Do you know what is REALLY going on with your time management?

I mean exactly how much time you spend on the things that matter and the things that don’t, every day and every week?

This is really important because knowing this will help you to identify clearly the changes you need to make in order to make better use of your time to get the results you really want.

Here is a really easy exercise that will help you gather that information so you can be proactive with your time management:

Create a timetable that looks a bit like an old school timetable.

Days of the week across the top, time down the left hand side in hourly buckets.

You can make your timetable with a spreadsheet, a table in a word document or just good old paper and pen.

Each day, fill in your timetable with exactly what you spend your time on for each hour time slot.

Don’t go changing anything you would normally do. Just go about your daily activities as you always do.

If you spend two hours just messing about on facebook when you should be doing work, just put it in your table. Don’t make any judgement on it. Don’t beat yourself up if you spot things you aren’t happy with.

Just fill in each hour of each day with exactly what you spent that time doing.

Do this for at least a week. Then, at the end of the week, take some time to review your completed timetable.

What is the truth about your time management?

Look at the results and ask yourself:

• Where is your time going that you don’t like?
• What activities are you spending time on that aren’t leading you to where you want to be?
• What are your main distractions? What will you do about these?
• What do you want to do less of? What do you want to do more of? How will you make that happen?
• What do you need to put in place to deal with the things you are spending time on that add no value?

Once you have fully reviewed your completed timetable, what action will you take based on the information it has given you?

And that brings us to the real truth about your time management…….

It isn’t about time management at all. It is about self management.

The things that you have identified that need changing require you to manage yourself better, not time.

Have fun playing with this exercise.

What are your thoughts on the subject of getting to the truth of your time management? Share your views and experiences in the comments below.

Related posts:

• Busting the “I don’t have enough time” myth
• Time Management – the REAL reason you don’t have enough time
• Are you being Busy or Productive?

One of the big challenges many of us face these days is related to Time Management.

The common complaint seems to be:

“I don’t have enough time to do it all”

But the “I don’t have enough time to do it all” syndrome is a myth.

It’s a myth because the problem isn’t that you don’t have enough time. The problem is being unrealistic about what can be physically achieved in the time you have.

Why are you trying to do it all in the first place? If you do this, you are setting yourself up to fail before you have even started.

There is always enough time to physically do what can be done in the hours you have.

Let me explain:

If you have 2 hours to get stuff done, then you have enough time to do what can be done in 2 hours.

Quite clearly you don’t have time to do it all, as that would be totally unrealistic. And yet so many people continue to persue trying to do more than is possible in the time they have.

And thereby lies the solution:

1. Stop trying to do it all.

2. Stop trying to do more than is possible in the time you have.

I know this can seem like a tall order. I face the same challenge myself. One of my core values is that the business has to operate around my role as a parent and family life. So I am constantly trying to find creative ways to develop my business during school hours and term time.

Whenever I fall into being unrealistic about what can actually be physically done in the time I have, things become more challenging, both professionally and personally. I have to constantly remind myself that I have more than enough time to do what can be done during school hours. Anything else is me being unrealistic.

How about you? Does this ring any bells with you?

Choose to drop the “I don’t have enough time to do it all” syndrome.

Choose the mantra “I have enough time to do what can be done in the time I have”

Here are a few suggestions to get you started:

1. Have a look at where you are being unrealistic about what you can physically fit into the time you have.
2. Work out what is realistic for you to achieve in the time you have based on what is most important to you, your core values and your vision for how you want things to be.
3. Create your goals and action plans based on point 2.
4. Focus on what is most important first. That way, if you do have to drop balls it will never be the most important ones.

The point I am making is this:

The feeling of not having enough time is a choice. That feeling is avoidable if we get to grips with what is realistic in the time we have.

Busting the myth reduces feelings of stress, overwhelm and frustration. It requires a mindset shift. Give it a go.

So, what are you going to do to bust your own “I don’t have enough time” myth?

Do you suffer with email overload?

It is something that I hear endless complaints about. Particularly in relation to time management. Finding effective ways to manage the email inbox has almost become an industry in itself.

