Posted on April 13, 2008
One of the most difficult tasks for most people to master is time management. There are those rare few characters who have both a talent for prioritizing and an ability to realistically estimate how much time it takes to do things. But for most of us, it’s a challenge, and many of us seem to put everything else that needs to be done ahead of making any time to care for ourselves.
As a result, exercise and proper eating habits get short shrift as our lives become a scramble from one loudly demanding task to another, and our weight and health quietly slips out of our control.
It doesn’t have to be that way. Not for ,health, not for other priorities. Of course, you’ll never have all the time you want for all the things you want to do, but with a little help, you can identify the specific things you most want more time for, instead of enduring a constantly nagging feeling that there’s not enough time for anything for you. Even better, you can find ways to make time for those things, but you’ll have to make some choices.
The first choice is in just deciding to go ahead and do it, and stop being satisfied to keep scrambling. And the second choice is deciding how to approach the challenge. There are any number of ways, and bookstores are full of titles on how to get control over your time; there are nearly as many as diet books!
But you may not need to completely overhaul your time-management. We have a simple system we use with patients where we list seven important life roles most people fill, and we help them identify their priorities in each of these life areas. Take a look at this assessment tool, using just a couple of those categories.
Thinking about your roles as a Working Person and as a Growing Person, consider priorities you may have in each of these life roles:
As a Working Person:
Working for income
Getting additional job training
Advancing at work
Working for personal satisfaction
Working for recognition and status
Working for a sense of challenge
Other priorities:____________________________As a Growing Person:
Adopting healthier lifestyle
Learning new skills
Getting more education
Eating better
Becoming more active
Prayer or meditation
Other priorities:_____________________________In each category, check off the items that are most important to you. If an important aspect of your values or priorities is not listed, add it to the list.Now look at the items you’ve identified as your priorities. Of these, select two or three that you would like to devote more time to, toward the goal of achieving a more balanced life. Chances are, these are things you’re doing a little already, but not at a level corresponding with how important they are to you. You want to take more time in your life for these priorities, so something’s got to give.That brings us to a list of times during a typical day that most people aren’t able to use to full efficiency. This abbreviated selection will give you a start and help you think of other times you may be able to use to better effect.
Bundle Errands-Schedule errands in the same part of town for the same day of the week to avoid duplicating trips. This is always a good tip for saving time and gas, but with the slow, heavy traffic in Southwest Florida during season, just this one adjustment could sometimes save you hours in a week.
Drive time-But sometimes you can’t avoid the trip, like the drive to work each morning. Did you know that the car is the second most common place for Americans to eat breakfast? Sad but true, but instead of cramming any old thing down, or skipping breakfast altogether, you can pack a breakfast of healthy finger foods, about 400 or 500 calories worth. Then you can eat at a more leisurely pace during that long drive, or even the short drive that takes a long time! (Some people try to get more value out of their drive time by using it to make phone calls. I specifically recommend against this.)
Lunch hour-Do you work through your lunch hour? Many people do, without assessing whether that effort is producing a result worth the sacrifice. If you’re giving your lunch hour to your employer, consider taking it back for your health. Use it for a walk, a respite of prayer or meditation, to run a couple nearby errands.
TV-Consider watching less television. Refer to your list of priorities again. Now refer to your TV guide. What’s really important to you? You may consider your TV time your much-deserved relaxation, but could you maximize the value of that time by using a treadmill, stationary bike or light weights while you’re watching?
Phone-How much time do you spend on the phone? And what else are you doing while you chat? Consider using talk time for multitasking. While you chat, perhaps fold laundry or pack that healthy breakfast you’ll want in the car tomorrow morning.
Waits-Plan ahead to have something to do for wait time you can’t avoid. If you’ve got a doctor’s appointment, consider using the wait time to prepare your shopping list, update your food diary, or catch up on your reading.The minutes seem to drain away during the day when you’re not mindful of how you spend them, and you can end up feeling like there’s just no time to eat well, exercise or even enjoy healthy ways to relax.But the reverse is also true. If you are attentive to the ways your minutes get away from you, you can devise techniques for recapturing that time, and devoting that time to the healthier habits you value.Through Thick & Thin
Looking for more time to exercise your good intentions? Whether it’s for better eating, exercise, healthy relaxation, spiritual growth or some much needed, good old fashioned fun, you only have so many minutes in the day. Start by identifying your priorities, then look at the things you spend time on that are less important, and cut those out. There are lots of choices you can make that will help you spend your time more efficiently.
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