Finding Time

Don't be fooled by the calendar. There are only so many days in the year as you make use of. One man gets only a week's value out of a year while another man gets a full year's value out of a week.

---Charles Richards

Our priorities change from decade to decade, year to year, week to week and day to day. That's normal. When I was a teenager my priorities were simple. I wanted to make good grades, make a little (lot) of money, and have fun, and not necessarily in that order. During my college years making enough money to survive often took precedence over studying for a test.

When our list of priorities is short, deciding how to spend our time is relatively easy. In today's society it's not so easy. It seems like everyone wants a slice of our time. The boss wants you to work overtime, the kid needs help with his homework, the wash machine is making funky noises and needs to be checked out, the phone is ringing, e-mails to answer, and if you are a Squidoo'er like me, lenses to update and lenses to build. And what about quality time with the family?

Clean the house---When?

Time to relax?

Sleep?

Time management only goes so far. There are twenty-four hours in the day, no more, no less. If you want to use your time effectively, you have to set your priorities.

We have to ask ourselves if the time spent relaxing or spent with friends and families is wasted. The time I spend sprawled out on the couch watching TV or reading, is that sloth?

Again that depends on our priorities. Family and friends are important to me. So is spending time relaxing and reading. And I'm not willing to give them up.

The key is to find a balance between work and play. This is especially important for those who work from home. You're not on the clock, so to speak, so it's easy to wile away the time. I find I get less done in the summertime when I'm off than during the school year.

The less time I have the better I am at managing it. I work smarter, not harder.

This is where the time management comes into play.

My family and friends, and my job as a teacher are my priorities. They will always come first. Time to relax is right up there as well. If I don't take time for myself to relax and to read, all the other facets of my life suffer for it. Consequently the time I have for my online interests is limited. So I make the most of the time I have.

Ask yourself--

1. What time of the day are you the most alert and ready to work?

2. Is your work space organized and efficient?

3. Do you organize your time? Make a plan for the day? Lists? Or do you tackle it hap-hazardly?

I'm a morning person. That may be due to the fact that I grew up on a farm and was up doing chores long before the sun rose. In the summer and on weekends when I get up, I grab a cup of coffee and head to the computer. During the school year I usually put in an hour on the computer before getting ready for work. I'll get more done in that hour than in three hours after school.

Figure out what works best for you. If you are a night-owl, log in after everyone else has gone to bed. I prefer a block of time, but some people are on and off the computer all day, ten minutes here and ten minutes there. If you have no control over the time allotted but working online is one of your priorities, work with what you've got.

I'm a list maker, at school and at home. I rarely finish a list before making a new one, but it helps me organize my time. Schedules and deadlines are recorded on a notebook size calendar. Long range planning is just as important as the day-to-day schedule.

Be flexable. No schedule is written in stone. If something comes up that pulls you away from the computer, don't fret. Just adjust the schedule accordingly. There are times when I have a hundred things planned for the day, but end up chucking it all in favor of a day at the pool with a book I've read a thousand times.

I have a list of ideas for lenses and a tentative schedule for completion, but when a new idea pops in my head it is often moved to the top of the list.

Creativity doesn't always follow a schedule.

The Rock Philosophy has been mentioned at nearly every time management seminar I have ever attended. It keeps popping up because it works.

Think of it as an analogy.

Suppose you had several rocks, and a bunch of sand and gravel that needs to be stored in a single jar. If you put the sand and gravel in first, there's no room for the rocks, but if the rocks go in first, the sand and gravel can be shifted around until it all fits.

The same principal works with time consuming projects. Big projects (rocks) need to be started first. The smaller projects (sand and gravel) such as responding to e-mails and updating lenses can be shifted around the bigger projects. When I have a big project to do I start on it first thing. When I need a break from it, (time to think) I work on the smaller projects. When I finish a small project I go back to the big ones. Over the course of the day I end up getting a whole lot more done.

This is the beginning of a new day.
God has given me this day to use as I will.
I can waste it or use it for good.
What I do today is important, because
I am exchanging a day of my life for it.
When tomorrow comes,
this day will be gone forever,
leaving in its place something
that I have traded for it.
I want it to be gain, not loss;
good not evil; success not failure;
in order that I shall not regret
the price I paid for it.
---Author Unknown