I often hear people declaring war on their email box and having a “blitz” eradicating hundreds of meaningless emails. I have even done this myself and I have to say that it feels really good.

But aren’t we just dealing with the symptom here? Isn’t it the real source we should be dealing with?

Often the source can be meaningless stuff we have invited into our email box by subscribing to all sorts of things. Emails that come from things like:

• Subscribing to newsletters on websites just to get the freebie offer they will give you to subscribe
• Linkedin groups that consist of folk just pushing their stuff down your throat and not really engaging in meaningful discussion
• And don’t get me started on those emails that have some fluffy poem then at the end tells you that if you don’t pass it on to at least 20 people in the next 90 seconds then you will be struck down dead!!!

It’s time to eradicate mediocrity from our email boxes.

This morning I sat back and looked at exactly what was coming into my email box and asked the question:

What value is receiving that regularly adding to me?

And do you know what?

With the exception of a handful of things the answer was “nothing”.

Now, maybe that just says something about my own subscribing habits. But maybe it says something about the mediocrity of stuff people are pumping into our email box each and every day with our permission.

So this morning, instead of just having an email blitz to get my email box under control, I have had an “unsubscribe” blitz.

Loads of stuff has bitten the dust. I am left with the stuff that I look forward to receiving. The stuff that I genuinely get some sort of value or pleasure from.

Dealing with the source of the problem rather than the symptom is far more effective.

The Power of the Unsubscribe Button

Have a look at your own inbox:

• How much of what you have willingly invited into your inbox is of any real value to you?
• Even if it is all good stuff, how much can you physically cope with?
• Is it worth putting a limit on your subscription habits?

Have a think about it and see if you need to introduce an unsubscribe policy.

The “unsubscribe” button holds much power. Use it wisely.

The Danger of Distraction

What is your view on the impact distractions are having on your business and family life?

Many people aren’t aware what distraction is really costing them. It’s destructiveness is often under the radar screen.

Sometimes it can be because people are using distractions as a way to avoid difficult stuff or challenges. Maybe for some it is an escape and a welcome relief from the boring and mundane. Often it is just habit.

Whatever the reason, it is important to be aware of the cost of distractions

The Danger of Distractions

Let’s be clear on what we are talking about by distractions. We are talking about things like constantly checking email and social media, reading the papers, watching daytime TV, taking social calls during business time, doing admin during family time, unsolved problems. That sort of thing.

If you are allowing distractions like these to invade your daily schedule, here are some things to think about:

• Distractions in your business takes you away from what is really important. As a result productivity drops, quality is affected and ultimately profits can be hit.

• Being distracted when you are with your kids impacts the quality of your time with them and your relationship.

• Constant distractions take you away from achieving what is most important

• Constant distractions increases that juggling feelings which increases stress

The point is this:

Distractions are totally within our control. It is a choice. Distractions only happen if we let them.

The good news about that is that we have the power to minimise distractions in our business and family life. The not so good news is that it can seem a real challenge as often allowing distractions has become a deeply established habit.

So, what is the answer?

Well, there are many ways to eradicate distractions. But here is one technique to try out:

Make Distractions your friend

You can make distractions your friend by using them as a reward system. For example, you can make “deals” with yourself like:

• If I finish this report within the time set, I can spend 10 minutes on social media sites
• If I have the accounts done before lunch I can read the paper for 10 mins
• If I have an article written within an hour I can phone Mary for a 10 minute chat.

Get the picture?

The key is to turn distractions from a negative you have to fight to change, to a positive part of your daily routine.

With that in mind, have a look at how you deal with distractions in your business and family life:

• What is it costing you?
• How do you want it to change?
• What can you put in place today so that you are managing distractions and they are not managing you?

What are your biggest challenges with distractions? Would turning them into your “friend” as a reward system work for you? Do you already have effective techniques in place for managing distractions? Please share your answers in the comments section below.

Have you noticed how very busy people are these days?

It’s like some sort of epidemic.

The “Busy” Epidemic

• People are working very hard, long hours in their business because they are busy.
• Parents don’t have enough time to play with kids because they are busy.
• We don’t have time to nurture important relationships because we are busy.
• We don’t have the quality of life we would like because we are exhausted from being busy!

