4 Steps To Help You Improve Your Time Management!!
I know what you’re thinking. What in the world do these finance guys know about time management? Believe it or not, money and time are very similar.
Both are forms of currency that we have a limited amount of and are up to us to manage well.
Like money, unfortunately, most people are not intentional with their time. They wing it just like many people do with their finances.
Here at Metanoia, we provide tools and education to help our members become intentional about managing their money with excellence. This is a focused, specific set of goals to tackle.
However, the ability to manage your time well opens up the door of success in any and all areas of your life, including your finances. It may sound silly, but in this blog, I want to teach you how to essentially create a budget for your time.
This concept is very deep and complex, but I want to briefly share 4 steps to get you started in the right direction.
List out the following Pillars of Personal Growth:
Intellectual
Rest/Leisure
If you have any areas of your life you feel should be added, feel free to do so, but avoid removing areas. Once your complete list is written out, begin free writing what each area means to you, where you feel you stand in this given area, and what you would like to reach or achieve in this area in a given time frame (for example, by the end of the year). If you haven't read my How To Take Control of the New Year blog, it deep dives into reflecting on these 8 pillars, setting goals in each, and creating habits to reach these goals. Be sure to check it out!
After spending some time thinking and digesting, rewrite this list in order of highest priority to lowest priority. Now, this part is tricky but important.
I am not saying to list them in order of what is most important to you. When I say priority, I mean, based on what you want to achieve in each area, list them in order of which area of your life will need to be given more time than the others.
This does not have to be an overall case either; it can be your priority just for this season. For example, my family will always be my number one, but they are not always at the top of my list for this exercise.
Sometimes, what is needed to reach goals in other areas require a much bigger time commitment than the goals I have for my family during that season. This is okay. This is nothing to feel badly about.
It’s healthy to recognize what season you are in and what will need more focus in your life in order to achieve your goals.
Our next step is to, much like you would with your finances, create a "budget" for your time.
Regardless of who you are, we ALL have 24 hours in a day.
The next thing that we ALL have in common is the need to sleep. Subtract how many hours you sleep each night from that 24.
What other responsibilities are taking your time? Do you work? How many hours? Subtract that from your balance.
Do you have a family? How much time does that take each day? Subtract that from your balance.
With sleep and responsibilities subtracted, what are you left with?
Based on your priorities, which areas of your life will you give daily attention to from this free time? Weekly? Bi-weekly? Monthly?
By this point, you should begin feeling like there is just not enough time in the day. Am I right?
This is why most people put their head in the sand. This is why most people wing it. Because it is hard!
Yup, growth and success do not come easy. This is why so few people even truly try. However, you have a choice. What are you going to do? Are you going to give up? Or are you going to come up with a solution?
Begin reassessing the things that are taking up all of your time. Are they in line with your priorities? Are they progressing you towards your goals? Or are they just getting you by?
The reason why most people will stop after step 3 is because step 4 requires major life changes.
Think about your job? Do you enjoy it? Are you being paid well? Is it challenging you and growing you to reach your potential? Is there upward movement? All in all, is it a good use of your time?
Here’s another tough one: your friends. How much time do you spend with your friends? What are their goals? Are they intentional with their time like you want to be with yours? Do they challenge you and help you to grow? All in all, are they a good use of your time?
This may seem harsh, but there are friends that you spend time with because of your history together, and there are friends you spend time with because they are your partners in growth and progression. If you’re lucky, you have friends that are both, but too often we spend far too much time around people that keep us stagnant or hold us back. It’s a disservice to yourself.
These are only two examples of major life changes you can make to adjust your schedule to allow you to put more time towards your priorities and goals! Be honest with yourself about what areas of your life are progressing you and what areas of your life are time wasters.
Like I said, this is a complex topic, but I hope these 4 steps really get you thinking seriously about making some beneficial changes in your life. It’s okay to admit that your direction is off.
It’s okay to recognize that things like your job or even your friends are not a good use of your time. The choice is now yours. Will you follow the majority? Or will you step out in boldness and chase your dreams?
Have any questions? Need any help? Be sure to email us at [email protected]. We want to help you in your journey to success!
If you are ready to finally take control of your money and begin maximizing your cash flow, I invite you to book a 1:1 Strategy Call with me. Here's what we'll cover:
1. Your current situation and goals
2. I will dig in to identify specific problems that I believe are holding you back from those goals based on my years of coaching and dozens of unique situations that I've worked with
3. Provide key strategies or mindset shifts that you can begin applying right away to see progress
4. If I feel like you'd be a good fit for our coaching program and, of course, you'd like to hear more about how we can help, we can discuss it then as well.
At the end of the day, I'd love to be able to help you make this change in your life. If my coaching is not a good fit, no problem. This FREE 1:1 call will be a powerful game-changer for you to get your journey started!
