Have you ever wondered why some people seem so efficient, while others struggling finding enough time to finish one project?
time-management-for-women-entrepreneursBetter question….are you the efficient one or the one struggling to finish the project?
If you’re like most of us, you’re probably a little of both.
A universal theme I often hear is “I don’t have enough time.” I’ve said it, you’ve said it — but what does it mean?
Does it mean if you had more time, you would be more efficient? Would all of your problem magically go away? Would you finally have time to catch up on Grey’s Anatomy?
Probably Not — most of us would still be thinking…“I don’t have enough time.”
So if more time isn’t the answer…what’s is?
NAME IT, OWN IT AND MASTER IT
Like it or not, there are some things in life we’re good at and some things we’re not. Believe it or not…not everyone’s as perfect as they appear on Facebook.
Now i’m not suggesting it’s easy to admit when we’re lacking in an area (or two), but I am suggesting that you’ll be much closer to the time solution when you name it and own it!
Let’s practice…I’ll go first.
I’m good at helping others systemize the chaos in their business, but I suck at grammar.
There I said it — I named it, owned it, and now I know what to work on.
If you’re not great with time management and you find yourself saying “I don’t have enough time” – name it and own it.
The truth is…it’s not a time issue, it’s a management issue and you can’t improve what you don’t measure or recognize.
IT’S TIME TO CHANGE YOUR THOUGHTS
One thing I’ve finally realized is that time is relative and my definition of enough time is much different than yours.
Yes, it’s true we all have the same amount of hours in day, days in a week, weeks in a year, but we value and spend our time differently.
But here’s the game changer….it’s not productive to say “I don’t have enough time” – because it sets up a negative tone.
I’m sure you’ve heard the concept of The Law Of Attraction — it’s a belief that “Like Attracts Like” and the benefit of focusing on positive or negative thoughts. Focus on positive, you get positive. Focus on negative and you get negative.
I TOTALLY believe in this concept and about a year ago I started applying it more in my life. So instead of saying “I don’t have enough time” (because I do), I now say “I didn’t take the time to xxx.”
It’s amazing how changing the script changes my feeling toward the outcome.
THE MAGIC IS IN THE SYSTEM
Luckily, there’s enough research out there on our side which basically proves that greatness and excellence aren’t innate — they’re learned behaviors.
I’m sure you’ve heard the term “Practice make perfect” and it’s true. So don’t worry if you’re not currently a time management ninja — you’ll have plenty of time to practice.
It starts with understand, requires a mindset change and is mastered by developing skills for success.
Here are a few strategies to help you improve your time management:
Schedule Your Life – both work and free time
Create Lists – Know what needs to be done and put it on your schedule
Set priorities – Complete the most important things first
Work on One Thing at A Time – Multitasking does not work!
Know when to say No – Delegate and stop trying to do it all.
Healthy Life, Health Mind – Exercise and Get Enough Sleep
Create Systems for anything you do more than twice
I’m a true believer in the fact that You Can Have It All, but in order to do so you need to become a master at time management.
Now It’s Your Turn
I would love to know what systems you use to keep yourself organized and on task, so leave me a comment below so we can learn from your success.