“I want to take steps to use my time better, but I when I slip up I get down on myself. It’s hard to keep putting the effort in.”
If you’ve been following my posts this month – you know that I’m tackling real life time management scenarios all month long. If you have missed a previous post – be sure to check out any that apply to YOUR life.
- “This may sound ridiculous, but I’m so busy, I don’t even have time to read about time management techniques, let alone practice them.”
- “I’ll look into streamlining my schedule a few weeks from now when I have a little more time.”
- “When I’m trying to reach a goal, I track my progress on notes of paper that I keep all over the house, and my system is taking me more time than it saves me.”
This is a particular stumbling block that I see often.
Black and white thinking.
All or nothing.
Perfectionism.
We get down on ourselves when we don’t accomplish everything that we expect ourselves to.
My question – what does “use my time better” even mean?
- Accomplish the #1 most important task on your to-do list OR accomplish 40 tasks on your to-do list?
- Schedule your work day in 60 minute intervals with buffer time (or Murphy’s Law time) factored in OR schedule your work day in 15 minute intervals with no time for breaks, meals, or personal hygiene?
Usually, when we decide to make a change, we hold ourselves to impossibly high standards. Now, don’t get me wrong, having high standards is not a bad thing—but we can also be a little harsh on ourselves.
Our internal critic starts to chime in about how “we can’t keep up” or “we keep dropping the ball” or “we don’t have what it takes to get it all done in time.” This pesky internal judge will knock us on our butts if we don’t keep it in check.
If we take a step back, we realize the internal critic often serves no useful purpose at all. Its haranguing does nothing more than make us feel crummy about ourselves, and it SAPS the valuable energy we need to keep progressing in our lives.
So – kick the internal judge to the curb! And you don’t have to be gentle about it! When you notice the internal commentary becoming a little harsh when you haven’t gotten far enough down the day’s to-do list, it’s time to fight back. Then . . . You’re doing your best, and what you don’t accomplish today…you’ll get done tomorrow, or next week. You deserve good changes in your life…and don’t let anyone or anything derail you. Slow progress is still progress. We’re all human. Take it a little easier on yourself! This will ensure you have the energy and OPTIMISM you need to boldly keep reaching for your goals. I believe in you! Be sure to stop back as I tackle Real Life Scenario #5 – “I’m working hard to use my time better and make progress towards my goals, but it’s sort of a lonely process, and I think it would be more inspiring if I had people encouraging me and noticing the small successes.” Your turn! How do you stay positive when you are creating a new habit? Can you relate to the “inner critic”? How many tasks are on your to-do list? Please share! Are you ready to learn How to Accomplish Your #1 Most Important Task Each and Every Day Even When You are Super Busy? Register for this informative (and fun!) teleseminar now. Don’t worry if you can’t make it live – I’ll be recording it! Tell the critic to back off, get lost, take a hike, or take a flying leap!
Hi Lisa,
Great Blog post – I tend to also have the ONE big task to do, then once that’s done, work on others. Really works! Also use the 90 mins, then take a break. :)
Great strategies, Sophie! Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. One of the areas I’m trying to improve on is to MOVE more during my work day – so I set my timer for 45 minutes, then move around for 10, get some water, etc. The timer is the BEST invention EVER!
Lisa
Great information, I need to be better with my time too!
I appreciate the comment, Terri. In what way would you like to be better with your time?
Great post. I find that so many of clients struggle with perfectionism and that pesky inner critic and it keeps them being afraid to take action and move forward. You offer some great tips on how managing our time can help us succeed on many levels and how we limit our own success. I know I struggle with the slip of paper challenge, even though I know better :-) I don\’t let them pile up though, which is progress for me.
Minette
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Minette Riordan, Ph.D.
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Minette
Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. Congrats on not letting the little slips of paper pile up! What strategy do you find most helpful to keep the pesky inner critic at bay?
Lisa
Good morning, Lisa, great question! There are two strategies I teach for keeping the inner critic at bay: one is gratitude and the other is celebrating every success, large and small. Women especially struggle with self-criticism and failing to honor their own success! Remembering what we have to be grateful for brings us back into a better mindset every time. Hope that helps!
Great strategies, Minette! Thanks for sharing! I’m a HUGE believer in celebrating success . . . in a “hectic world” it’s so common to be focused on the end goal and ignore the journey!!!!!
Great post Lisa – I can think of some great expletives to tell my inner critic, and I just might start to pull out the big guns lol!
Perfectionism is the ruin of greatness in our world. I myself am a perfectionist who is wising up to this entanglement. Perfectionism is the nemesis of action. I cannot count the many ideas I’ve shut down because my perfectionist ways have me failing before I even begin. Thank you for the reminder to be kind with myself.
