How is your relationship with time? Do you wish for more time in the day or another day in the week?
Is it really a lack of time to accomplish our long list of tasks; or do we set unrealistic expectations of what we can accomplish?
We tend to over schedule ourselves so we rush from one appointment to the next wondering where the day went and why we feel like nothing got accomplished. No wonder time seems to be the source of our worry and stress.
I’d like to share three tips that can improve your relationship with time and help you stop worrying and stressing over your day.
Draw Clear Boundaries – Start by reviewing your calendar and block time for your personal schedule priorities. That’s right, you are going to put yourself and family obligations first! Appointments at my gym are the first ones I put on my calendar each week. Operating a business takes a lot of energy so prioritizing my health helps ensure I have the energy to work effectively.
Also consider designating days where you do not schedule business appointments or meetings. Blocking off two days of the week when I do not schedule business appointments was a great positive step for me gaining time. These big blocks of uninterrupted time allow me to write or work on creative projects without interruptions. The result is getting them done in half the time that it took before drawing my boundary on having “writing days”.
I still have three days a week to schedule appointments, but I also draw boundaries to the blocks of times on those days when they work best in my schedule. Offering up two options for appointment times when you are available is a great way to start drawing boundaries and taking control of your schedule. On my appointment days I plan to handle tasks that can be done quickly between meetings and don’t require a lot of concentration. Putting structure to your work schedule results in a big productivity boost.
Minimizing Distractions and Interruptions – Is the second important step to improving your relationship with time. For me this means signing out of Facebook and not checking emails while writing and working on important projects. You may also need to disable your phone alerts so you are not tempted to peek to see that text message that just arrived. Think about the things in your business that can’ wait 2 hours for a reply from you.
In the digital world we can get sucked into feeling like we need to respond immediately to questions and requests. In reality there are very few things that can’t wait. In fact, when people wait they may figure out the answer on their own so you have helped them grow in their job. When you are always available to put out “fires” for others they don’t develop their own problem solving skill set.
Managing employee interruptions can be very challenging without drawing boundaries. Set regular meeting times with your management team and then outline the types of issues that they should bring to you outside of the meeting. Be clear about the decisions you want them to make on their own and how you want to be kept informed of unusual items. When should they email versus call or interrupt your work day? Be clear on your boundaries and you’ll also model behavior that can help them be more productive.
Stop Worrying About Time – The last key aspect may actually be the hardest to implement. The more we worry and stress about time the less productive you become, so it is an important mental habit to change.
A few weeks ago I had a project to complete offsite that I wanted to start at 2 pm. My car needed gas and I had to go to three different gas stations to get it which is very odd in Houston. I began to stress that this delay was not good for my project and would throw my remaining day’s schedule off. At this point I caught myself in “time worry” and repeated the mantra of “perfect timing”…there is a reason for the schedule change and everything would work out. My faith in perfect timing allowed me to release all feelings of stress and even though my project started 15 minutes late, it was perfect timing as the other party was also running late. If I had been on time it would have actually been a waste of my time and a lot of worry for nothing.
Free yourself from the stress and worry of time by taking control of your schedule. Create a work week that makes your life easier and more productive by drawing boundaries. Remember to focus on “perfect timing” when curve balls come your way and just go with the flow.
You’ll get more accomplished and feel like you have more time. You may also find more peace and happiness during your work day.