Time is not Precious. It is Invaluable.
The difference is in the mindset:
We WANT precious. We HAVE invaluable.
When you truly believe you have time then it only becomes a matter of how you utilize and manage it. However, if you feel you want more time then you will always be in the need of it, hardly being able to manage what you have.
My mother is a working professional. She has experience of over 35 years now x 2 i.e. 70 years, given her job in the office and her job at home.
Inspired by her since my early childhood, I have learned a lot of life lessons from her, and 1 of the major ones is Time Management. Read on to find out what my mom or maybe many of our moms have in common and what they can teach us about time management.
1. Do It Now
Whatever the task is. for moms, there is no procrastination. There is no ”I will feed the kids later because I’m just back from office”, or, “let me wake up late, husband and kids can manage on their own”.
Every morning they would get up early, ready breakfast and lunch for everyone, send the kids to school/college and then leave for work.
Thus, the 1st lesson that I learned from my mom is to not put things for later. This actually saves a lot of time that would have otherwise gone into unnecessary thinking and procrastinating. If you see the task as overwhelming, break it down and start with one. As you progress you will build momentum to complete all of it.
2. Take small, refreshing breaks
Every evening after returning home, my mom would make herself a cup of tea. Sometimes I did for her (just bragging) and she would sit down and enjoy her cuppa, while talking to me, dad, or brother about our day, etc.
Right after the tea, she would set out to ready the dinner.
This break gave her a window of relaxation, and to re-focus herself away from work and into the house. We must also plan small breaks that rejuvenate us and help us refocus. It could be anything you enjoy doing, however small, planned as part of your daily schedule.
3. Weekends are for value creation
Mom rarely passed the weekends watching movies and just chilling. She would do a lot of stuff like, clean the house, make some special dishes, make us do our homework :(. She once also joined weekend dance classes to stay fit.
Thus, it is important that we don’t wile away our weekends, most successful people don’t do that. You can work out, learn something new, pick up a hobby, or plan the weekend with your family, in a meaningful way.
4. Physical fitness is important
Every night after dinner is walking time for mom and dad. It helps them both stay fit, feel light after dinner, and discuss stuff they couldn’t during the day.
Staying fit helps in managing our energy throughout the day and helps us be more productive. Build a routine of a workout as part of your daily plan. It could be morning, evening, or night. Physical activity has become even more important given people are working from home more often.
Add-on tip: Set SMART Goals
Most tips on Time Management would also include goal setting. Because goals determine where and how you must invest your time.
The great thing about SMART Goals is that they are also a decision-making tool. Setting SMART goals can actually help you make better decisions, be clearer about what to choose on a day-to-day basis, thus saving you a lot of time and energy.
Here is a detailed post on SMART goals.
To Summarize, time management is first about valuing time, and the ways in which you can manage it better are:
- Do it now - avoid procrastination
- Take small, refreshing breaks
- Use weekends for value creation
- Engage in some physical fitness activity
- Set SMART goals
Please do share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below.