time management – Organized Owl

How many times have you said to yourself: there just isn’t enough time in the day?

Granted, there is ALWAYS something more we could be doing, but if you are constantly running out of time every day, there is likely an underlying issue.

But before I get to them, I want to mention mindset. If you tell yourself repeatedly that there is never enough time, there will never be enough time. The stories you tell yourself all day go a LONG way in creating the reality you are living. So before you tackle any of the things I will cover below, start with what you are saying to yourself on a daily basis. Reverse the narrative and you might be surprised by how much time you find just by doing that.

You are trying to do ALL THE THINGS

Whether thats every social media platform in your business or doing all of the Perfect-Pinterest-Mom things, you simply can’t do all of it. Choose the things that are the most important to you or that serve you the most and do that. As you become more successful, get more support or move into different seasons in your life, you may be able to take on more. But while I do believe we can have it all, we can’t do it all at once. Its possible to simply have too much going on.

Pick a strategy with fewer things, that is doable longterm and that feels good to you and stick with it.

You don’t plan your day

As the saying goes; If you don’t plan your day, someone else will.

You will forever be at the whim of everyone else if don’t plan your day. For example; answering an email as soon as it comes in is prioritizing that persons schedule over yours. Instead, use a planner and create a plan each day where there are scheduled times to answer emails that makes sense for you.

That does’t mean every day will go according to plan or that you must follow it no matter what (flexibility and freedom are important after all!), but it does mean that you will do a MUCH better job at prioritizing and accomplishing the things YOU need to get done.

Don’t have a planner or haven’t found one you life? The Life Book planner is a complete day planner and goal planner in one and with its unique features and layout, will help you to stay organized and productive and focused on your goals in a way that feels good to you. Learn more about it here.

Not ready to commit? Take a test drive with the free one month version here. Just keep in mind the full planner has even more awesome features then the mini one.

You try to do it all yourself

Help is a beautiful thing; Its allows us to get the support we need to create the life we desire. No one has achieved great success on their own and if they say so, they are either lying to you or to themselves.

Figure out what it is that only you can do and work on delegating some of the rest. Start with the thing that you dislike the most or that you already know someone else could do better or more efficiently.

This doesn’t have to cost money either! Sometimes its a question of asking the people around you to help. Maybe your kids can do more of the housework or cooking, maybe your significant other could run some of the errands or maybe an employee can take on some of tasks you don’t need to be doing yourself.

You are disorganized

Listen, we all have hot mess MOMENTS, but this glamorization of being a hot mess like it somehow makes life easier is a big fat lie.

Its much harder to be a hot mess day in and day out, then it is to be well organized. There’s this myth that being organized means you must be perfect all the time or that its actually more work then being a hot mess. When we normalize living like a constant hot mess we send the message that its easier to live that way and it simply isn’t.

Being well organized actually gives us room to be imperfect, to be human. It allows us to occasionally forget things or take on too much at some point, without our entire world caving in. The more organized you are, the more flexibility and freedom you have. (not to mention the more time and energy and stress you will save!)

Do yourself a favour and if you are not already, start getting organized today. (The best place to start is with a planner!)

I promise you, you will thank me for it.

Jennifer

p.s. If you enjoyed this post and would like access to daily free content on all things organization and productivity, you can find me on IG @organized_owl.

There is a difference between just not feeling like it, and not feeling like it because you need to rest.

I think knowing the difference can get easier over time but if you’ve always done one or the other, the answer might not be so obvious.

So here are 5 questions to ask yourself to help you figure out if what you need is a kick in the butt, or a break.

Is my health suffering?

Physical, mental, emotional; If any of these areas have been suffering lately because of the amount of work or things you are doing, its a big red flag that you need to rest.

Feeling overly emotional, super impatient, easily triggered, or struggling with mental clarity, fatigue or low energy are signs you might need a rest.

Conversely, is your health suffering because you haven’t been pushing through? Maybe its the workout, healthy meal or therapy session you need to follow through on because otherwise, your state of health isn’t going to get any better.

Have I already done a lot?

Have you already done an extra full days work or is it 9:30am and you just have what my husband calls the f*ck-its?

(Its important to note that if you are someone who typically prioritizes work and productivity and struggles to slow down, simply not feeling like it may be your brains way of saying its needs a rest from work.)

Have I been denying myself rest or self care?

My type A, Generators, Enneagram 1s, Upholders….I am talking to you. (and yes, to myself). Hustle culture is actually making us less productive! If you don’t prioritize rest or self care on a daily basis, what you need is a break!

What is the consequence of not doing this task now?

Its possible that you really do need a break. But this is the real world and its also possible that you just have to get this thing done. So weight out the consequences of both options and see which one you can live with.

Are we talking burning out in order to post for the 3rd time on IG? Or getting an hour less sleep to finish an important project?

Is it possible to reschedule these things without any major problems?

I said major problems. There might be some inconveniences but when you truly need a break, its your health thats on the line so make sure that you are not putting everyone else need above your own.

And yes, I am talking to myself there again.

The easiest was to be able to have the flexibility to reschedule when necessary is to make sure you are managing your life and time in a planner. The Life Book planner was created for the busy entrepreneur with a full life and lots go goals. Complete day planner and goal planner in one it will keep you organized, on track and productive. Go here to learn more!

You can also test it out for free here!

Ultimately, people often struggle with one or the other. If you find yourself rarely taking a break, then not feeling like it is probably a sign to do so. On the flip side, if you often find yourself making excuses to quit, stop or give up, some extra accountability might be good for you.

We usually know which one we are.

That being said, both situations can arise and its helpful to have some questions to ask ourselves to help figure out the best course of action!