Time management is a skill that can always be perfected because just when we think we have it under control, something in our life changes. A time management reset is when you re-evaluate your approach to the day, and how you organize your tasks and time so that you can accomplish more and spend less time distracted.
How to know when it’s time to reset
If you’re keeping yourself up with tomorrow’s tasks, it’s time for a reset. If you feel like you can’t take a break because there’s so much to do, it’s reset time. I say this because time management is all about balance and feeling accomplished, so if at the end of the day you don’t feel like you did all that needed to be done, you need to re-evaluate how you do things.
How to get started
Starting a reset is easy, just tell yourself, aloud if possible, that you need a reset and you’re starting today. Admitting that you need to change how you’re doing things is the only way you’ll actually make a change. After that you need to identify your problem areas. I call these your Achilles heel, or destination procrastination. Basically, what are you doing if you aren’t working on those priority tasks? Most of the time it’s things like social media or email, but it could also be secondary tasks like folding laundry or cleaning the kitchen. Whatever takes your focus away from those big tasks that need to be completed is a distraction and needs to be dealt with.
Now that you know where you struggle it’s time to go back to a basic staple, the to-do list. You’re going to grab a pen and paper and write down the top 5-10 tasks of the day. Of those 5-10 tasks highlight the top 3 that must be completed today. Those 3 are important because if those three are finished and you get the nothing else, it’s still a win. I know it’s tough to leave a to-do list incomplete, but remember that you can’t do everything every day.
Turn your reset into a habit
For the next seven days you will do the same thing you did above, make a to-do list, highlight the top three, and tackle them. Turning this into a habit is easy enough, just keep doing what you did the first few days. I know it’s tough to avoid distractions but it’s often easier than we think and only takes closing a few tabs on the computer or silencing our phones. Focusing on the top priority tasks and shutting out everything else is the key to getting more done and finding free time for social media and tidying the house. The reset was just a pause to get you to evaluate where you are, what you’re doing, and to allow you to adjust how you approach and complete things. Now that you have a better process it will become a habit in no time.
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Hi Chalene,
I love the idea of a reset to help with time management.
Those distractions can really get in the way. And taking that step back to evaluate what is getting in the way is useful.
When I do that, sometimes I realize that I need to actually devote some time to the distraction to make it go away – and then I can get back to and be more purposeful with my work.