A client of mine’s been working lately on managing his time. Like many of us, he found himself beset with those feelings of being overwhelmed with stuff. It always seemed there was too much to do and not enough time. (Sound familiar?)
He’s had some big breakthroughs. He’s finding that just by thinking and planning ahead a little, he’s much more on top of things. Where he used to feel a constant low-level panic, he now feels clarity and space. He’s doing more, being more effective, and also feels happier. The thing that often stops us being organised is thinking planning’s not enough, and will just rob us of valuable time. Actually, as my client found, the time spent planning pays dividends. And it’s simple.
Having taken care of his work life, he turned his attention to his own time. And suddenly he realised that – guess what? – planning could help him have more fun too.
It can seem that while being organised is fine at work, scheduling your fun is frankly a bit sad. Arrant nonsense. Managing your time is simply about being in control of it. Isn’t that even more important to have in your own time? As my client said, “Being spontaneous is all very well when you’ve got nothing to do.”
Maybe doing nothing is what you want to do. That’s cool – scheduling stuff doesn’t mean you have to be saving the world or training for a marathon. It’s just about being clear about what you want to do, and doing it. That way you can relax and enjoy it. Instead of spending your time in a last-minute rush, worrying you’ve forgotten something.
