Time: that non-renewable resource that we never seem to have enough of! 

Though we are all given the same 24 hours in day, it would seem that some individuals are able to achieve far more than others within this same timeframe. Ultimately, this comes down to time and energy management! 

Time management refers to actively taking the time to organize and plan days, weeks, and months. While you certainly cannot plan for every detail and unexpected turn in life, managing your time effectively can improve focus and prevent multitasking. 

Managing our time effectively can lead to:

• Decreased stress and anxiety

• Less procastination

• Improved productivity

• Cleaner and healthier boundaries

• Improved work-life balance

• Higher quality work/output. 

Conversely, not managing your time well could result in missed deadlines, missed opportunities, higher levels of stress and feeling “scatterbrained”, and ultimately may prevent you from harnessing your fullest potential. 

What we spend our time, energy, and focus on is a very personal decision. The seasons of life may dictate our individual priorities and goals at a given point in time--ie our personal, professional, family lives will take variable priority over time. But irrespective of this, managing our time can help us to realize our goals and put forth our best efforts. 

A few strategies that can help us make the most of our time: 

1. Keeping a weekly planner/agenda

• This serves as a “business plan” for the week. 

• In one study conducted by Dr. Gail Matthews, a psychology professor at Dominican University in California, those who wrote down their goals were 42% more likely to achieve them.

• This should be inclusive of personal, professional, and self-care items and tasks. It may also include monthly and yearly goals.

  I’m a fan of the Full Focus Planner and the Erin Condren Life Planner, but the iphone calendar and related apps are also options.

2. Sunday CEO

• Every Sunday night (or Monday morning if you prefer), plan out your week.

• Identify 3 key goals for each day of the week. 

• You are “supervising your week” on Sunday, and then executing your week later . Plan out both your professional, personal, and self-care domains. Remember to schedule adequate breaks, and fight the urge to “overstuff” or double-book. 

3. Complete your most high priority tasks early in the morning. This time is quiet, and we are often the freshest mentally at this time. Capitalize on this time to get a few productive hours in. 

4. Automate. Automating (or outsource or delegate) appropriate tasks can decrease the day to day tasklists. Automate rent/mortgage payments, credit card payments, etc. for example. 

5. Start with a time audit. The first step is awareness.

• If you keep a planner already, this will be easy to perform. Reflect back on the past week or month, and survey which activities consumed the most (or least) time. Was the time you spent on these activities proportional to the value they bring to your life?

• This activity will create awareness, and help you craft a time management strategy that is likely more productive and aligns better with your goals. 

As with anything, it takes a bit of practice before time management becomes habitual!