Wow - how I am learning!! I thought 7 years at uni studying business, marketing, HR and the like I knew about time management and prioritizing but just researching these last few days I have read some great tips - oh and some terrible ones too but that is part of the charm and beauty of the internet.
Aside from all the reading I was lucky enough to have a cold glass of bubbly with two wonderful people who each run an Event Planning Business. They happen to be husband and wife and often combine efforts and work together but mostly they serve a slightly different market.
They each have kids from previous relationships - all of whom spend some time with the other parent, they have a dog, three chickens a cat and try and maintain some level of social life and exercise time. SO if any one knows time management it is these two!!
From our chat I took away a few things and one of those was to invest in a good quality dairy that you are going to use and carry with you. Live by that dairy! Don't even tell a friend you can meet them for coffee until you see what's in your dairy for that day. If you still want to have coffee thats great (one of the perks of working for yourself) But make sure you than find time to complete the task you have now abandoned for a caffeine date.
But if you take anything away from tonights blog it is simply to WRITE IT DOWN. Some of you have left comments about lists, business plans etc and thats great. Scraps of paper are ok too (they dont work for me cause I loose things far to easily). But the thing that stuck with me the most, talking to my friends on Sunday was;
"Once you write it down - somewhere safe that you can refer back to when you need it - you can forget about it."
How many of you lie in bed at night counting the list of things you should have done today or need to do tomorrow? Well this is a sad waste of time - and I am very guilty of it! If you do this I strongly suggest sitting at your desk or kitchen bench before you even brush your teeth and make your self a list for the following day. Then when you go to bed you can be clam and your brain can switch off.
This very simple step is a sure fire way to alleviate stress and I know we all make several lists a day in our heads but when we all carry phones with us everywhere, and now a dairy and a pen too - there is just no reason asking our brain to do things it doesn't have to - we have a enough to do already!
Tell me, do you make lists? Do you enjoy the satisfaction of crossing tasks off it?
What is the simplest or silliest list you have made?
Logging you in...
tara louise · 760 weeks ago
silliest list....a list of all the lists i needed to write!
monkey_and_me 20p · 760 weeks ago
And a list of a list isnt silly at all - it is what I call planning to plan - and I will talk about it more later this week.
You sound like your doing lots of good things!
monkey_and_me 20p · 760 weeks ago
I think lists are a huge mental relief and reduce anxiety which is why I do mine before bed evey night - otherwise I cant sleep. But hey it is about doing what works best for and I can see benefit it taking the time each morning to think through your daily tasks!
Kelli Hogan · 760 weeks ago
It's a habit I have got out of for some reason and now I do seem to find myself constantly struggling to keep up with what I need to be doing. Do you ever get that feeling where you wish you could stop time for a day just to get everything organised and then you'd be fine to keep going? Thats my life at the moment.
I need a diary and I need it fast :)
monkey_and_me 20p · 760 weeks ago
I often say "if time could just stop for a day I would be so sorted!" but I am sure it wouldnt take me long to fall behind again - it is just another excuse to procastinate - I dont have enough time to do all I want anyway so why start! Need to get better at that one too.