But do you remember when computers were just beginning to come into widespread use in offices and we were constantly told that we'd have so much leisure time as a consequence, we'd have trouble filling it?
Someone certainly got that one wrong!
Instead, computers have simply meant that we are required to do more work in a shorter time and most of us struggle to keep up with all the demands on our time. From work targets and deadlines, to family duties, ferrying our children to and from extra-curricular activities, baking home-made muffins (just to prove that we can be creative too), right down to organizing a full and interesting social life........there just doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day!
And when bedtime comes around, our sleep is of poor quality as we worry and fret about how we failed to get through every essential item on our 'To Do' list for the day. We feel that we will be starting tomorrow already paying catch-up and that leads to further feelings of anxiety and failure.
So, to help you out a little, here are a few guidelines on how you can accomplish more of those tasks on your list and end up with a little 'me time' at the end of the day. The secret is all in how you organize your time and how you discipline your mind to focus on one task at a time. Easy!
1. Prepare & Plan.
Before you fall, exhausted, into bed at night, spend just 5 minutes quietly thinking about the following day. Prepare your mind for what needs to be done and plan how you are going to tackle your tasks.
Jot down on a piece of paper all the things that are dependent on a time for the following day ie: a dentist's visit, getting your kids to where they need to be for a certain time or an appointment you may have. Plan to allow yourself time to get ready, travelling & parking time and the time you expect the visit to take.
Be realistic, so that you don't have to rush and feel pressured by your lack of time.
Then, once these must-do things are in place, prepare the things you need to do in order of importance. Put the most critical task at the top - the one that has the most dire consequence if you fail to do it. That is your priority for the day and the task that must be completed before all others. Plan to do nothing else until it is finished and done with and plan to work at it without distractions. That means you need to be disciplined enough to turn off your phones, close down your email and ignore everything that isn't actually life-threatening until you are done.
2. Separate out What You Must Get Done & What You'd Like To Get Done.
We are all guilty of piling too many jobs upon ourselves and then beating ourselves up mentally when we inevitably fail to finish all of them. Some jobs may remain on the list for weeks, or even months, just demonstrating how unimportant they are in reality! Nevertheless, their very presence, day in day out, simply serves to subconsciously re-inforce our own inability to Get Things Done.
By really sorting out the important tasks from the less important ones, you can free yourself from that subconscious pressure very easily.
So what if your cupboards/garage/garden shed doesn't get re-organized? What's the worst consequence of not taking care of that job? Looking at a jumbled space from time to time!
But meeting a work deadline has much greater impact. Clients may become angry at not receiving the service/product they have paid for or your boss venting his anger on your inefficiency and threatening your job security.
What is more the more important use of your time? Having the pleasure of seeing clean cupboards or having the security of a job that provides an income to pay your bills?
3. Be Realistic in Your Choices
Once you have identified what tasks you need to get done as a priority, it is critical to remain realistic in estimating the amount of time each will take.
There's no point in planning to accomplish 5 crucial tasks in a day, if each of them will need 6 hours to complete properly!
Instead of overloading your schedule, give yourself 'permission' to work for long enough to make a good job of each one in turn. Don't flit from one to another in the mistaken belief that you are working hard - you're not!
'One job, one focus, one accomplishment' should be your mantra from now on.
Plan & prepare to tackle the next most important task, work without distraction, focus on that task and that task alone and grant yourself permission to dedicate your time (however much time that may be) until you have completed what you need to do.
It'll be hard at first - you will need to train yourself to leave your old, fuzzy ways of working behind - but once you have, you will quickly find that you can work more efficiently, more happily and experience the huge buzz of completing each job well and in good time.
What a great reward that will be!
4. Persevere - Never Stop, Never Give Up, Finish the Task and Then Relax.
Finally, keep on keeping on. Plug away at what needs to be done, however much you yearn to stop for a coffee or to wander down the hallway to see what other people are up to. Persevere, persist and beaver away until the very last iota of the task is done with.
Iron will and self-discipline can move mountains so determine to develop & hone yours until you become super-efficient and ultra-focused in whatever you are doing.
This way, you will be able to achieve more, in a shorter time than before and you really will be able to claim your leisure time each and every day"
No comments:
Post a Comment