I Am Learning to Work With, Not Against, The Clock

"Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes; Five hundred twenty-five thousand moments so dear; Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes; How do you measure, measure a year?"  

If you are anything like me, that song (Seasons of Love) is immediately recognizable and you didn't just read that but you sang it in your head while reading, and now you can't get it out. You're welcome.

I absolutely love Rent. It is one of my all-time favorites and I especially love that song. I get asked a lot how I find the time to do all that I do, what my silver bullet is to managing it all. It always makes me think of this song and before I know it, the soundtrack is playing in my head. 

"In five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes; How do you measure a year in the life"

But the truth? Until recently I felt like such a fraud when I would be asked this, usually responding by laughing it off or coming up with some canned answer like "I consume a lot of coffee and don't get much sleep." Because, inside? Inside - I was crumbling to keep it all together, keeping my brain from exploding - work deadlines, kids' schedules, theme weeks at school, registration deadlines for activities, meetings for volunteer work, family time, etc, etc. I felt like I was constantly running against the clock, with a mind always distracted, rarely able to find the time for myself that I not only needed but, hell if I say, deserved. 

The morning of June 26, 2018, while at work, life stopped me in my tracks as I got word that a dear friend passed away unexpectedly. It was in that moment that this race I was in against the clock just STOPPED. Time stood still and the rest of the world, all that stuff I was trying to not let crumble, didn't matter; and it crumbled, and suddenly that didn't really seem to matter anymore either. Death has a funny way of making you remember and realize what is truly most important in life. After that life-altering moment I had a strong realization that although I was genuinely enjoying my life, I was also racing through it and just knew there had to be a better way. I knew the answer was to get more effective with my time management.

...when you stop trying to race against time and learn to work with it, it is amazing at how productive and fulfilled you can feel.

I didn't focus on cutting back all my "stuff," instead I focused on getting more intentional about my time. I realized that when you stop trying to race against time and learn to work with it, it is amazing at how productive and fulfilled you can feel. I like to think about managing time the same way you think about operating a business, so here are a few things I've personally started to really focus on as I continue to work on being more intentional with my time.

