Habits to Optimise Your Time

Time is one of those limited resources that we all want more of. Having enough time to do “everything” drives many of us to follow new fads and hacks.

The thing is, we can have all the time we need, if we have clarity on what we want and we support ourselves with the right habits.

Sounds super easy right? Well, yes and no. Yes, because if we had clarity and habits to support the available time we have, everything would flow smoothly. No, because this looks different for everyone, and life has a way of getting IN the way. As soon as one “block” of time tumbles, the rest come falling down, and it feels difficult to get everything built back up again.

So, what is the solution? Here is a 5 step process to help you figure out and map out how to manage your time, and then make sure you have habits in place to support what you want to achieve within the time you have available.

Step 1 – Clarity

Here are some questions for you to answer (preferably write them down the old fashioned way, with pen and paper):

1. What is most important to you right now? This can be a list of things. Just write them down as they come to you. You will use this again later.
2. What is taking most of your time right now? Again, write down what comes to you in no particular order.
3. Group each of your answers so far into categories. For example, Job, Business, Housework, Family Time, Caring for Kids/Family, Kids Activities, Self Care (if you even get any right now), Friends, Fun, etc.

Now, part of gaining clarity is also to understand how much time you actually have to work with. On a blank, unlined sheet of paper, draw a table that has the days of the week across the top, and the chunks of time you have available down the left side – such as, 6am to 8am, 8am to 9am, 9am to 12pm, 12pm to 12:30pm, 12:30pm to 2:30pm, 2:30 to 8pm, 8pm to 10pm. Then you can write into each of those chunks, on each day of the week what your “have tos” are – school drop off and/or pick up, lunch, regular meetings etc.

Next comes prioritising everything else.

Step 2 – Prioritise

Something that I have found extremely important and helpful, is to clarify what is important and the prioritise it.

We all have so many things we want to do, but what is actually important. Really. Sometimes, the floors can wait a day or two or seven.

If you’re a business owner, and you really need to write a proposal, or put your media kit together, or pitch to a media outlet or new client, that is way more important than making sure your floors are vacuumed!

Can another parent at school either drop your child off or pick them up for you one day a week, so you can get more of a clear run of time to get into things? Chances are, your child will love this too. I take my daughter to school everyday, and pick her up nearly every day, so when we gets a chance to have an after school play date, she LOVES it!

Take the categorised list your out together in Step 1 and put it in order of priority.

Working from the highest priority to the lowest, complete the table you started in Step 1.

I’d suggest reviewing this list once a month, as things do change, and you can reshuffle the list based on what comes up in your business/work life and personal life.

Step 3 – Your Relationship with Time

Why is it important to understand your relationship with time? Like relationship, if it’s dysfunctional you need to be aware of that, then figure out why and how to fix it.

How we perceive time is a big part of how we interact with time. Think back to when you were a kid. How do you remember your parents talking about and behaving about time?

I remember there “never being enough time”, and my mother and I hurrying from one activity to another. Now, I was one of those highly scheduled kids – SO many activities and almost no time to really just “be”.

What do you think I did when I became a mum? I over scheduled my daughter and we rushed from one thing to the next. Mornings were a rush, after school was a rush. Always “busy, busy, busy”.

Not surprising really. Once I became aware of this (it was a holy sh*t moment while listening to a podcast actually!) I realised I had fallen into old patterns. I’d become the “steamroller” everyone in the house got out of the way of as I rushed around getting everything ready and running out the door. Oh dear.

Once becoming aware, I then needed to start repairing my relationship with time. How I saw time and how I talked about and behaved with time.

This also meant building in habits to help me not rush so much, but it also meant that one of my daily mantras became, “I have all the time I need to do what I want and need to do”.

It’s amazing how something so simple could have such a profound impact.

While I still do sometimes run a bit behind, I don’t beat myself (or my family) up for this anymore. I also stop looking at the clock, as that only makes it worse!

So, think about your relationship with time and what become aware can do for you.

Step 4 – Review Your Habits

This step is about looking at what you currently do on a daily basis and to decide whether it helps you or hinders you.

For example, first thing in the morning, do you check your phone and end up down an email or social media rabbit hole for too long?

Do you get your clothes ready the night before, so when you wake up you can quickly throw your exercise gear on and commit to exercise?

Do you fall asleep in front of the TV every night and never get time to read?

Write down these sorts of habits and then mark which one you think Help or Hinder you.

Step 5 – Align Your Habits & Time

Now that you have a prioritised list of activities in a weekly schedule, and identified the habits you need to continue or change, it’s time to review these and make sure they are aligned.

For example, if one of your priorities is sleep, but your schedule has you working until 11pm (at which time you go straight to bed) and starting exercise at 6am, with no wind down time at night, or wake up time in the morning, you will never stick to either your bed time or your exercise.

A layer of reality needs to be applied to recognise that it takes time to wind down at night (maybe some reading or a jigsaw puzzle…), and also you need time between activities, even to go to the toilet!

This isn’t about scheduling every second of your day. The purpose is to make your to-do list and your habits realistic and something you can stick to. Otherwise you might push through for a week and then collapse in a heap and never get back to this again.

Review your prioritised list. Look at your habits. Look at your schedule. Is this all achievable?

If so, get stuck into it! If not, revise it until you can realistically achieve what you’re expecting of yourself.