Time Management or Lack Thereof…

I never seem to have enough time.  I am sure most people feel this way, but I’m really not a very busy person.  I just don’t use my time efficiently. I think it’s partly due to my tendency to do things slowly, because I let my mind wander instead of keeping my thoughts focused on the task at hand.  When I was a kid I was constantly getting in trouble for how slowly I moved or “dilly dallied”. It always seemed to take me longer to accomplish tasks than other people.  During grad school we had to submit learning objectives each quarter for our internships, and ever quarter I included “to improve time management skills,” as one of those objectives. I think my program director began to think I was just using that as filler instead of thinking of a new objective, but I really felt this was something I continually needed to work on. So, here I am post grad school and still struggling with this issue, but at least I have more free time to work on it now than I did in the past:). However, I’m not writing to complain about how I am wasting my time, but rather to discuss some of the ways I am try to overcome this problem.  Seriously, I do enjoy planning and organizing!  Here are a few things I have used in the past and some new things as well.

1. Write things down, write things down, and write things down! I need structure, and one of the best ways for me to have structure in my life, and to remember the things I am supposed to be taking care of, is to write everything down.  This also helps me in the planning process.
2. This blog.  I have to carve out time to work on this blog.  That means I have to budget my time in order to have free time to: write, take photos, edit photos, edit my writing, and put the final product together.  Additionally, I am using this blog to hold myself accountable.  If I post that I am going to do something, I feel more obligated to do it and try harder to make sure I get it done.
3. Use ‘To Do’ lists, keep my planner and calendars (which I have everywhere) up to date.  See a pattern? If I write things down, I will remember them and will usually stick to my schedule. I have always used a paper planner, but the environmentalist in me hates the wastefulness of this. I just recently synced my Google calendar to my iPhone calendar, and I am going to start using that and see how it works.  If I like it, I may just give up the planner.   Maybe.
4. Make cleaning a hobby.  I hate cleaning.  I hate moving stuff just to move it right back. But, I also hate having a dirty house. It has always been a struggle for me, and I usually end up letting the cleaning slide to make time for other things I prefer to do.  But, now that I’m no longer in school, I have decided to make keeping my house clean a priority.  One way I am trying to keep on top of the cleaning is to parcel the tasks out over the week rather than trying to get them all done on the weekend.  The other thing I am doing is to try to change my mind set.  Instead of thinking about cleaning as a chore, I’m trying to think of it as a hobby and exercise. Yea, moving stuff.
5. Schedule TV time.  I have let television consume WAY too much of my time.  Jeff and I have agreed that we will record all of our shows over the week and watch them on Friday and Saturday evenings.  The only exception to this rule is Kansas Basketball games. This way, my evenings after work will be free for other pursuits such as: reading, writing, knitting, learning to crochet, cleaning, planning menus, cooking, and whatever else I feel like.
6. Writing down my goals with action steps.  This year I have started something new.  I gave myself six goals for the year, and each month I set actions steps towards those goals that I want to complete.  I am hoping this will help me be more organized, manage my time and keep me on task.
7. Start a journal. I want to start journaling what works and what doesn't work so I can learn from my experiences and make adjustments and improvements.

All of this planning and writing things down is all said and good, but when it comes down to it I still need to do the tasks I set down for myself and that is ultimately where I have a problem.  I consistently plan more than I have time for. How do I solve this problem? How do I get things done?  It’s a process.