Do you expend most your energy during the day and have little or no gas in your tank for yourself and your family? Are you a victim of “scattered focus?” Do you jump from one task to the next with no rhyme or reason? Do you feel like other people and events dictate the majority of your schedule? Good news! There isn’t anything wrong with you and you most likely don’t have ADD. It’s simply a matter of reclaiming your time and managing your energy. Time and Energy are two sides of the same coin. Here are a few helpful tips to get you back into balance. Let’s talk about time first.
Non-negotiable Time Management Tips:
• Make a list of the 5 most important things that you want/need to spend your time doing each day. These things are non-negotiable and critical to your success.
• Make a list of 5 things that that get in the way of you doing the 5 things that are non-negotiable. These are the time “thieves” that exist in our lives. Outsource or delegate those things to others. If not possible(truly not possible), do those things during non-working hours or only after you have completed the 5 things you most want to do.
• Plan your days with meaningful activity from your list of 5 things. Compartmentalize your blocks of time on a visual scheduler. Do this each evening for the next day’s events or before you begin each day. You will begin to sleep much better without all your to-do’s floating around in your head.
• When your mind gets hijacked(emotional response) and you begin to get off track or multi-task, yell out “No Way! I am in charge!” and resume the task you were working on. Staying focused is not easy, so we have to get angry and firm to change this habit.
• If focus is a major challenge for you, begin by focusing on one thing only for 5 minutes. Repeat over and over, 5 minutes at a time until you see progress. Then focus for 10 minutes, then 15, etc.
• Break large projects into smaller chunks of time to overcome paralysis and de-motivation. Schedule the smaller chunks of time into your calendar. Stick to the schedule.
• Look for tips on Energy Management, The Other Side of the Peace of Mind Coin in my next article…
Chris Williams is a certified coach and National Coaching Director with Expect Success Coaching & Training, the premier coaching and training company on the planet. At Expect Success, we partner with executives, entrepreneurs and small business owners who want to achieve extraordinary results within their companies.