Month: October 2013

5 Questions to Ask Your Unfinished To-Do List

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Time Management to-do listOh, the frustration of an unfinished to-do list! Those lingering tasks left without a satisfying check mark beside them. Before you simply roll your unfinished tasks onto tomorrow’s list, stop! Here are five questions to ask yourself when you end the day with uncompleted responsibilities.

1. Why?

What happened that left tasks lingering? Did unexpected situations pop up that took priority? Were you unfocussed? Were you working inefficiently? Taking a moment to analyze the why behind your unfinished list can help you correct the problem in the future.

2. Am I Being Realistic?

Perhaps your list remains habitually unfinished because your expectations are too high. You only have so many hours in the day and you can’t work at your peak efficiency non-stop. You’d never expect to write War and Peace in a day, but maybe that’s what you’re demanding of yourself.

3. Is Everything Necessary?
If the same tasks have lingered at the bottom of your list for weeks…and the world has kept on spinning, are they really necessary? If so, you need to make one of them a focus task for tomorrow and clear it from your plate. If not, get rid of it! Just because you’d like to do something or it might be helpful, doesn’t mean it’s necessary.

4. Have I Said No Recently?

If your list keeps piling up, are you saying “Yes” to too many tasks that don’t realistically fit in your schedule? When was the last time you said “No” to a task? Can’t think of when? Make it tomorrow.

5. What Can I Do Differently Tomorrow?

If you didn’t finish your list today, and you do everything exactly the same tomorrow…you probably won’t finish your list then either. What change will you make to produce a different result? Do you need to wake up earlier? Take an energizing walk over lunch so you’re more productive in the afternoon? Turn off Facebook so you’re more focused?

Come up with a game plan that will put you on the road to success.

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5 Lies We Believe About Time Management

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Time management liesTime management is an essential skill for productive success, so it’s no wonder we all want so badly to be good at it. However, in your quest for time management excellence, don’t let yourself fall victim to these 5 lies we believe about productivity.

1. Technology will save us.

There is an app or electronic device to manage pretty much every aspect of our lives if we so desire, and our time is no different. It’s easy to think, “If I just had the right program, or the right filters on my email, or the right calendar app, managing my time would be easy.” While technology certainly does help, it’s important to remember that it’s merely a tool, and without a plan, discipline, and patience, even the best tools can’t help us.

2. Everyone has more time on their hands than I do.

OK, so maybe not everyone, but when someone misses a deadline or forgets a responsibility, it’s tempting to think, “Really? Come on. I have way more on my plate than you do, and you don’t see me complaining.” Just remember that we all have our own unique time management struggles and your perception of what someone’s life is like may be far from the truth.

3.  I must multitask to get everything done.

While multitasking might initially seem like an efficient way to get multiple things done at once, in the long run your productivity takes a major hit. Plus, you’re stuck re-doing tasks that were done sloppily or without focus the first time around. Juggle multiple projects, but focus on one at a time.

4. There is a silver bullet piece of advice that will fix all of my time management problems, I just have to find it!

There is a lot of time management advice out there. Some of it’s good, some of it’s not, but ALL of it is just words on a page until you adapt it to your needs and put it into practice. I enjoy inspiring and motivating people to adapt time management solutions for their unique situations, and more importantly, ingrain the habits into their schedules. That’s what changes behaviors!

5. I can do it all.

You can do more than you think, but nobody can do it all and we harm ourselves by trying. Setting realistic expectations for what we can tackle and celebrating our small accomplishments along the way is what will keep us motivated to keep moving toward our goals.

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Are You More Than Your Job?

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time management work life balance“So, what do you do?”

That’s one of the first questions we’re asked when meeting someone for the first time. The answer usually entails some sort of job or profession. Basically, whatever brings in money and pays the bills. However, this week I thought a lot about why it’s our job that defines who we are – the snapshot of a person’s life we choose to ask about. I don’t have answers, but I do have ideas. Read on.

My Vacation Epiphany

I spent the past week in Costa Rica (which I would highly recommend by the way, but that’s an entire novel unto itself.) The people there are very friendly and I answered the “where are you from and what do you do” question frequently. After a while though, I didn’t enjoy answering it. I love my job and wouldn’t trade it for anything, but I was trying to escape work this week, not think about it.

Why do we ask what people do? My first thought is it’s because that’s how we spend a significant portion of our time every day. It also gives clues to our personalities and interests. “Oh you’re an engineer. Cool, you must like math.” “Nursing, how interesting, you must like helping people.” But I also feel a little weird about making someone’s occupation the number one thing I care about in a brief, “let’s get acquainted” conversation.

What Makes You Happy?

What if instead our first question was “What makes you happy?” or “Tell me about what’s most important to you?” Perhaps these seem a little too personal to share with a stranger and our occupations are a less intrusive way to search for common ground to talk about.

Regardless, I am committed to feeling like more than my job. I am a speaker and an educator, but I’m first a wife, a sister, a daughter, a dog lover, a travel enthusiast, and creative thinker. I feel fortunate to be able to earn money doing work I enjoy, but work is what I do, it’s not all of who I am.

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No Crystal Ball? Then Stop Worrying

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time management crystal ball“What if I don’t get the promotion? What if my flight is late? What if my house doesn’t sell?” Our obsession with trying to predict the future takes up a lot of our time and energy. Until you have a crystal ball, that energy is better used elsewhere! Try these 3 tips to stop planning for the unpredictable.

1. Think of Yourself 5 Years Ago

It’s easy to get caught up in the present and forget that our tastes, interests and circumstances change all the time. Think of the person you were 5 years ago. Could you ever have predicted how your life would change in that time? What makes you think you’ll be able to predict what happens in the next 5 years?

2. Identify What You Can’t Control

As much as we wish we could control every event in our lives, we can’t. Identify what is in your control and what is out of your hands. Whenever you catch yourself worrying about a future event you have no say over, stop. Replace the thought with something you can control and redirect your thinking.

3. Embrace Change

Remember, sometimes the best opportunities end up being unexpected surprises that would have never made it onto your preplanned life itinerary.

You never know where an unforeseen path may lead, so embrace the adventure!

Turning off our “worry switch” is not easy. Rely on your support network of friends and family to help point out when you’re wasting time thinking about something you can’t control. This past week, my dissertation adviser caught me in a worry moment and said, “Emily, until you can bring me a functioning crystal ball, I want you to stop trying to predict the future.”

That sounds like a challenge to me!

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