If you are one of the 40% of working moms with minor children, then you likely go about your day at a hectic pace – rushing from one activity to the next – and end the day feeling like you did not accomplish all you set out to do.
“But if only there were more hours in the day for the things and people I love,” you might say. While most people place blame on lack of time, studies actually say most people have lots of time. In fact, time-management experts say the real issue is lack of energy: by learning ways to better manage your daily energy flow, it will pave the way for more precious hours for the things you love most.
Time and energy are your two most valuable resources. Have you ever noticed how low energy can sap your focus and motivation levels, making those mundane must-do tasks that much longer to accomplish? On the opposite spectrum, when your energy is high driven by positive emotions, your time multiplies and you can breeze through your day and end up with more hours for the things and people you love. Here are ways you can make it work:
Monitor Your Time
Find out how you spend your time and how to get back any time you have lost.
1. Are you on the computer? Apps like RescueTime help track where you spend your minutes online. Their cool feature is a weekly report that monitors how much time you really spend on Facebook or Zappos. A non-digital option is keeping a notebook handy to record the time you spend on various tasks.
2. As you identify your time-use patterns, zero in on the big time-wasters: procrastination, idleness, window shopping, social networking sites, among others.
3. Keep a list of when your time felt truly well spent. Identify moments you can reclaim, so that more of them can be put towards boosting your well-being.
Find More Energy
Now that your time-use patterns are apparent, find out how to make these moments more rewarding.
1. Certain activities such as walking on the beach or exercising that give you an overall positive emotional experience also happen to boost your energy, making the not-so-fun tasks get done faster. Need a solution when feeling sleepy after lunch? Try reading the comics.
2. Take a break every hour or two to recharge your batteries. Eat a snack, stretch out, do ten push-ups, etc. You will be more productive and focused afterwards.
3. Limit your to-do list to no more than five items and set aside time for each one. By being realistic and reasonable about your goals, you are more likely to accomplish them (“I did it!”), which, in turn, will boost your energy.
4. Procrastination wastes time and sucks up your energy. Spending time watching YouTube cat videos when you should be organizing that coat closet is time you will not get back. The best way to beat this problem is to just start that dreaded task.
Monitor Your Energy
With more time on your hands at this point, find ways to enhance what energy you’ve got.
1. Get an overview of your energy levels. Every two hours, jot down your activity and feelings (“happy,” “tired,” etc), and rate your state of mind on a scale from one to five, noting the times when scores were highest and lowest.
2. Know when you are most energized. Do the challenging stuff during times you feel most efficient (like organizing that coat closet) and save the less taxing activities for when your energy dips (like folding laundry). Plan your day’s events to make the best use of your natural energy highs and lows whenever possible.
Find More Time
With more awareness of your energy levels, you can now seek out more time for YOU.
1. Each evening, pinpoint your most important task for the next day and make that top priority during your peak energy period: turn off email and Facebook distractions, silence the phone, and block access to distracting websites for an hour or two using an app like SelfControl.
2. Difficult as it is, focus on one thing at a time. Doing multiple activities sucks up your energy very quickly and does not help you get more done.
3. Make boring tasks more fun. Dance to your favorite tune while folding laundry. Sip hot cocoa while you balance the checkbook.
4. Reward yourself and do it often. Anticipating a favorite activity gives you a motivation lift, making you less likely to drag your feet and waste time.
In conclusion, as with any new change, it takes effort and practice to shift around your personal time-energy balance. Allow yourself a few months to settle into this new change. And soon enough, you will be faced with more hours and energy to spend on all the things that have forever been in your “I don’t have time” list.
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