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The following post is from Laura of I’m an Organizing Junkie: How to Build a Solid Time Management Foundation

Time management and balance are always hot topics. There is a lot of advice out there about how to juggle many different balls and keep them all rotating in the air. How do you build a solid time management foundation?

Unfortunately, as we try to balance this erratic tightrope of life, one strong wind could come along and send all those balls flying every which way if we don’t have our feet firmly planted on solid foundation.

Trying to find “more” time in our day in order to pack even more into an already busy schedule is temporarily just patching the crack. You might hold it together for another couple of hours or even a couple of days, but it’s not a permanent fix and most definitely not sustainable for the long haul. We’ve all been given the same 24 hours to manage that we know will never change. We can change how we choose to fill that time and how we can build a solid time management foundation.

1. Be intentional

Know your priorities. Now, list the top three things that are most important to you and why. Don’t just say them. Write them down. Make a commitment to make them happen. This knowledge is the key to every decision you make about how you will spend your time. Recognize that this list can change daily, and that’s okay.

This is your set of directions for purposeful living whether it be day by day or longer. For example, family dinners are a priority for me. Therefore every choice that is presented to me to fill that space with other things is carefully analyzed with that goal in the forefront of my mind.

2. Set boundaries

Once you know your priorities, go about setting the boundaries of protection. I have four hours of work time on Tuesdays and Thursdays while my son is in school, and I need to safeguard that time to ensure my work commitments are fulfilled. I make sure others know, and I communicate the plan. Designate and protect your established boundaries.

3. Say no

Opportunities are all around us, enticing us with their glorious possibilities. I also like to call them distractions. They look attractive and are often powerful in how they woo us away from our priorities. Many times it’s hard to say no to them, and they will make you question your intentions. Stand strong and confident in your ability to make your goals a priority by saying no to everything that stands in your way from making them happen. For my family, that meant saying NO to many activities that happen to fall during family dinner time.

4. Schedule it in

This goes hand in hand with being intentional. If you want to make it happen, don’t just think about it; make a conscious choice to schedule it into your day. Don’t wait for the time to magically appear out of thin air because it isn’t going to happen.

5. Eliminate some of those balls altogether

Finally, this is one of their most important foundation builder steps. We often get consumed with finding more time to juggle more and more balls in the air that we forget altogether about one of the most powerful choices of all — drop some of those balls altogether. Instead of trying to do more, do less. I know it’s hard to imagine this as a possibility with all that you have on your plate, but I challenge you to consider letting go of just one thing to see what happens. I’m betting you’ll be surprised at the result.

Is your foundation on shaky ground? What changes can you make today to start repairing the cracks beneath you to consciously and purposefully manage your time?

Featured Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay