Managing your time well is not about being perfect. It’s about being smart and learning from your mistakes.
But sometimes we fall into the nasty habit of repeating the same mistakes over and over. It’s important to learn from these mistakes and stop them in their tracks. If some or all of the following time management mistakes resonate with you, it’s time to take a stand. Not only will you be much happier and lose some of that guilt we all too often feel, but you will also find extra time for doing what you love.
Mistake 1. You compare yourself to other women
You look at what other women around you are doing. To you, many of these women appear to be superwomen. They do it all and they have it all. They are perfect and you are not.
Stop!
Stop comparing yourself to other women. Stop thinking they are doing a better job than you. Stop second guessing your own actions based on your perception of how someone else lives her life. Stop chasing her dreams.
Set your own goals. Identify your own values. Live your own life and do it a whole lot smarter and with greater happiness and confidence than you are right now.
Mistake 2. You were told you could have it all. So, what happened?
You might think that you can have it all. You might even think you need it all. Wrong. It’s time to think about what you really want. You don’t actually need to have it all – you only need to aim to have all the bits that are important to you.
Focus on what’s most important to you and forget the rest – it’s just a distraction. Think about it as being the best version of you.
Mistake 3. You don’t know where your time goes
You feel busy. You tell other people that you are busy. You certainly have all the appearance of being busy. But just what is it you are actually doing each day that has generated all of this busy-ness?
If you don’t know, in detail, where you are spending your time each day, then you can’t know what changes you can make to free up your time.
Stop the busy-ness and take some time to think this through.
Mistake 4. You don’t say No
If you are continually saying Yes to all of the requests that come your way (from your colleagues, children, partner, friends and family) then two things will happen:
· you will quickly run out of time; and
· the requests for help will keep coming in, as you are a Go To girl who always says Yes and who always delivers.
There just aren’t enough hours in the day to do everything, and to be everything, for everyone. Saying No can be hard for a Yes-person. Like changing any habit, learning to say No is challenging and will take persistence.
Mistake 5. You don’t ask for help
Not asking for help when it’s needed goes hand in hand with being a Yes-person. It’s a double affliction – always saying Yes to everyone else but never asking for a return favour when you need it.
Trying to do it all by yourself while attempting to maintain and grow your success is not sustainable.
Your physical and mental health and happiness could be impacted. Your relationships could be impacted. Your sense of self-worth could be impacted. Your productivity and successful career or business could be impacted.
It’s OK to ask for help. It’s OK to expect help. It’s OK to pay for help. Start seeking help when you need it.
What time management mistakes do you make?