MAXIMISE YOUR TIME: HOW TO MANAGE YOUR TIME BETTER
Time waits for nobody and once it’s gone, it’s gone. If you’re feeling overstretched, worn out or just need to get more organised, productive and motivated to get stuff done then here are some tips on how to manage your time better and why it matters.
CLEARING THE CLUTTER
When I first began writing about simplifying life, I focused on decluttering the home and the stuff in it because that was taking up so much of my time and energy. It’s still a very vital part of simplifying one’s life and a wonderful tool to create not only space, but instant impact in many people’s lives.
Studies have revealed the impact of clutter on stress levels and I know that I, for one, definitely feel lighter and less stressed when my external environment is clear, calm and clutter-free. It helps the inner me feel the same!
DECLUTTERING YOUR SCHEDULE
After my home, the next step in simplifying my own life was to apply decluttering to my schedule. I used the same simple principles to clear the clutter in my calendar as I did the stuff in my cupboards. If it adds value to my life in some way then keep it in, if not, keep it out!
I knocked things off my diary, said no to invitations that I didn’t really want to do, postponed things when I felt too busy. I set boundaries to help me stay less busy and created blocks of free time in which I could do whatever I felt like at the time – even if it was to do nothing.
CREATING MORE FREE TIME
Having more time on my side and less things that pulled me in different directions all at the same time, felt great! Yet it also came with some more complicated emotions that I wrestled with for a while.
I felt, albeit mistakenly:
- Selfish for wanting ‘me’ time
- Guilty for not being busy all the time
- That I was doing something wrong because I thought life was meant to be busy
- I wasn’t important because important people are always busy, aren’t they?!
Knocking activities from my diary and all the other little things I did to free up my time, wasn’t about not being busy or popular or living a life of value or opportunity. It was just about managing my time better and being clear on what I really wanted from life.
I was still getting all the things done that I needed to do. I even found I had more time for the things that I wanted to do.
THE BENEFITS OF DECLUTTERING MY SCHEDULE
When I cleared my calendar, there were many benefits.
- I felt better. I was less stressed and over-stretched.
- I had more wiggle room in case things went wrong.
- I could take my time instead of rushing from A to B.
- I had time to listen to my friends, talk with my husband, play with my kids.
- Time for hobbies, warm baths, reading books, watching TV in bed – without feeling guilty.
- I was more organised, forgot less, got more stuff done (more of the right things though).
- I was more motivated to do things and procrastinated much less.
- I appreciated life more as I had time to lean into it instead of just skating the surface.
OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH BUSY
This all sounds great, but why hadn’t I been able to do all that before? After all, I’d always been busy, productive and on the go.
But was I? Creating some space and time for myself allowed me to question a few things that I’d just accepted as ‘normal’ family life until then.
- Was I really being productive in the right way?
- I may have been busy but was I busy doing the right things?
- Was I being efficient AND effective (the two aren’t always the same thing)?
- Had I prioritised the most important things or was I just ticking off my To Do list on autopilot?
If I was being honest, I was doing ‘all the things’ but not really being present, engaged or fulfilled by much of them.
BUSY LIFE VS WHAT YOU WANT FROM LIFE
No matter how much we try to declutter our busy lives, many of us have responsibilities. Work, kids, parents, friends, bills to pay, errands to run and places to be. Being busy is sometimes just a part of life.
However, even if you’re juggling all the balls and spinning all the plates, there are plenty of little tips and tricks that can help you manage your time better and carve more moments out for yourself and the things that matter to you.
If any of this sounds familiar or you’re struggling yourself with doing ‘all the things’, I encourage you to check out my time management course (with a difference), Maximise Your Time.
Click here to learn more about Maximise Your Time.
HOW TO GET INTENTIONAL WITH YOUR TIME
Maximise Your Time is packed full of information, tips and challenges to help you identify exactly how you use your time and how to make the most of it.
- Do you invest it wisely or spend it like water?
- Does how you spend your time reflect how you’d like to spend your life?
- And, if someone else looked at your diary, what would they consider to be your passions and priorities? What does your calendar say about you?
I call it a time management course with a difference. Although we learn about tried and tested time management tips and techniques, at its heart, Maximise Your Time is about being intentional with your time. Think of it like a decluttering course for your schedule.
Whether it’s in the home, the workplace or in life in general, Maximise Your Time, will help you be more organised, productive, effective and get things done, so you can get on with living a fuller, freer life!
Click here to read more about Maximise Your Time and see if it’s right for you.
YOUR MOST LIMITED RESOURCE
“Time is free, but it’s priceless. You can’t own it, but you can use it. You can’t keep it, but you can spend it. Once you’ve lost it you can never get it back.” (Harvey Mackay)
Time is our most limited resource. Once it’s gone, it’s gone. We can’t stop the clock but we can find ways to invest our time for the greatest reward.
