Where did the time go?

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It amazes me sometimes how I can have something I am struggling with and, out of the blue, somebody I did not discuss my issue with makes a post or a video addressing the very topic that is the foundation of my problem. This happened to me yesterday and it figured that was a sign that somebody needed to hear my story.

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Photo by Giallo from Pexels

I know I am not alone when I say that Time Management is constantly a point of strife for me. It seems I always have more stuff to do than hours in the day to get them done. Between earning, creating content, curating, reading, and researching, I just can't get everything finished. Then, on top of all that, when you throw in the content distractions from family, phone, regularly scheduled activities, and emergencies, it makes me want to roll up in the fetal position with my eyes closed and my fingers in my ears singing "la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la".

I decided to see if I could get some guidance from some people that are online full time (or so it seems), so last Thursday I spent some time talking to Rob Gehring (@ghcamry), the owner of TrafficLeads2IncomeVM, who graciously spent about 30 minutes of his time discussing the subject with me and giving me a glimpse of his daily routine.

Then yesterday, as I was preparing to see if Jon Olsen (@jongolson), one of the owners of Click Track Profit would share a bit of his insight with me, I see this video from Zoltan (@ph1102) talking about what to do when your day is too short {insert Twilight Zone music here}.

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Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

In order to keep this from becoming an epic post, I will summarize how I am trying to incorporate the information I have learned into my daily routine (we can call this the Three P's):

  • Prioritization - Figure out what needs to be done when.

    1. Identify the things that MUST get done today. I must be hypercritical in deciding what falls into this category. I have to ask myself, what will I lose if this doesn't get done today? Is it worth taking that loss in order to get something more important (or more urgent) done?
    2. Next, decide what next step to take that would provide the best results if it were to get accomplished today. Sometimes this will lead to immediate results and other times, you won't see the fruit for a day, weeks, or even months. However, the point is to decide what will provide the most benefit in the least amount of time.
    3. Finally, list out those projects you want to make progress on, but will not lose sleep over if they don't get done today. Occasionally, we have days where everything seems to go right. Know how you will spend that time when those days arrive so that you don't have to wonder what to do when it happens.
  • Planning - Take some time at the start of the day (or at the end of the previous day) to decide what needs to be the focus of the day. What needs to be accomplished? This includes not only earning/investing activities, but also things like spending time with family or doing something to enrich yourself (for me this includes studying the Bible). Plan for all three levels of prioritization (must be done today, next best step, and ongoing projects)

  • Prepare for interuptions - Invariably, distractions will happen. Some can be put off and scheduled for later, but others must be dealt with immediately. Be prepared to quickly evaluate which category the interuption falls into. Sometimes this will require making difficult decisions that someone else may not like. When you have to put someone off, be prepared to offer alternatives and let them know when you can get to the issue - be specific (not that you will get to it when you can). Will you be able to do it in the next hour? today? by the end of the week? Communication goes a long way toward heading off confrontations. When the distraction has to be taken care of right then, if you have done the things that must be done that day first, you are less likely to experience the pain of missing that deadline due to the interuption.

Incorporating this into my daily routine is my focus for the coming weeks. What tips/tricks do you use to help you manage your time? What will you commit to do in order to get a better handle on managing your time? Leave me a comment letting my know how you are progressing in your journey.



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Great post! I think that when it comes to getting organized there are good techniques that we can use. In the end however we have to find what works for us. I gave a tip to @ph1102 to use a timer that indicates when a work unit is over and when it's time to take a break... let's say it didn't work for him ... lol

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That is a good suggestion, especially when you have something that you want to make progress on, but don't want to get lost in. I know my wife will occasionally set a timer for 15 minutes and focus totally on one task for that period of time. Not only does this help her target one area, but, as she says repeatedly, "You can to anything for 15 minutes". Thanks for taking the time to read my post and thanks for the suggestion.

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It is true... It didn't work for me... But, that doesn't mean that it will not work for others... We have different habits...

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Time management is a very important and serious topic... That was a dramatic statement... :) But it is... If we are not handling our time well, the results can be very bad... Like, headache, more stress because of unaccomplished things, which leads to bad relationships with your surroundings, family...

You have broken down very nicely the idea of how to cope with the problem, and I liked this very much:

Prepare for interuptions - Invariably, distractions will happen. Some can be put off and scheduled for later, but others must be dealt with immediately.

Sometimes it is hard to recognize "how big" is a distraction, but as you said, dealing with it quickly can help a lot... Like, removing the obstacle fast, and going forward...

Thanks for the mention and thanks for a great blog post!



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You are so right about the stress that we can experience due to poor time management. That is the reason I was looking for help in the first place. It is so disheartening when you feel like you are spinning your wheels and making little progress.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for the inspiration.

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Awesome job :) Very good advices.

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Thank you for taking the time to read this post. I hope you are able to benefit from it. And thank you for your response. It is encouraging to get feedback so that you know someone is actually reading what your post. You spending your time to do that is much appreciated.

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