Have you seen this quote before?
“ABILITY is what you are capable of doing
MOTIVATION determines what you do
ATTITUDE determines how well you do it”
It’s a good one! But I’d like to add another line to it….
“TIME MANAGEMENT is how you get it done.”
Because here’s the thing. It’s all well and good to have the ability and attitude and the motivation
but if your time management and prioritisation skills are poor, your motivation will gradually be
sucked right out of you.
When you don’t manage your time, things get on top of you. You feel overwhelmed, things start
getting moved across to the ‘too hard basket’. In fact, things end up in the ‘don’t even up doing it’
basket.
And when you feel like that, it’s very hard to get motivated to do better or do anything!
So, here are five simple time management tips and the motivation benefit it will bring to your work
life, health and / or home life.
1. Get it out of your head
Write a To Do list. If you don’t write one every day, make sure you write one at least once a
week. Think about that mini-rush you get when you cross something off that list. You get
motivated to keep going, yes?
2. Be proactive not reactive
Schedule your day. Don’t respond to emails or FB messages just because you got an alert
saying you got an email or private message. Be disciplined and allocate scheduled times
throughout the day to reply to emails or any other forms of communication. You’ll finish
projects faster and be motivated to start new ones.
3. Me time set in stone
This one is really important for your health. Every day I walk to the beach after the kids have
gone to school and I DO NOT start work until I come back from that brisk walk. That ‘date’
with myself does not move for anyone. I even walk in the rain. That time gives me valuable
space to clear my head, surround myself with nature AND get myself motivated for the day
ahead.
4. Collaboration
There is nothing like sharing the like-minded load with someone, whether it’s another
business owner you’re working on a project with, or a contractor you work with or a friend
that you have decided to do the City to Surf with. Having someone else to work with drives
and motivates you to better yourself. Excuses are hard to give to other people, aren’t they?
5. Daily planning sessions
This is for work AND home. Giving yourself 15 minutes at the end of the work day or at night
time when the kids are in bed to plan ahead for the next day will save you loads of stress. If
its work, clear your desk, write up a quick plan for the next day, and get anything ready you
need to for a meeting or Skype call. You’re one step ahead already which means you won’t
be dragging your feet about stepping into the office and tackling the day.
From a home management perspective spend 15 minutes prepping school lunches, putting
breakfast items out on the table, ironing school uniforms – whatever it is you need to do to
help the family get out the door in the morning without any tantrums (including your own!).
Just popping this 15 minutes aside the night before means you’ll be less likely to hide under
the covers in the morning and more likely to bounce out of bed knowing that you’re one
step ahead already.
Can you see the link? Getting yourself organised and managing your time will go such a long way
towards helping you manage your workload. It’s about being proactive. The more organised and
proactive you are, the higher the levels of motivation.
The higher the levels of motivation, the faster you reach your goals.
Go for it!