Could your diary use a break?
It’s not just our physical spaces that get overcrowded with stuff we no longer need.
Our diaries get overloaded, too. Overloaded with tasks and activities that eat up valuable time, preventing us from being productive.
If you feel like you’re spinning your wheels, then it’s probably time to review and make some amendments.
Here are a few questions to help:
1. Are your goals in your schedule? It’s important to begin with what does warrant space in our diaries. Start by restating your top current goals. Then check your diary to see if you’re allocating time for the actions needed to reach them. If not, what existing activities can be removed, rescheduled or reduced to allow for your most important tasks?
2. What is your biggest time bandit? We all have those things we do where time seems to suspend itself. For example, we get stuck sifting through emails, watch more telly than we realise or spend excessive time on social media. Once you’re aware of your biggest time stealer, implement measures to help you avoid or minimise it. For example set timers to keep you on track and time aware.
3. Is your heart truly in your commitments? There may have been a time when you fully enjoyed sitting on that committee, for example. But times may have changed. If you’re currently involved in something that feels more of a chore than a joy, time to move on and free your schedule. Politely step down and use the time for a new endeavour that you’re passionate about. Or, simply enjoy the extra time.
4. How often do you say ‘no’? It’s not always easy to decline a request. But we must be vigilant. Learning to say no more often helps avoid schedule overload. If we say ‘yes’ to everything, we risk filling our time with other people’s priorities, not our own. Saying no means saying yes to our own responsibilities, and yes to a better balanced schedule.
5. Do you have time to think? We may feel like maximising every minute, but we need to enforce some daily down-time. Ring-fence at least ten minutes each day for complete silence and solitude. It may be a few minutes before the day begins, an afternoon retreat or an evening reprieve. But take the time to disconnect from the day without fail. You’ll re-connect with the present, clear your mind and gain fresh perspective.
Your turn.
Your assignment is to take action on any of the questions above that apply.
What action can you put in place today to alleviate the overload and improve the balance of your day?
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