Where is being busy getting you?

If everyone is so busy, surely you would expect that people are experiencing phenomenal business success, an idyllic family life and a great lifestyle.

But here is the thing:

Many people aren’t.

Why?

Being busy doesn’t equate to producing results.

Often being busy is actually just being in fire fighting mode. Busy often has no strategy or structure to it. It often isn’t linked to vision, goals and action plans.

And when that happens you are just running in circles. You might be busy, but you aren’t productive.

So, take a step back and look at the way you operate in your business, family life and lifestyle:

Are you busy or are you productive?

If you think you pretty much fall into the “busy” gang most of the time, it’s time to make some changes. It’s time to shift yourself into the “productive” gang.

For some tips on improving your productivity check out 10 Tips to Improve Productivity

If you are thinking this isn’t such a big deal and being permanently busy is OK, then keep this in mind:

Those people who are most successful in any area of life are productive more than they are busy.

Are you?

So, over the next few days just observe yourself and your busyness.

• Where is it getting you?
• How does it make you feel?
• Is it achieving the results you want for yourself in your business, family life and lifestyle?

Each day ask yourself “Am I being busy or Productive”

Make a pact with yourself to reduce busyness and increase productivity.

Do you get caught in the “busy” trap? What’s your view on the impact of being permanently busy versus productive? Share your views in the comments below.

Related posts:

• 10 Tips to Improve Productivity
• Time Management – the REAL reason you don’t have enough time
• The Problem with Time Management

I am just back from a fantastic five day camping trip with my family. We are big camping and outdoors fans so we all had a ball. This trip was made even more interesting by a decision I made before we left.

I decided to totally disconnect from all technology for the whole trip. No email. No Facebook. No Twitter. Even the mobile phone was switched off. Not a scrap of technology for the entire time. Zilch!

Interestingly, I felt quite liberated and actually enjoyed being totally disconnected from all things technology & online. Although I know some people who would feel their right arm had been cut off if they were totally disconnected even for a day!

This experiment raised some important questions:

Do we now live in a world where we are over connected?
And if so, what impact is that having on our business, family life and lifestyle?
Are you over connected?

3 ways being over connected is damaging:

1. Constantly interrupting business activities to check email and/or social media reduces productivity
2. Quality of family time and relationships is reduced if you are regularly distracted by your online activities
3. Having no controls, purpose or strategy over the frequency or duration of being connected means more important things get neglected.

The list could go on and on but the point I am trying to make is this:

Would you benefit from reducing the amount of time you allow yourself to be connected and contactable?

Not just to protect productivity in your business but also protect your family life and relationships.

Tips for setting “connection” policy

• Stop checking email throughout the day. Set times and duration for doing this. Sign out in between.
• Set times and durations for your social media activities
• Ensure you are clear on your social media purpose and strategy. Stick to it.
• Do not allow offline activities (eg business planning, creating new products, playing with kids etc) to be interrupted by online activities.

Being over connected can be very damaging to all areas of work life and personal life. Choose to manage your online activities effectively or they will take over and manage you.

Is it time for you to put a “disconnect” policy and boundaries in place?

Related post:Confessions of a Social Media Virgin!

One of the things I hear most from my clients is that they feel they can’t get everything they need to get done in the time they have. They often feel that they are running to stand still. This often results in feelings of frustration, overwhelm and failure.

There are all sorts of Time Management related subjects that can contribute to this. Things such as procrastination, ineffective planning, lack of focus and so on (those are topics for another post).

But what I have noticed is that one of the biggest contributing factors to that feeling of not having enough time to get everything done is this:

People are trying to do more than is possible in the time they have.

It is not uncommon for people to be trying to run a successful full time business, be the world’s best parent, be a domestic goddess, taxi driver to every family member, nurture relationships – the list goes on.

That is like trying to do more than one full time job each and every day. So here is what I would like to suggest.

STOP. Yes, stop. I know this can feel impossible as I often hear “I don’t have time to stop”. But really, give yourself permission to stop, take a step back and take stock.

Ask yourself “Is my perceived lack of time the result of trying to do more each day than is possible or reasonable?”

Because here is the reality – often all those feelings of frustration, overwhelm and failure don’t come from not having enough time. They come from placing unrealistic expectations on ourselves of what we can physically fit into each day.

Try this experiment.

Get a piece of paper and make out a timetable like you used to have at school. Days across the top and hourly slots down the side. Fill in for next week all your priority stuff giving them set time slots. ALWAYS put your most important stuff in first.

Now, if you are trying to stuff more in than your timetable is showing you is realistic you can see where you are actually creating that “I don’t have enough time” syndrome yourself. Run this experiment ongoing. It will help you to stop overscheduling and placing unrealistic expectations on yourself.

What strategies do you have for not overscheduling yourself?  Or do you regularly overschedule yourself? Please share your experiences and views below.

Related posts:

The Problem with Time Management

3 Myths of Multi Tasking

Are You Trying to be a Superhero?

Last week I decided to call a stop to everything I have going on in my business – and I mean everything.

Why I Stopped Everything in my Business

I have a lot of new projects on at the moment and have been trying to fit moving them all forward round my son’s school hours. The results was that last week, I found myself feeling more than a tad overwhelmed and family life was being affected. Now, those of you that know me know that my business impacting my family is an absolute no-no. That is why I stopped everything.

On Thursday I totally cleared the decks, looked at everything I had on and the hours I was willing to work on them each week during the next month. I reviewed my core values, goals and vision and based on this, put the top priority things into my diary as appointments. Everything that didn’t make the cut has now been put off until next month. I am now ready to rock and roll again this week.

How this links to other Home-Based and Small Business Owners

The reason I am sharing this personal experience with you is because I often see the same thing happening for many Home-Based and Small Business Owners – people in total overwhelm with everything they have to do and the most important things often suffering as a result. A common response is to push harder and to keep going. Ironically, this is perpetuating the problem. The key is to STOP. It feels counter intuitive but, stopping is the best way forward.

Here are a few tips for what to do when you have stopped:

• Remind yourself of your core values, goals and big picture vision.
• Make your decisions on what is the highest priority based on that.
• Schedule the priority tasks into your diary so that you can see if you are over-committing.
• Don’t cancel them for any reason. Treat the appointments as you would clients.
• Anything that didn’t make the cut put on your agenda for your next review meeting.

Whatever your situation always remember this

Sometimes stopping is the best way forward.

Do you have any views on ways for dealing effectively with situations like this? If so, please share them in the comments section below.

I have concerns about some of the reasons people use time management techniques.

I also think the phrase can be misleading. Here’s why:

Time doesn’t need managing. It’s YOU that needs managing!

The problem for me is that sometimes time management can divert attention from resolving underlying problems permanently that would create lasting solutions that would then no longer require managing.

That doesn’t mean I am anti time management at all. Far from it. The problem with time management strategies is that they are often used inappropriately – and that is what concerns me. What we are often doing is using time management to manage ineffective behaviour patterns and bad habits instead of using them for improving productiveness and effectiveness. An important distinction.

So instead, I chose to focus on, what I call, self management.

Focussing on self management is about finding lasting changes to ineffective behaviour patterns and bad habits. Whereas time management often is about managing these problems. Self management deals with real change that delivers tangible results. Hence my preference for focussing on self management, not time management. You are going to dramatically increase your effectiveness if your remove problem areas totally rather than putting things in place to manage them.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I am not suggesting you throw out the current methods you use to get things done or that time managment tools don’t have a place. What I am suggesting is this……

Focusing on self management more than time management is more likely to give real solutions, lasting change and effective habits that naturally produce results.

So here is a tip…..the solution lies in your mindset.

Let me explain……

If every time a bad habit or behaviour pattern surfaces your immediate mindset is to put a time management technique or tool in place to manage it, you are going to be forever in managing issues mode, not creating lasting solutions mode.

The key is to create a mindset that looks inside yourself to the source and solution first and techniques to manage issues second.

Remember: always look inside before you look outside! The key to real change always starts on the inside, with you and your mindset.

What do you think? Would love to hear your experiences on this subject.