Check in with any woman and the odds are pretty good that she’s busy, overwhelmed and living life fast! We’re known to have bouts of overwhelm ourselves, and any time we share a time management tip, you devour them in the hope of finally finding the secret to your challenges with time!
Unfortunately, it takes more than a quick tip. Often there are deep-seated issues that fuel our feelings of overwhelm, and until we get clear on what those issues are and resolve them, there’s not a scheduler, a calendar, or a piece of software or technology, that is going to solve our challenges with time. This requires us to honestly answer some hard questions…5 questions actually.
1. What are my top 5 values? Your values are the key to many time challenges. For example, if your highest value is family, but you’re spending 80 hours a week at work, are you going to feel balanced? Knowing what your highest values are is extremely important to uncovering what’s working and what’s not about how you manage yourself in relation to time. If you can get clear on this, you will be amazed at how the answers to your time challenges will become clear. Suddenly you’ll know where you need to adjust your schedule and to-do list; all the hard decisions you were forced to make about time before, become easier because you now know what’s important!
2. What are the top 5 goals for my life? I know what you’re thinking, “I don’t even have time to check my email let alone focus on my life goals right now!” That kind of thinking is going to lead you to waking up one day and realizing that life has gotten away from you. What you think about, you bring about…and if your life’s goals aren’t in your consciousness, you’re going to look back someday with regrets. You don’t need to add your goals to your schedule (not yet anyway), but you must list out what they are before you can be in alignment with how you spend your time.
3. What am I avoiding? You’re busy, we get that. But if you investigate further into where your time is being spent, you may find it’s on the wrong things: time wasters and things that aren’t important. We quickly say yes, when we should say no. We do what’s easy, instead of what’s right. We focus our efforts on what pleases others, instead of what pleases us. So what is it for you? What are you avoiding? Are you avoiding the unpleasant conversation, the difficult decision, the hard choice, your own power? It’s a very important question to answer.
4. How much time do I need? Seems like a silly question but an important one if you hear yourself wishing for time. If time has been your excuse for not pursuing your passion, goal or dream, you must understand that time is a lot like money. If you’re going to attract more, you have to show that you can handle the responsibility, that you have a plan, you’ll use it wisely, and put it to good use. If you’re just going to fill your time with more busy-work and nothing truly important, what’s the point? So what’s the big monkey on your back and how much time do you need to work it? Put a number to that. Finding the time then becomes easier.
5. What is the 1 thing I know I need to do to handle time better that I keep putting off? We all know the answers, don’t we? We don’t always like the answer though…we let our fears get in the way and keep the answers buried, and believe it or not, keep ourselves busy and occupied to avoid them! Still, if you can answer this question honestly you’ve made an amazing breakthrough because you’ve got your answer and a starting point for change. The key is being honest with yourself, and getting over the fear that goes along with it.
The Soul Sisters
