Lately, I've felt exhausted and was having trouble finding time for exercise, planning, quiet focus, and rest.
Just like with finances, if you aren't intentional about your time and attention, unnecessary obligations and time wasters can rob you of it.
I made a list of tasks and priorities that included: exercising, day job, family time, investing in my business, maintaining a home, seeing friends, planning, fun, and rest.
I outlined what an ideal day would look like. Then, an ideal week, and month.
My key takeaways in comparing my default days with my ideal days were:
1. I need to get to bed a lot earlier. I'm a night owl, and late nights were my default time for focus work, but they were messing with my morning exercise routine.
2. I need to say No to unnecessary obligations and distractions. Early in one's career, I believe in saying default Yes, but later on, it becomes crucial to learn to say No. And at home, scrolling and watching TV can waste hours!
3. I've learned that fun, quiet, and rest must also be planned. I used to resent having to plan fun when I'm constantly planning at work, but I've come to accept that a life filled with rich memories does not happen by accident.
Lastly, some practical tips that helped me:
- Pick out my exercise clothes the night before so when I wake up, I'm ready to roll.
- If I'm not excited for an opportunity, it should be a default No.
- Multitasking doesn't work when I need to focus. No working in front of the TV!
- Use AI for trip planning, saving countless hours of research!
- Plan time for planning! This sounds silly but has been a big help for me.
Have you ever done a time audit? Share your thoughts and ideas in the comments!