Time Management vs. Stress Management
I know that I have said it before…the term time management is an oxymoron. You can’t make more time magically appear in your
day. There are still only 24 hours to get everything done. Which is why it is exactly why your time management skills directly reflect your stress management level.
Life definitely isn’t boring. Thank goodness! People, activities, challenges and responsibilities come and go in and out of our lives and business. Sometimes it seems as if just as we figure it all out, our time management talents just disappear right out the window. Stress takes over and we can easily get overwhelmed and lose momentum and focus.
Changing Up Your Time Management
Seasons come and go and with those seasons our activity levels change. More may be required of our time on the weekends as we approach Spring time…or a project may require us to work a little harder and longer than we normally already work each week. We may also take on more than we can actually handle and then find ourselves trying to figure out how to manage it all.
Take Charge of Time Management – Designate and Delegate
I am at the point in my business. All of the hard work has paid off and opportunities are knocking that I have to find a way to manage. My time management skills are being challenged more than ever. So, it is time to take charge of my situation. So, how do I take charge of my time management?
I fine-tune and designate even more specific time to my: Have To Do, Need To Do and Want To Do. Of course, my Have To Do list are things that are extremely important to my business and family each week. This includes the writing of Contracts, preparation for classes, confirmation of clients and the writing of my weekly blog.
As we approach the beginning of the week, it is Sunday evening and I am writing my blog which will be posted tomorrow morning. Technically, this should have been completed no later than Friday last week. However, new clients and opportunities needed my attention. They became part of my “Have” To Do list (or #1 priorities) and needed my attention. So, this meant that my blog writing got put on hold for a day. No big deal!
I will also be delegating tasks and opportunities that don’t necessarily have to be done by “me”. Delegation, which is not easy for my personality, is required in order for me to be able to effectively and efficiently juggle my time management.
I Didn’t Stress About Time Management
When my blog post didn’t get written by the end of last week it didn’t change the fact that it was still scheduled to go out on Monday morning. I had to consider my options. So I sat down and figured out when I would be putting it into my schedule for the weekend. Is this something that I was happy about? Absolutely not! However, I was going to hold myself responsible to meet my own obligations and goals. I began the process of time management vs. stress management.
I made just a few adjustments, moved some activities and “chores” from Sunday afternoon to Saturday afternoon and then, after dinner on Sunday, I sat down to finish writing my blog for this week.
Why is this Important?
Time Management vs. Stress Management is important because stress is unproductive! Stressing over a situation doesn’t change anything. It also won’t solve anything, so why bother.
Become proactive, figure it out and remember that every week won’t be this crazy! Be prepared for the unexpected to show up when you least expect it! Doing the right steps over and over and over again will eventually result in an increase of your time to manage the results! Be willing to accept positive results and adjust your time management and schedule accordingly. Have you experienced an abundance of business or time management challenges recently? Feel free to share your experiences. When you are prepared, the abundance will arrive.
Linda Clevenger, Professional Organizer
www.organizationdirect.com
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