Recently, I’ve been thinking more and more about time and how I use it. I’ve always liked to be ‘busy’. I may complain about it at times, but it’s also a crutch. I need to be busy. It makes me feel as though I’m achieving something and avoiding my biggest bugbear of all – wasting time.
However, one thing I need watch out for is whether my time is contaminated with the wrong things. It’s so important to be ‘the right kind of busy’
Despite the fact I help others prioritise and focus, I still find it super easy to slip into avoidance mode and “busy” myself with activities which are not valuable and are not ultimately going to move me forward to my goals. A warning sign that I’m doing it is when I start procrastinating over things which I know are important.
Jumping from one task to the next is also a classic avoidance technique. It means we don’t get to the nitty gritty of what needs to be done and hampers productivity. Mindlessly scrolling through social media is another red flag. As is getting sucked into a toxic relationship or friendship.
So, how can we channel our busyness? How can we improve the quality of how we apply ourselves and make every second count?
Make Busyness Balanced
Are you frittering all your time away on the minutiae? Or do you schedule in activities which nourish you from the inside out? Nourishing activities are possibly the linchpin which holds everything together because they energise you. They should be penned in your diary, as you would a dentist appointment. Not everyone has the time or money for a weekly massage but your balancing activity could be a walk, a coffee shop trip, listening to a podcast, a bath or a yoga session at home.
Higher Goal List
Have a constant set of wider goals. Make then specific and and as far reaching as you like. But ensure they are within your control i.e. not ‘win the lottery’. It’s worth recording them because seeing them written or typed (or perhaps in the form of a vision board) is a way to harness the power of your subconscious to achieve your aims. Without even consciously knowing it, you will be seeking out your goals simply because you have defined them. Keep revisiting this list and ask yourself whether the small actions you are taking on a daily basis are contributing towards these higher goals. These goals are your purpose in life and your energy should be focused on supporting them in some small way.
Think, plan, do
Let’s be frank: each ‘higher goal’ could encompass thousands of actions! Be realistic about how many actions you can take in one day. Most people have very limited time, once the mundane routine daily, necessary actions are completed, plus the constant things which come up, such as answering emails. So plan each day according to how much free time you will have. Generally speaking, if you achieve three higher goal actions in one day then you are doing well. Be sure your actions correspond to your higher goal list. For example, if one of your higher goals is to nurture the positive relationships in your life, the action of buying a birthday card for a friend is an important one.
Time your time
Time is a funny thing. It’s so easy to whittle it away but yet when you have focus, you can achieve so much in a short time. Modern life is jam packed full of distractions so, if you want to complete an action, strip these away. Firstly, forget multitasking. It doesn’t exist (unless you count autopilot activities like walking and talking) Focus on ONE thing, complete it and move on to the next. I find setting a timer really helps. As soon as the timer hits go and I know I have say 30 minutes to write a blog post, my focus skyrockets and I’m almost having a competition with time to see how much I can get done.
Make your time work for you today.
Thanks for reading
A Tidy Mind