We have all read articles, watched TedTalks<\/em>,<\/strong> and possibly attended a workshop or two on how to manage our time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So why don\u2019t we practice what we have learned?<\/p>\n\n\n\n The reason is the classic problem of procrastination<\/em>. Socrates and Aristotle developed a word for it \u2013 Akrasia \u2013 meaning \u2018acting against your better judgment; a lack of self-control\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We procrastinate because we want instant<\/em> gratification<\/em>. The Marshmallow experiment gave a lot of insight into postponing instant gratification. Children had the option of eating a marshmallow or waiting and were promised an additional<\/em> marshmallow IF they wait for 15 minutes. For some the marshmallow staring at them was too much to resist and they ate it immediately and others waited a while, then gave in. Only a few waited for the second marshmallow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is important to mention that procrastination and instant gratification are not inherent traits and so we can<\/em> learn to delay gratification. Mastering this habit will help you to bridge the gap between where you are now and where you want to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The questions that needs answering are \u201cWhere do I want to be? What do I want to achieve?\u201d Note: a goal needs to be written down<\/em> and not only be in your head!<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you know what<\/em> your goal is, do some introspection to answer these questions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Why<\/em> do I want that?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Who will benefit<\/em> from me achieving the goal?<\/p>\n\n\n\n What actions<\/em> are needed?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Starting to control yourself must be easy<\/em>. Break actions into smaller tasks, don\u2019t attempt to do all at once. How do you eat an elephant? Bite by bite! Start by building new routines or rituals to replace your present timewasters.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n Time management tips: Getting started<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Time is a limited resource<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n There are 24 hours, 1440 minutes, and 86400 seconds every single day, so time is limited and therefore valuable. Each one of us has the same amount of time, but some are using their time more efficiently than others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What do you pay attention to?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Energy flows where focus goes so you should care<\/em> about the tasks that require your attention. If you don\u2019t care about a task, don\u2019t spend time on it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Efficient people are managing the events in their lives, they have learned to wait for gratification by doing self-analysis, planning, evaluation and knowing their triggers<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Have you ever recorded how you spend your time?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Keep a record for just two weeks to bring more insight into your time management ability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Record your actions in 15-minute intervals. Then evaluate the results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ask yourself if you did the things that were needed<\/em>, which task<\/em> required the most time, what is your most productive time of day<\/em> and where<\/em> you spend most of your time (family, work, or other)?<\/p>\n\n\n\n 4. You should only have one<\/em> list for all your tasks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 5. Rate each task according to Importance<\/em> – urgent, not important, and not urgent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 6. The goal is not to cross out the most<\/em> items on the list, but rather spend the most time<\/em> on tasks with an importance rating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Using planning tools<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Another way to manage the events in our lives is to use a planning tool<\/em>. Tasks that are written down<\/em> allow you to focus on the priorities. Planning tools include a dairy, calendar, wall charts, or an app like Toggle<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 7. Our surroundings are of utmost importance so declutter<\/em> your environment as doing this will allow you to focus and feel in control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 8. Have a process in place to handle information only once! Life happens and we cannot schedule every minute of every day. Use your time-record to assist you – allow time for interruptions in your schedule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 9.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is important to schedule a time<\/em> for the to-dos<\/em> as well as the want to dos<\/em>. Do the important tasks during your most productive time of the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Get help<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n You cannot do everything yourself. Why do you, as the business owner, spend time doing an R100 task? You must do only tasks with the highest value. Delegate tasks<\/em>. Employ a cleaner or give your children age-appropriate chores. (During the process they learn to wait for gratification – if<\/em> you keep to your promises!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n A farmer once told me that there is a fine line between being lazy and not in the mood. That has spurred me into action many times in the past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Giving time away<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Remember: your<\/em> time, your<\/em> rules! We do not have to answer every<\/em> phone call, email or WAP message immediately. Batch tasks<\/em> and respond once or twice a day at – set a reminder until it becomes a habit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The notion of multitasking is bull*%!+\u2026. ever noticed that you cannot remember the road to your destination whilst talking on the phone? Our brains are wired to focus on one thing at a time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not managing the events in our days will lead to stress, fatigue, moodiness, and eventually illness. It is our responsibility<\/em> to manage ourselves, to be able to accomplish<\/em> our dreams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Aristotle also coined the word \u2013 Enkrateia \u2013 meaning \u2018in power over oneself\u2019. The few children that waited for the second marshmallow proved to be more successful later in life. They did not fall into the procrastination trap but had power over themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n An unknown person once said: \u201cThe bad news is time flies. The good news is – you are the pilot<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" If we manage the events in our lives, we will be managing our time as<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1010","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-articles","category-finance"],"featured_image_urls":{"full":"","thumbnail":"","medium":"","medium_large":"","large":"","1536x1536":"","2048x2048":"","magazine-7-slider-full":"","magazine-7-slider-center":"","magazine-7-featured":"","magazine-7-medium":"","magazine-7-medium-square":""},"author_info":{"info":["TheLife Team"]},"category_info":"Articles & Advertisers<\/a> Finance<\/a>","tag_info":"Finance","comment_count":"0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelife.digital\/tl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1010","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelife.digital\/tl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelife.digital\/tl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelife.digital\/tl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelife.digital\/tl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1010"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelife.digital\/tl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1010\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1013,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelife.digital\/tl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1010\/revisions\/1013"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelife.digital\/tl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1010"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelife.digital\/tl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1010"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelife.digital\/tl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1010"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.thelife.digital\/tl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/pexels-andrea-piacquadio-3767411-scaled-e1605359298442-1024x683.jpg\")
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