Add to favoritesSomehow, I never seem to have enough time. If time really were money, I’d be bankrupt! I know there are people who are always super-organized, who follow lists and schedules, and never run late. I don’t get them at all, but I wish I could be more like them. Well, you know what? I can be more like them! I hate the pressure of always feeling like I’m racing the clock, and I’m going to do something about it! And because I know I’m not the only one with this problem, I’ll share my plan for improving this little problem of mine. Who knows- it might actually help someone.
I think my main problem is that I don’t realistically plan for how long something will take. I tend to allot a certain amount of time for an activity, based on…I don’t know! I guess I just choose some random time frame, so of course I miscalculate. To fix this, I will be more accurate in my expectations of how long I need to complete a task. For example, I won’t start cooking dinner 15 minutes before I have to go out for carpool. Sounds logical, right? Even I know dinner takes longer to prepare, it’s just that I always try to squeeze things into my day so I think I can really speed things up and set a new record. I’ll just have to accept that it doesn’t really work that way.
Another thing I’m going to try is keeping lists. Actually, let me correct that: I already make lists; I just forget to look at them! My intentions are always good so every morning I write a list, which is a great planning and organizing tool. Remembering to look at it would be even more helpful, wouldn’t it? If I look at my lists throughout the day there’s a much better chance that I won’t forget about something and then have to scramble to fit it in.
I will try two other things that go against the grain of a busy woman with a bit of control freak in her, but that I suspect are really helpful for efficient time management: I will ask for help and I will leave out non-essential errands when I’m short on time. I fantasize about how relaxed I’ll be if I’m not always stressing about running out of time and I’d bet that feeling more relaxed lets you do a better job at accomplishing things on time.
In some ways, time really is money; wasting time can lead to extra expense, and we’re all about saving money. I hope my ideas are valuable and helpful. To those of us trying to catch the clock: Good Luck!
