Where Does Your Time Go?

It is a challenge to try to pack in everything that "has" to get done into each day.  Then compound that with the things you "want" to do to make your life happier each day and that can result in overwhelm really quickly.  So how do you add quarter goals to both lists without waking up earlier or going to bed later.  Here's how:

1.  Take out a sheet of paper (or type if you prefer) and write down your daily schedule.  Include the time you wake up until the time you go to bed.  Then write your weekly schedule.

2.  Write all the activities you currently do and want to do each week.  Include all the priorities for both yourself and your family that include you in some way.  

3.  Plug your activities into your daily/weekly schedule.  Be sure to include travel times (to and from) as well as times in which you are getting dressed, getting the children dressed, etc.

4.  Next, take inventory.  If you don't have "work hours", "family hours", or even "couple time hours" include these in your schedule.  These are your "no matter what, I'm not invading these hours" times of the day/week.

5.  Now drill down and ask yourself some questions.  "What things are eating up my time and can I get rid of these?  What gaps/spaces do I have that are free that I didn't previously realize I had?  What can I plug into the free times (Me Time, a nap, reading, etc.)?"

Now this will take a bit of work to smooth your rough edges.  But if you make it a priority to develop a working schedule and then stick to it, you'll find many pockets of time you didn't realize you had.  It's in these pockets that you'll find the time to do other things you really want to do.

Don't beat yourself up about it if you find you are still tweaking your schedule a week or even two weeks from now.  The important thing is to follow the steps above and continue to work at it until you have one you can live with.  Also, don't be so rigid with your schedule that you don't allow for little things to pop up here and there.

Once you have your schedule worked out, you'll find you really have lots of time you didn't know about.  That's when you start building in your quarterly goals.  Make your quarterly goals things that are fun and bring joy to your life but also push you forward in the right direction.  

It'll help you feel better about not only yourself but the direction of your life and business.  Remember the sky's the limit!

Try this assignment:  

Write your daily/weekly schedule.  Figure out where your time is going and where you can save a bit of time.  Start adding things you enjoy doing (sleep, reading, etc.) into your schedule in your "free" times.  As a bonus, use this to help fill in any gaps you may have in your Pleasure Plan(TM).