a lot of discrepancies, just become aware.
(note: affiliate link)
We’ll talk more about how to address these issues in future posts, but for now, if you’d like a quick read that can immediately help you line up your actions with your values, you will want to check out Amy Lynn Andrews’ book Tell Your Time.
Amy has a creative way of enabling you to analyze your life so that you can determine what your true priorities are, and she gives you practical tools so that you can change your life right away.
Right now the e-book is just $2.99, which I promise you is well worth it.
Click here to grab your copy and truly change your life!
What’s one area where you can better manage your time to live your priorities? Leave a comment. 🙂
We are all in this together!
[Click here to see more time management secrets.]
An awareness and accurate, detailed assessment of how I am spending my time will be hard for me, but good! A huge overall area for me is a commitment to using the tools I have for better time management. I used to be good at that, but have lost my way over the years… I know the tremendous benefits of it…I just need to re-train myself to use them well, and remind myself that the small “sacrifices” required will be far surpassed by the blessings of living more in line with my heart’s priorities!
I know what you mean Julie. It seems like every few months I have to re-commit to using one of my planning tools, or I have to make an adjustment to what I am doing. Life is never static, is it?
There is a great book my friends sent me: It is called “Hands Free Mama”. I have only read the first chapter and highlighted many many lines. It says a lot of what you are saying here!
I’ll have to check it out Em — thanks!