Her Unique Glow

WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY DOING?

When starting to look at how you manage your time, the first place to asses is always what you’re currently doing. Whether you’re a list-maker, calendar junkie or just keep everything in your head, we all have certain ways of doing things. These can either work for us or work against us so it’s important to meet ourselves where we currently are and understand what’s working and what isn’t.

Ask yourself:

• How do you keep track of your schedule?
• Do you write it down?
• Keep a list?
• Use a good 'old fashioned' calendar?
• Use the calendar app on your phone?
• Set reminders?
• Have a big household whiteboard you re-set each week?

Why does this work for you?

Let’s look at the positives first:

• Why is this your chosen method to keep track of what you’re doing?
• Is it the convenience, the efficiency or is it just something that you know works for you because you haven’t tried anything else?

Why doesn’t it work for you?

• What do you feel you’re still lacking by using this particular method?
• Are there any areas for improvement and if so, why do you think this current method of tracking your schedule doesn’t work for you?

Understand what you’re currently doing and why it is and isn’t working for you. Once you are able to meet yourself at your present situation, you’ll be better equipped to take action steps to make your time management system more effective for you.

WHAT ARE YOU PRIORITISING?

Now you know where you are, it’s time to look at what you’re prioritising in your life.

Get a sheet of paper and write down everything you prioritise in your life right now – it might be your family, your kids, your education, your work, your finances, your self-care, your weekly yoga class, learning to play the trumpet – it doesn’t matter how big or small these things are, if you feel they are what you’re prioritising right now then write them down! Be as specific and honest as you possibly can. This isn’t about writing down things you feel you SHOULD be prioritising, but the things you actually ARE. This might be a bit uncomfortable but it’s also a real eye-opener!

WHAT IS YOUR GOAL?

You might have just the one goal or many goals but writing down what you’re aiming for is a great way of knowing what action steps you need to take to get you there. If you have many goals, then start off with just one goal for this exercise and work through it before moving onto the next.

On a new sheet of paper, write down what your goal is. Again, be as specific as possible and be sure to also write down your WHY behind the goal.

• Why is this goal important to you and why will it make a change in your life?

This helps you to get clear on the goal and makes it more achievable.

ARE THEY ALIGNED?

Once you have your two sheets of paper, line them up next to each other.

• Are your priorities aligning with your goal?
  

Now you’re clear on where you’re aiming to be headed, does your list of priorities align with your goal? Go through each item you wrote down on your priorities list and see what aligns with your goal and what doesn’t. Now, not only are you meeting yourself where you currently are with your current habits and routine, but you’re also able to see if what you’re doing is either pushing you towards your goal or hindering your efforts.

For example: If watching your favourite Netflix series was one of your priorities, how does that help towards your goal of losing 10lbs? Likewise, if you wrote down that daily walks were a priority for you, then how would that affect the same goal?

Using two different colours, highlight your current priorities that are helping you towards your goal in one colour and that are preventing you from achieving it in another colour. Now you can clearly see where your priorities might need to change and take action steps to get you closer towards your goal.

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BONUS EXERCISE

If you need an extra kick up the backside to understanding how your priorities are aligning or not aligning with your goals, then try this journaling exercise:

In a journal, write down your goal at the top of the page at the beginning of the week.

At the end of the week complete the following sentences:

• I accomplished….which supports my goal of….
• I did not accomplish….because….

This not only forces you to confront why you did or didn’t achieve those baby steps towards your goal but it also asks you to look for the reasons why! You might even notice that your reasons for accomplishing something or not accomplishing it are because of your current priorities. That’s why it’s important to make sure that what you’re prioritising is aligning with your current goal/s.

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UNDERSTANDING YOUR LIMITS

When it comes to managing your time more efficiently, we also have to understand what our limits are. That way, when it comes to refining our time management skills, we know what works for us and what doesn’t. It’s time to make some lists!

Make a list for each of the following statements:

• I interrupt my work when…
• I retain information better when…
• I say no when…
• I feel overwhelmed and stretched when…
• I feel stressed when…
• I feel energised when…
• I feel more focused when…

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

1. Look at what you’re currently doing to manage your schedule and assess if that needs altering and how. Look at the reasons why it works for you and why it doesn’t, then decide on what would be a better way of monitoring your schedule. Start to use this method and notice if things change – you might find you have to experiment with different strategies for a while and that’s fine too!
2. What were you prioritising that was aligning with your goal/s? Anything that DID align, keep in your calendar and schedule it in.
3. What were you prioritising that wasn’t aligning with your goal/s? Look for anything that you were doing that was keeping you from achieving your goals and see if there are any action steps you can take to either cut them out of your daily/weekly routine or to make them more time efficient? For example, house cleaning might not be aligned with your goal but it still needs to be done! Anything that needs to be done but isn’t aligned, schedule into your day but keep the time slot to a minimum. Anything you feel you can erase from your calendar, do so.
4. Next, get clear on your goals and make some action steps that you can put into your calendar or weekly schedule. What is your goal?
5. Write down 3 non-negotiables that you will commit to this week to help you towards your goal. Schedule them in. 3 is a realistic number and will help to prevent any overwhelm or anxiety surrounding achieving your goal.
6. Next write down a list of everything else you would like to achieve but that aren’t essential. These can be your little bonus tasks that are great if you complete but aren’t necessary.
7. Finally apply your limits, likes and dislikes to your schedule and your life and put steps in place to help you be as efficient as possible with your time.

Look back to your lists and begin to understand how you function and what you need to do to be your most productive self:

• What makes you interrupt work? How can you eliminate those things?
• How do you retain information better? How can that become part of your daily routine?
• What makes you say no? How can you be more assertive?
• What overwhelms you? How can that be avoided?
• What stresses you out? How can you make sure you’re in a state of calm when you need to be?
  

Then it’s time to look at the positives, those things that make you even more productive and start to look at how you can implement things into your day to improve your efficiency:

• What energises you?
• Can you add things into your morning/daily routine to set yourself up for a more productive day?
• What keeps you focussed?
• How can you stay focussed throughout the day or regain that focus when you need it?

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