Time Management is Life Management

In regular times, before the pandemic, there never seemed to be enough time to finish the tasks we needed to complete in any given day. Now, however, our days are more open to accomplish what we NEED to do.  The challenge is in giving ourselves time to do what we WANT to do.  

Time management is one thing we can do to relieve our stress and empower ourselves.   If you have good time management skills, you will know what you need to accomplish throughout your day.  This simple thing is a major stress-reliever.  You won’t need to be wondering when you will get that task completed because it will already be on your calendar.  By accomplishing what we set out to do, we feel empowered and validated in our abilities. 

“The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot.”

Michael Altshuler

You need to determine why you feel time management is important in your life.  Here are some examples of why you may want to manage your time better:

1. There are only so many hours in a day to fit everything in.
2. You want to maximize the way you spend your time to get more done in the time allotted.  
3. You want to be calm and in control and not always “shooting from the hip.”
4. You want to be more effective in your career.
5. You want to continue your education.
6. You want to reduce the stress you feel at being unorganized.
7. You want to manage your free time better.
8. You want to have better self-discipline to accomplish your goals.

There are many tools at our fingertips to organize our time and to keep track of our commitments.  The key is to utilize these devices to benefit us.

The calendars on our phones are an extremely useful tool.  Whether it be to remember an appointment, to remember to call someone for his/her birthday, or a reminder to accomplish a desired goal, I put it on my calendar.  Setting the reminder to alert you of the event is an added bonus to help you accomplish things without having to remember them.  

My Panda Planner is another organizer I utilize in my life.  I love this tool to help me create my intentions for each week.  It helps me to look at the big picture of my life and create goals for my future.  I then break these major goals into daily tasks which will help me to accomplish my dreams bit by bit.

I start my day by writing things I am grateful for from the day before.  This practice of writing a gratitude journal is an excellent way of focusing on the positive, which is a very powerful experience.  There are also sections to write what I am excited about and my priorities for the day. By writing these things down, I make myself accountable for completing them.  It becomes tangible evidence of my progress.

“He who every morning plans the transactions of that day and follows that plan carries a thread that will guide him through the labyrinth of the most busy life.” 

Victor Hugo

We need to be organized with our time if we want to achieve our dreams.  Good time management grants you the opportunity to accomplish more of what your desire in less time. This will present you with more free time, which will allow you to take advantage of all that life has to offer.  Because you are not feeling the time constraints, your stress level will be lower.  The benefits of proper time management will improve many aspects of your life.  Just Do It!