Into Motivation

Time is our most precious resource. If you want to be pedantic we can talk about calendars, how the Romans set all our systems up and how the Gregorian reform finalised it, or we can just realise that we have to cope with a limited availability and make the best out of what we are presented with. The bottom line is that most of us end up chasing around in ever decreasing circles, trying to complete everything that we need to do within a short amount of time. We end up focusing on what really, really has to be done – normally what we need to do to earn income to pay our way, and we end up with little, if any time to spend on ourselves.

Sometimes we watch, green with envy, when we see others enjoying their pastimes and wonder how they manage it? While some may have the luxury of being financially and strategically independent, many have mastered the art of time management and know how important it is to prioritise and focus. You might not know that time management software could help you, as you begin to understand where all those minutes are actually going. You should check out online time management to see if it can help you become far more efficient and enjoy your life the way it was supposed to be.

In the meantime, try finding time for yourself by being creative.

1. Make exercise a priority. Whether we shy away from the concept or not, every one of us has to exercise often, if not every day. This is especially important if you have a

sedentary job, or sit at an office desk. Few of us need more than eight hours of sleep and while you might hate that alarm clock, you should set it a little bit earlier so that you can allow at least 30 minutes for exercise. Just see how much more invigorated you feel and how you have plenty of additional focus to help your day go by.

2. Schedule a monthly treat for yourself. You have to look after “number one” and by planning in advance; you can set up a special monthly treat – whether this is a round of golf, a spa treatment, a day at the beach or another type of treat. This should be an appointment that cannot be broken under any circumstances.

3. Leave work where it should be. Even though you may be absolutely swamped with work and often stay late on a regular basis, as you find you just have to do this to get by, you should make sure that on at least a couple of days per week you leave on time, whatever may be holding you back.

4. You may have family, friends or acquaintances who really want to spend time with you, but you must schedule time for personal rejuvenation. You can classify this as “me” time and you should do this at least one evening per week, without any distractions.

You can find this time by allocating time that you would have spent elsewhere as a consequence of reallocation and priority setting. Now, when it comes to being much more effective during all those other periods of time, look to time tracking software to see how it could help you.