Time Management

Do you feel like there are not enough hours in the day for you to reach your daily goals? I know I do some days. If you are feeling like that almost every day, I think it is time to rearrange with change and do what you do with love.

I give myself a visual by writing out a list with due dates. I call that my daily/weekly goal-setting. This allows me to see if I am being realistic with my daily and weekly activities. Those days when there is too much on my board, I realize that I have TOO MUCH on my plate. Too much on your plate makes you feel like there are not enough hours in the day. How can we change this?

Let’s start with a few questions:

1. Does this have to be done today?

2. Can I delegate this task to someone else?

3. Is this even a responsibility I need?

4. Does my schedule make sense? (Meaning, am I all over the place?)

5. Did I pray today?

We must prioritize our lives which includes our work and family schedule. We can begin prioritizing by delegating tasks to create teamwork. The saying is true; Teamwork makes the Dreamwork! Evaluate your task and note if you have extra work because you said YES too often. Taking on others' responsibilities can become overwhelming. I am here to tell you that it is okay to say the N-word, NO. Just in case you did not know, you can say NO without giving an explanation. Stop saying yes just to be a ‘people pleaser’ and set healthy boundaries with your work and family schedule. Setting boundaries is a whole dialogue to be addressed at another time. Think about rearranging with change by being honest with yourself. Stop signing up for things knowing that it is going to be TOO MUCH on your plate.

Back to prioritizing, fix your schedule to have order and avoid chaos. This will prevent you from going in circles. Do you know what it looks like to start your day with order? Here is a small example. Why go to work and then leave right back out to get some coffee/breakfast? Pick up your coffee/breakfast before you get to work, even if you are working from home. Go to your kitchen, fix your coffee/breakfast, then log in for work. Keep order by managing your time wisely and staying organized.

We also have to learn how to avoid good and bad distractions that will get us off track. Did you have to stay on the phone with your friend, sister, brother, or cousin about an upcoming or past event for over an hour? Did you realize you were on social media(Facebook/TicTok) for over 45 minutes? Let me guess; the answer is NO. I suggest allotting free time to your schedule to help you stay on schedule with your daily tasks. Make your schedule make sense so you can stay on track and omit the feeling of being overwhelmed.

Lastly, did you pray for guidance and structure? If not, you can start today if you want. I have made praying a part of my foundation. This has allowed me to improve my way of navigating throughout the day. How? I am glad you asked. Praying helps me to start my day off with a calm demeanor because I give my day to God. Proverbs 16:3 reads, “commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans (NIV).” This gives me a positive mindset and releases all negative energy. Releasing negative energy helps me to react less to the negativity that may come my way. Also, I feel as if my heart posture is focused on love every time I pray. Daily prayer makes me feel love, and feeling love makes me operate with love. Therefore, LOVE should be the main ingredient for all that we do. This dialogue was written out of love to help you to get your hours back, mentally and physically.

Remember to:

1. Pray daily

2. Delegate when needed

3. Prioritize your schedule (make it make sense)

4. Say NO (no explanation needed)

5. Avoid distractions

**LOVE everything you do and do it with LOVE**

1 Corinthians 16:4 “Do everything in love(NIV).”

I hope this written dialogue was helpful.

Self-Care with Sabrina