The promise I am contemplating this month is “I will spend my days in a way that enhances the well-being of myself and others.”
Today, I want to focus on the idea of “spending time.” Type “time management” into a search engine and advice will flow to you. Here are the basics:
- know-how you spend your time and energy. – keep a log for a while. What patterns do you have? How are you spending your time? What gives you energy? What saps your energy? Look at your log and make changes if needed.
- Set priorities: what’s important to you? What must be done, important or not?
- Use a to do list and a calendar. Find other useful tools. You need to track what you want to get done, schedule time to do it, and cross it off your list when it’s completed. Some people get quite fancy with their tools, it’s not necessary.
- Take manageable bites. If you have large or long-term goals or projects, break them into small pieces and put these “micro milestones” on your list and in your calendar.
- Make changes as needed. If you notice a pattern where you put things on your calendar, but don’t do them, investigate. Is this not important? Do you need help? Would a different time you better?
- Remember to take breaks!
- Be gentle with yourself. Some things are beyond your control. Things usually take longer than you think they will. Other people may have ideas about how you should be spending your time that affects what happens.
How you spend your minutes adds up to how you spend your life. May your time be filled with meaning, love, and joy.
In your journal:
- What’s important? How do you want to spend your days?
- What are your priorities?
- What changes are you considering? Why?