• Isn’t it true that some days (or let’s be honest…most days) we carry things over to an already overburdened “to-do” list?

    Have you found yourself at the end of the evening, exhausted, and a little bummed that there was not time to do what you truly love to do?

    Today I am going to share with you some tried-and-true tactics so you can carve out time for yourself.

    I promise that you will feel so much better, become more productive, and simply be a much happier person.  (Your family will thank me!!)

    Did you realize there are actually some pretty hefty consequences for poor time management?  They are:

    • Running late and having poor punctuality. This is just plain rude as you are basically saying that others’ that they and their time does not matter. Or it does not as much as you do.  OUCH!
    • Rushing. If you find yourself constantly rushing from one thing to another you need to seriously consider the steps I am going to share with you.
    • Impatience is usually a result of the excessive pressure of a looming deadline.
    • Poorly Defined Goals. Our goals help to identify our priorities.  It gets really blurry when you find yourself always working in the urgent/important category versus working proactively on the important.  It makes it really hard to define your goals because everything seems to be urgent, only because you have not managed your time properly.
    • The next one is the big “P” word – Procrastination. Why do we do this to ourselves?  Putting things off.  Repeated procrastination can result in unnecessary stress and poor performance.
    • Poor performance leads to declining productivity and things start to backlog.
    • We then start chasing our tail and have to work extra hard or long to try catch up. Eventually you will not only have your energy levels drop but your motivation can be lost.  The further you get behind the less energy and motivation you will have.
    • Believe it or not, perfectionism can be one of the biggest culprits that creates poor time management as it lends itself to spending too much time trying to prepare that for many of us we actually fail to start altogether or go incredibly slow.
    • An area I struggled with is being indecisive. When I was faced with more than one option, I kept weighing the options to the point where it stalled me completely.  It was a huge waste of time.
    • When we can’t make good decisions, we have a tendency to say “yes” to everything, leaving ourselves with an excessive workload. You might be saying yes to others, but find yourself rarely working on the tasks which are important to you.  One of the quickest way to improve your time management is to start saying “no”.  Ask yourself if what is being asked of you is going to move your forward in the direction of building your best life, business, career, or preferred future.  If the answer is not an emphatic yes, you may want to consider saying no.
    • One of the biggest, dead giveaways that you need better time management is when you are doing everything ourselves. There are always tasks that could be delegated or dumped, automated or outsourced.
    • One of the greatest consequences of poor time management is that it will eventually affect your relationships.   Don’t make the mistake of busyness versus business.   We need to change our focus from efficient to effective.

    Here are my 5 time saving steps you can take.  Be sure to post below and share with me what your favorite is.

    1. Prioritize. Become a master at putting the important tasks and events over the urgent ones.  Break the habit of reacting to urgent and let the important fall to the wayside.  Be proactive vs. reactive.  The important will contribute more to your long-term goals.  Throughout the day get into the habit of asking yourself, “Is this the best use of my time right now?”  This can help you identify and take action on doing the right things at the right time.
    2. Avoid Procrastination. One thing that many get confused about this is that it does not simply mean inactivity. It can mean doing the low-priority, easy tasks before high priority, difficult ones.   (Now, I know I am stepping on toes.  Just know I love you and want you to be free from this so you can have time to do the things you love to do and don’t have time for.)  Start getting in the habit of focusing your energy on what matters most and of making things happen.
    3. Stop Snoozing. If you start your day without intention and hit the snooze on your phone or alarm it will set the precedence for your entire day.
    4. Get Organized. Work from systems and a workspace that is organized enough to get enough results.
    5. Delegate. Don’t let your ego get in the way.  We think we can do a better job than others… and it can be the thing that keeps us from living our best life.  Knowing when to assign certain tasks to others can increase our productivity exponentially.

    Here’s to your success!!!