Time
Management
“Time
management is an oxymoron. Time is beyond our control, and the clock
keeps ticking regardless of how we lead our lives. Priority
management is the answer to maximizing the time we have.”
John
C. Maxwell
December
is always a crazy month for me. It is the month in which the regular
schedule goes out the window, and the days become crowded with
activities. I dance and juggle trying to fit it all in, and wonder
why I'm so tired and stressed. By January, I'll feel like I've been
run over by a cement mixer. I wonder whether it's the same for you.
I
am a person with a lot of energy; I can get things done when I need
to. You'll never see me still in my pajamas at nine o'clock in the
morning, but even so, time management is a problem. For one thing,
when the schedule is packed and I am racing to keep all the balls in
the air, my anxiety level goes up, and I don't sleep well or long.
I'm saying this to you, not because I think you're interested in my sleep habits, but because I'll bet there are one or two of you
who experience the same thing. We say 'yes' to things we don't really
want to do just to please others, and that's almost always a problem.
Actually,
time management is not the bugaboo here—prioritizing is. Boundary
setting is a huge part of maintaining a sane schedule. This time of
year, it is easy to over-commit, to stack activities back to back,
and before you know it, there's no down time. And, even when we
manage some down time, we're so wound up we can't relax. Nowadays,
the most valuable commodity for many of us is time, and how we
distribute it makes all the difference.
Here's
what I'm doing this year: not planning more than two activities on
any given day and leaving some days perfectly blank by saying, “No.”
I may be able to teach you that word, if you like—you just purse
you lips like so. Decide one priority for each day, and don't allow
yourself to stray off the path. Each week, choose one or two social
occasions you will truly enjoy, and “just say no” to all the
rest. You may not be the star of the season, but you won't be dead at
the end of it either.
If
we are able to keep a sane pace in December, there may be hope for us
the rest of the year. Here is a final thought: “The key to time
management—to see the value in every moment.” (Manachem Mendel
Schneerson) If you don't see the value in any particular activity,
then give yourself a break and don't do it.
In
the Spirit,
Jane
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