It can seem never ending, the to-do lists, the schedules… Women especially tend to have to wear many hats, take on many roles and seemingly switch between them with ease and at the drop of a hat, might I add. So, what’s the secret to being able to ‘do it all’? How can we approach each task with the same focus and calm approach without getting bogged down by it all?
This might seem like the boring answer (and sadly there is no magic pill!) but it really is down to organisation and prioritisation.
The first step is figuring out which tasks need the most care and attention, then you have to be realistic when plotting out the time frame needed for each task. It really is pointless trying to be a hero here, setting yourself a whole bunch of important time intensive tasks, all to be completed before breakfast is really only going to set you up for failure. Now we definitely advocate dreaming big however constantly overwhelming yourself with impossible to reach goals will only leave you feeling annoyed and ineffective.
The next step is to put them all in your iCal, even that 20 minute phone call you know you will have with your mother-in-law, sure it may not seem like a specific task as such but it will take time out of your day and not planning and allowing for it could potentially put your schedule back, meaning things quickly spiral out of control and before you know it you’ve spent 40 minutes browsing pinterest, 30 minutes making a snack and bam… the afternoon is over! It’s so easy to let your mind wander, make a schedule and stick to it as best you can.
The third step is to make use of timers. If you know you only have 60 minutes to spend writing that report and it’s not imperative that it’s finished on that particular day, then set a timer so that you know when your time is up, finished or not, set it to one side and move onto the next thing.
It can take a little time to get used to scheduling your time like this but it will really help you to be mindful in the moment, focusing fully on each task, I also promise you it will make you 10 times more effective. Let’s make 2016 the year that we stop wasting time and start getting stuff done.
