Are you feeling out of balance?
I’ve written before about how I was thriving on a low information diet. Lately I’ve been paying more attention to how I’m spending my time. I’ve been cutting out more time-wasting activities out of my day, which has increased my productivity and helped me to gain a healthier life balance.
Your time is precious and you never know how long you have. It’s crucial that you invite and experience joy in your day to day life. Don’t get caught up in activities that aren’t contributing to your greatest good.
If you find there are not enough hours in the day to get things done, if you’re unable to get to sleep at night because your mind is racing, or if you’re feeling burned out, then chances are your life is out of balance.
Start making small changes to get back in balance, now!
#1 Prioritize your tasks
Make a list of what you think you need to do today, then for each task, ask yourself these questions:
- Is it necessary?
- Could someone else be doing it?
- Should it be done now?
- What part of this task could be omitted?
When you get into a state of inquiry about your to-do list, you will start to find ways to eliminate the non-essentials and learn to delegate, which saves you precious time.
#2 Cut out your time wasters
Make a list of all the ways you waste time – write as many as you can. Identify your biggest time suck, and then make a commitment to yourself to eliminate it today by writing out five ways to solve the problem. Revisit your list after three days then tackle the next problem – you will soon be a master of your own time.
Stuck for ideas?
- Clutter – you waste time looking for things
- Multi-tasking – try to focus on one task at a time until it’s complete
- Meetings running over – wrap it up on time
#3 Make minor decisions quickly
Stop procrastinating
We tend to waste a lot of time thinking too much about options when it comes to simple decisions. Then once we’ve made them, we agonize if we’ve made the right one.
Create a new habit
The next time you’re faced with a decision, tune into your body by taking a deep breath and notice how your belly feels. If you are a habitual procrastinator when it comes to making decisions, notice what sensations are present in your body when you start to go down this path.
Declare trust in yourself to make the right decisions, more efficiently going forward. Ask your body to support you in this new process. Once you’ve made a decision, accept it and move on. Do not think about it afterwards. The more you practice this, the better you will get and the more time you will have to focus on things that matter.
My biggest change this month was around multi-tasking. It’s an old habit I’m breaking and I haven’t mastered it yet. I’m a work in progress!
I’m using my calendar more to schedule important tasks, so I have blocks of time dedicated to each one. I am quicker at catching myself when I get distracted and I stop to ask myself if it’s a necessary distraction or emergency (usually it’s not).
Switching between tasks takes time and requires the brain to re-focus. By applying this simple change I estimate I’m saving 3-4 hours per week.
Making the most of each day and getting your life in balance does not have to be difficult. Start making small changes today, continue for one week, and then notice what happens.