• Build a Solid Strategic Plan - Just like any successful business, you need to have a vision, purpose, plan and desired outcomes - know your end game and have a plan to get there. The same is true for your life and how you spend your time. To the best of your ability, schedule your day in a way that works best for you. Block off chunks of time for thinking and productive work during the time of day you are most creative and/or you feel most focused. Try to schedule less exciting tasks after something that gives you a lot of energy. Another thing to do is to look at your calendar and start declining meetings that provide no value (these are usually the ones you multi-task during). As you start being more intentional with your time and really examine how you spend your days, I can almost guarantee that you will find ways to be more productive and effective with your time and take back control of your calendar so you can do more of what brings you the most fulfillment and joy. If I can do it, anyone can!
• Promote a Culture of Teamwork  - When you work for your people, they will work for you in return. At work this really shows up by leveraging strengths across the team. This allows you to put more energy into what you love and are good at, while others can do the same, building a great diverse team that is doing fulfilling work. The more you can focus on what you love, the more productive you tend to be with your time. At home? Well, they say it takes a village - use that village and be the village back. They (who is 'they' anyway??) also say teamwork makes the dream work, and I think when you can focus on what you do best you not only feel more fulfilled but it is also a great way to get more intentional with your time. Nobody can do it all, and it's perfectly okay to not only accept, but embrace, that - the extra time will thank you. 
• Outsource the Little Things - Along the same lines as partnerships, you really can't do it all so look for ways to make life easier. Some of the mundane tasks that you dread take up the most time because you not only waste time procrastinating but you also take up a lot of brain space as you feel the dread in doing said task or activity. It's also okay to ask someone to help with something you don't enjoy but know they love and are good at - people often love being helpful. Think also about some of your everyday tasks and errands that take a lot of time and energy from you and ask yourself if the cost to outsource is worth the price to not deal with the hassle. There are so many apps and new services available today that help save time like pre-ordering that morning coffee instead of waiting in line 15 minutes, or grocery delivery service instead of spending precious time at the store. Think about what works for you. 
• Learn When To Cut Your Losses - Sometimes there will be things that no longer seem to fit in your life, they take away more energy than they give. It's okay to let go. Life is about growth, and wasted energy equates to wasted time, so choose wisely where you give your energy and find more time for the things that give you energy, that feed your soul. On the same token, failure is a part of life. When you fail, fail fast. Learn from it, straighten that crown and move on, don't obsess over it. Mind clutter is very real and impacts your overall productivity and can be a huge time sucker. 
• It Really is OK to Say NO Sometimes - Trust me, I get it - it is really hard to say no most of the time, especially at work. At the same time, there is also something to be said for raising your hand when your plate is full or when you feel like you really just aren't the right person for a certain project or job. I'm still working on this in my career, but over the past year I've gotten really good at saying NO in my personal life. And on that note, I need to rant here for a minute...parenting is hard you guys, like really freaking hard and exhausting (while wonderfully amazing at the same time). So I always wonder who is behind these ideas that make parenting even harder by coming up with the added mind clutter and insanity of Pinterest, different themes each week at school with associated attire and sometimes crafts, or the need to be at every school function; oh, and the Elf on the Shelf, that mother Elf, the bane of my existence. Maybe I've started to become a lazy parent but I've been taking the easy way out lately - not volunteering for every school activity, not making special homemade treats for every holiday party, and feeling no guilt about it, nor do my kids notice any difference in how much I love them; in fact, I'm happier and have more time to spend with them. And in case you were wondering - our Elf didn't move much this year and I managed to talk my way out of it every morning that happened, completely guilt-free and feeling more rested too.
• Take that Vacation - Moments of peace and quiet matter and we all need some down time, some quiet time, some time to recharge. There is no reason why earned vacation time should go to waste, and you should feel no guilt in using it. As for moments of peace and quiet every day, there is no secret sauce, as this can be different for everybody. Recently for me it's been important to get out for lunch, even if just a quick walk around the building. And until a few weeks ago I was spending my lunches doing Yoga which was a great way to keep me calm and centered - some time just for me. I have also recently started a pretty solid nap routine that is working for me and I would highly recommend finding the time to nap if you can. I don't sleep well (something I'm working on) but I do try to squeeze in a little 20-30 minute catnap immediately after work almost every day. It does wonders and it's amazing how much more productive and effective you are when you are well-rested, and find some quiet peaceful moments throughout the day. We all need a break sometimes and making the time for that refresh results in better work too. There is no badge of honor for staying busy just for the sake of looking busy.

I actually forced myself to take an entire week where I literally logged how I spent every second of the day.

They say time is what you make of it. It's such a funny thing - so priceless yet so costly when lost. I would just encourage you to do the best with the time you have. Try to find ways to be more mindful and intentional in how you are spending your time. I actually forced myself to take an entire week where I literally logged how I spent every second of the day. It was kind of annoying but I'm glad I did it and if you are up for the challenge I would highly recommend this tactic. It was very eye-opening as I found some habits I didn't realize were so bad and time-consuming (ahem, can anyone say phone and reality TV addictions). I also found pockets of time that I was wasting and figured ways to use that time more productively.

Overall, it just helped me get more strategic and intentional in planning out each day and how I spend my time, and helped me realize the only way to stop racing against the clock was to find some strategies to make my time work for me by prioritizing what is most important. Just as you do in business, you set your vision and goals, and then align your priorities and plan your work in a way that most effectively allows you to achieve those desired outcomes.

Bend and stretch for what is important and if you read my prior post on a similar topic, I talked about the glass and rubber balls - don't feel guilty or worry about those rubber balls because they always bounce back. It is those glass balls that need to be priority. I thought I didn't have the time to stop and get more strategic in structuring my time. But when my world crumbled, I didn't have a choice. I value quality over quantity, and I have found that it's not about finding time it's about making time. 

"A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life." ~Charles Darwin 

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