Sometimes I feel as if time will never stand still. . . wait a minute, I think I know the answer about this, don’t I? Its not supposed to stand still. Well, if that’s the case, then how am I supposed to accomplish everything that I wish for in my life?
Students and clients have asked me about this, since they know that I hold down 3 full time jobs (professor, speaker, pastor. . .and husband, father, counsellor, yard mower. . .you get the point). The key idea, which is brought home very well in an article on J.D.’s incredible site, Get Rich Slowly, is to use well-designed to-do lists.
This is the only way that I can stay focused on my dreams. This weekend I am traveling to Auburn University to speak for my fraternity. Yet, I also need to be back to speak for my church on Sunday. AND, Sunday is my eldest daughter Logan’s birthday, so getting home is critical. To handle the weekend, I must be proactive and on top of all that is required of me, from finishing handouts for the talks to ensuring we have birthday plans all set-up.
What trips up many, though, is not the to-do list (or lack thereof), but rather never actually getting to the list of things that you want to accomplish. The point here is to avoid losing time because, well, you don’t have time to waste. April called losing time “time sucks”–the things we get trapped into rather than doing the things we’d much rather be doing (or know we need to be doing).
She wrote:
Battling the time suck
If any of those time sucks sound familiar (and they do to me), there are ways to circumvent time suckage.
- First, try not to get sucked in the first place. If your tasks don’t involve the internet, don’t go online. If they don’t involve the computer at all, don’t open your laptop.
- If you do need to go online or use a computer, don’t go to unnecessary sites. I am much more productive when working online if I close my Gmail tab.
- If there isn’t a show on that you really like, turn off the TV.
- Commit to doing one thing on your list for just 10 minutes. You know how this works. After 10 minutes, you usually want to do more.
- When you feel yourself being sucked in by mindless activities, ask yourself if you spent the last hour as you intended. What did you want to do with your time, and if you didn’t do it, what can you do now?
Number five is powerful because it focuses on the positive, letting enjoyment and good feelings affect your activities instead of making the evening one big to-do list. I know I’ll feel better after my yoga practice, and that gets me on my mat. Afterward, I’m encouraged by that success to spend the rest of the evening mindfully.
Make sure you zip over to J.D.’s site to read the rest of April’s thoughts. Just make sure you aren’t letting time suck away while you are reading. If you need to be doing something else more important to your dreams, just bookmark the page for later and get busy on the more important thing in your life!