My hope is that Maximise Your Time will help you do just that.
Click here to learn more about Maximise Your Time.
WHAT YOU’LL LEARN IN MAXIMISE YOUR TIME
The course will take you on a journey through time – your time to be precise (and how you spend it!).
The course is split into a series of modules and separate lessons within each module.
This is how the modules are laid out:
Introduction
This section of the course includes a welcome and brief introduction to balance, simplicity and me. Just so you know who I am, what I’m passionate about and why I believe SIMPLICITY helps us create a life we love. You’ll learn about how the course will work and explore why you are taking it now, what you hope to GAIN and how you want things to be DIFFERENT. Knowing your ‘why’ will help you know ‘HOW’.
1. Making time for what matters
Decide your priorities. In this module we think about reasons why we get so busy, why life gets jam-packed and how to find ways to stop doing this in YOUR LIFE. Instead of always being busy, let’s get clear on WHY you are busy and what you want to do instead. It’s a question of identifying your priorities, shifting your mindset and making decisions that are right for YOU.
2. Structure your day
Create ease and flow. Your life is made up of your days so let’s get your days working right. In this module we build up a FRAMEWORK for your day that’s realistic, flexible, practical and suits your life and what you want out of it. Let’s establish some great routines and use a PLAN to help you get organised (the key to getting more done in the time you have with less stress!).
3. Productivity
Get the right things done. Being busy is not the same as being productive. You can be busy all day long but still feel like you’ve achieved nothing. If time is tight or you’d rather be spending your precious time doing other things, the key to getting stuff done is by being productive. This module is all about being EFFECTIVE, not just efficient so you can get the right things done, FEEL GOOD about what you’ve achieved and then head off to doing whatever you’d rather be doing!
4. Making time for you
Build in self-care. If you feel like your own needs and self-care are bottom of the list and you never get down that list far enough to make time for you, then this module is just for you! Modern life encourages us to do more, chase more and achieve more but there’s huge VALUE in slowing down and taking time out for yourself to relax and RECHARGE. Let’s look at ways we can deal with some of the biggest drains on your time and energy and give you some time back for yourself.
5. Getting organised
Plan and prepare. Some people love being organised and it comes naturally and others struggle. Wherever you fall on the organisation spectrum, I hope this module and the CHALLENGES will give you some ideas to organise your home, your schedule and routines and your filing and storage. Being organised will help you find things quicker, be more efficient, STOP WASTING time and possibly give you clearer, clutter-free counters!
6. Time management tools and tips
Expert time tips. This is a course about time management and productivity so I’m including a round-up of my favourite PRODUCTIVITY HACKS from the experts! These are little tricks to help you get MOTIVATED, stay focused and use your time wisely. Choose where to concentrate your energy for the best results. This module is about frogs, tomatoes, batching, MITs and more.
7. And finally…
What could be next? This is the last module where I leave you looking back on what you’ve learnt and looking forward to what maximising your time can open up for you in the future. Clearing the clutter in your calendar is just one aspect of simplifying your life but it’s not what you’re getting rid of that counts. It’s what you can DO WITH THAT SPACE that matters. You’ll be able to access further RESOURCES and workbooks to work through and BOOK SUGGESTIONS for further reading when you’re ready.
Click here to read more about Maximise Your Time.
WHY I CREATED THIS COURSE
Struggling to find more time for what matters to YOU?
I know how that feels and I’d like to help…
When I first began simplifying and decluttering my home and life I began by getting rid of the excess stuff in my home. It was lovely to have a clearer, calmer home that was easier to manage.
But this was only just the beginning of the story…
The life-changing benefit of simplifying life was actually a much more precious commodity – extra time.
- Time to play with my kids
- Time to chat with my husband
- Time to laugh with my friends
- Time to learn skills and pursue hobbies
- Time to rest and relax
- Time to enjoy life
- Time to stress less
- Time to live more
All of which I hadn’t had time to do when I was busy doing everything but not actually being really present for much of it.
Time is the one thing that we can’t get back and I was fed up of spending my time rushing, doing, chasing and being stretched too thin. Exhausted by life but not able to find a way to slow down and find time to make changes.
Clearing my clutter made my home easier and quicker to look after but there were other things I did to clear the clutter from my schedule.
I’d love to help you have more time for what matters.
Maximise Your Time will help you take ownership of your time and how you’d like to spend it.
Click here to read more about Maximise Your Time.
If you have any questions about the course, please email me at hello@balancethroughsimplicity.com and I’d be happy to help!
