Managing Our 24-Hours

We all have the same amount of time to expend each and every day, 24-hours. So why does it seem like some people have mastered their time better than others?

I don't think it's about the time at all, I think it's about how we manage ourselves. My friend, and savvy professional speaker on the topic, Pam Vaccaro says it best, "It's about your focus!"

I know from my own experience, making a few simple changes have made a HUGE impact on my effectiveness, and stress levels. I tried several different options and settled on the system that worked for me.

I find that when I stay focused on specific tasks, and a daily updated to-do list, things move more smoothly throughout the day and week. This focus has also attributed to my ability to create a better work-life balance that allows me to live a more enjoyable lifestyle while still staying on top of all my business needs, and those of my clients.

One of my biggest faux pas was thinking multi-tasking was a good thing. I would work on a client document while I was running another client's color postcards on my laser jet printer and another project on my copier, only to find that somewhere along the line the copier jammed, and I needed to break away from what I was doing to clear it, meanwhile, the laser jet printer ran out of blue ink, and I lost some postcard stock that had to be replaced as well as the ink cartridge, and so on. I was overwhelmed trying to juggle them all. I don't believe our brains have the ability to work that way. I think we need to focus on one task at a time, and if we do, we will save time in the long run and feel less stress throughout the process. Since I stopped multi-tasking, I get so much more done, and feel more energized and effective.

I've also been guilty of creating a sense of urgency where one may not exist, or not being clear with a client who gives me an unreasonable deadline. Since I've taken back that control, managing time is much simpler. By increasing my level of communication,I also avoid having to spend time solving problems. They just simply don't exist.

I also try and be more aware of the time I'm spending on non-income generating Emails. That was very difficult for me since a lot of my client projects and communication come through Email. I used to cringe when I'd look at my watch only to find I'd spent several hours going through social media or volunteer Emails that didn't need to be handled right away.

For a while, I used a basic kitchen timer on my desk and allow myself a specific amount of time, at the beginning of the day, and at the end of the day, to handle these Emails. I have also used some additional features in my MS Outlook with separate folders, and color coding emails so I can immediately see which emails need to be handled more urgently than others.

My life feels so much more organized now, it's truly amazing how these few simple changes have made a profound impact on the way I manage my time.

So give several of these options a try or come up with a few of your own, and see if you can't transition your focus to better manage your time. And remember to enjoy your life to the fullest; it's not JUST about business!