Do you manage time or does time manage you?

I read a beautiful quote recently – “If you don’t take control of time, time will start taking control of you”.

The importance of this quote can not be elaborated in words, but it’s something that can be experienced by everyone.

For a long time, I was trying to manage my time well. It’s something I had been wanting to do.
I wanted to have time for my family, my work, my hobbies, my goals and my learning. I used many apps available on the latest gadgets (phone, laptop etc etc) but nothing was working too well.

I then googled an article one day, “how do CEOs manage their time!?” . Ofcourse, the main answer that popped up was, ‘They all have PAs (Personal Assistants)’ but I also learned about this new Android app – Wunderlist in one of the articles. I must tell you it’s a pretty cool app.

It lets you create to do lists, set reminders, due dates, sort the tasks and a lot more. 

As we grow, our to do lists also start growing and getting bigger. However, our minds process information in the same way – logically. Our brains were not created to store vast amounts of information, but to process information in real time.

Hence, the fact that we have 100 tasks on our list should not intimidate us. We have to do just one task at a time and be done with it. The important question is : “Which task should be done when?”

A lot of people do not like deadlines. They prefer working as per their own schedules. I am also not a big fan of strict deadlines, but I do like to set personal deadlines by giving me enough time to analyze and learn. And recently, with my time management app, I think I’ve gotten better at it.

I now like the feeling of checking off tasks from my to do list and what encouraged me to do so, was the reminders feature on my phone app. We tend to ignore or forget some minor tasks in life, but they keep popping every few weeks or in a few months. Setting reminders helped me not ignore those tasks and check them off sooner.

Life is beautiful and offers so much to learn. We can miss out on a lot of things, if we don’t manage our time well.

Analyze what works best for you – what makes you check off tasks from your To do list. These are personal preferences and choices. The main learning here is that we manage time and do not let time manage us.

And in between all this, don’t forget to enjoy!

Believing you are busy and actually being busy!

Everyone’s so busy these days! They have something or the other on their list all the time. As a result, there is no time for family or friends or fun….or life.

Next time, when you say “I’m busy”, think:
“Are you really busy?”
“Are you pretending to be busy?”
“Are you having the belief that you are busy?”

 The third point is a little tricky. You believe you’re busy, when you feel you have so many things left to do! ‘So many’ could refer to 10 things or it could even be 100 things. The exact figure could very well also be a belief.

This belief adds to a lot of confusion and bad time management. Everything in life needs to have a priority and a deadline.

When I was unmarried, I was not really a ‘To do List’ type of person. But, after getting married and also being in a full time job, I really need a ‘To Do’ List. In fact, I just make too many lists!

I realized today that because of all those lists, I was under the belief that I’m extremely busy. No doubt, I am busy but it’s not unmanageable. It can be handled with some level of organization. What I really needed was a little bit of organization for those ‘To do’ Lists.

We live one day at a time. Days are split up into hours. Every task has a deadline – a certain day… a certain hour (formal or informal).

Deadlines are sometimes scary but if they are considered as milestones, they are not so scary.

Time management is difficult if we keep switching from one task to another. I remember reading an article about multitasking and how it gives the illusion that a lot of tasks are getting done, whereas, none of the tasks may actually be getting completed.

When we are able to do a task and check-mark it as completed, that’s when it holds some value. Per my analysis, if we are able to complete at least 3-5 tasks in a day, we are doing a good job. (Tasks- here, refer to those that require some level of analytical thinking)

It’s important to know the difference between a belief and a reality because beliefs drive our realities. If we believe the right thing, we can find time to do the right thing.

Next time when you believe you are busy, make a list of the things on your plate and when you’re supposed to submit them. Maybe then, you’ll be able to make time for other things or maybe then, you’ll actually have time for other things.

Life.. There’s always something left to do!

Whether it’s work, home, friends, family, children or any other aspect of your life, there is always something left to do! The house could have been cleaner, shopping could have been done last week, reading time could have been longer and work could have been more fulfilling.

There are things we could have done better and there are also things we could have done worse and it wouldn’t have mattered.

Our efforts have to directed in a way which makes most sense. Put in efforts where you are expecting maximum returns. Do not put in efforts where there are no returns.

How do we measure returns?  – Returns add value to our life. They help us grow intellectually or financially.

What is the point of investing time and efforts in an area that will not help us in any way? We may choose to do so, if we want to waste our time and efforts or maybe just for fun, but we have to understand that we will not get any returns. This also reduces the pressure and the expectation that ‘I have to get returns from this venture’.

We can only get good returns if we spend our time and energy wisely.

You can take hundreds of time management classes and seminars but the decision to take up a task or not, is very personal. The choices vary for every individual.

Something that makes sense to me, may not make sense to you at all.

We have 24 hours in a day and we only have three areas to focus on:

Home & Family
Work & Learning
Fun

Fun will not give returns but it is important to replenish our energies.

I am a perfectionist, so when I pick up a task, I really want to do it well. Sometimes, I do not move onto another task because of that first task at hand.

I read somewhere that after every hour of work, you need one minute of silence. I also read that if you work on something for half an hour and then try to shift your focus to another task and later come back to the first task, your mind gets to learn new things.

Train your mind so it can shift its focus on different things throughout the day. There will always be something left to do in every area but as long as all the areas are at par and none is neglected, a balance is maintained.

It is important to maintain balance in terms of people. Who holds most value for you and who does not? Are you spending your energies on a section of people who may not be there in your life the next week?
Are you giving maximum importance to your family?

People who help you grow intellectually or morally hold maximum value.
People, especially friends whom you meet for fun help you replenish your energies.
People who do not have any role in your life – and do not add any value to your life – should not add any worries or concerns to your life. Or rather, you should not be worried or concerned about them.

Filter your tasks and the people in your life, to make the most out of the resources at hand.

There is always something left to do and probably that’s the way life should be.