Sherri
Thank you for stopping by – and BE KIND!!!! When I feel my “perfectionist side” start to peek it’s head out I ask two questions. 1) What is the ideal outcome? 2) What outcome can I live with? Then, I shoot for something in the middle. But knowing what I can “live with” often helps to reduce the perfectionism.
Lisa
Hey Lisa
What a FANTABULOUS POST! Did you write this with ME in mind because I am the ‘let’s get 40 tasks done today’ kind of gal who realizes – in the evening – that she has gotten nothing done.
I LOVE your technique about focusing on 1 – or maybe 2 – major tasks, and taking time off to recharge!
As far as inner critics are concerned, I have about a thousand devils in my mind and heart! LOL
I need to be part of your seminar! #HUGSSS
MUCH love
Kitto
Krithika
Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. The good news is you are not alone . . . all month I’m writing about “real life” time management challenges – and trust me, they come for “the real world”! Be sure to stop back and let me know how focusing on 1 or 2 things works for you! Join the teleseminar!!!!!!!!!! You will find TONS of value!
Hi Lisa,
“Instead of setting the goal to accomplish 40 tasks today – choose ONE” is great advice. It’s like the oft-quoted and humorous “know the best way to eat an elephant…one bite at a time.”
Unless you clone yourself, it’s simply impossible to get everything you need done at one time. So, start with one thing. If you have 3 credit cards to pay off, start with with one. If you have to vacuum ten rooms, start with one room. Baby steps! :-)
Also, thank you so much for the kind and wonderful comment you left me the other day. I’m happy you enjoyed it, and I’m even happier the “QuickSprout” tool I suggested will help you!
Just a FYI, I published a new post this morning. Give it a read when you have the time. :-)
Have a great day, Lisa!
Hi Kevin
The elephant quote is one of my favorites!!!! Anything can be accomplished ONE step (or one bite) at a time!!! Excited to read your next post!
Lisa
Hi Lisa,Great post! Everyone knows we only have 24hrs in 1 day, and that is absolutely all we have to work with! I wonder why people want to cram 72hrs worth of work in 24hrs! That\’s a definite recipe for failure. My approach is to make a list of the things I have to do, both career/business and personal. I prioritize the list from most important to least important and start from the top, of course. I do what I can for the day, cross them off the list and then pick up from there the next day. Sometimes I revise the list to accommodate any new deadlines I have to meet. My signal to take a break is when I am staring at the computer and cannot think of the next word to type. I do not hesitate, and I am always much more productive afterwards.Looking forward to reading more from you!
Hi Onyeka
Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment! I client of mine recently mentioned that she couldn’t get everything she wanted to get done each morning before she left for work. She kept telling me “I really am trying to make changes . . . but I just can’t seem to get in my morning walk (or mediation or meal planning or . . .). We timed each of her activities and realized that her “morning routine” would take 4.5 hours to complete – yet she was leaving herself 2 hours. NO WONDER she could’t complete it! So – we did exactly like you said – she prioritized . . . what was important each day, which activities could be done tomorroww . . . and adjusted daily!
Lisa
Hi Lisa,
Distractions are normal and unavoidable issues in life. People hardly knows that trying to do all things at the same time, working tirelessly does have a negative effect on their health.
My strategy is based on my personal belief, which is ‘ slow and steady wins the race’.
I simply focus on a schedule or project one after the other. Once a project or schedule is accomplished, that is only when I move on to the next stage.
Thanks for sharing this thoughtful piece.
James –
Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment! Congrats on being able to apply diligent, laser focus to accomplishing your tasks and projects! I agree with you, multi-tasking does have a negative effect on our health! One project at a time!
Lisa
Hi Lisa! I know those nasty Gremlins and I boot them out of my mind by immediately counting all the things that I have achieved during the day – call it an instant Gratitude session. Helps to motivate me to continue with other tasks which need to be completed.
I keep a weekly To Do List which has the latest date for completion noted on it and I plod through it ticking off tasks that have been completed and adding new ones as they come up. I prefer to get 1 critical task done in a day rather than 40 and my favorite tool is the Pomodoro technique. I’m thrilled to see many of your readers use it too. Good to be in good company!
Vatsala
Instant Gratitude Session – LOVE it!!!! What a great way to keep yourself on track! Thanks for sharing it – and thanks for stopping by!
Lisa
You are so right that building in downtime is important. Otherwise, you’ll feel like a failure for lack of checking off all the boxes on the to do list.
I trick myself into doing things one at a time. Saying I only have to do this one thing. And then my success will motivate me to do another. And it snowballs.
Some days, I’m very productive and I get ALL kinds of things done. Other days, I’m just not feeling it. And it’s important to remember that we need those days to recharge. This post was a good reminder to leave the guilt behind and keep on!
Thanks for your comment, Dawn Teresa! On some days, my mantra is “I can do anything for 15 minutes”. That’s my strategy for tricking myself! If, after the end of 15 minutes I don’t want to continue, no problem – I switch to another task.
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