Taking Charge of Your Time…

“Tell your time where to go so you stop wondering where it went”

As summer is winding down, and many of us are finding new routines again with fall work and school schedules, it is common to experience some strain. The transition itself can be disconcerting, let alone navigating your way through all the decisions you have to make every day about how to spend your time.

Time and money management can be a lot a like. Time can disappear as quickly as your money if you’re not careful. If you are feeling like you just don’t know where all your time is going, then it is time to find out!

It’s just like figuring out a budget. The first step, usually, is to take a serious look at your spending habits – discover where your money is really going. Next, you make a list of all the “givens” and the “options. ” Givens are the type of things you cannot live without each month (the payments that have to get made). Options are those with which you have much more choice (those things you can live without). From there, you set goals and then use these goals as guidelines for how your money will be spent.

Taking charge of your time is much the same way…

First, you need to take a thorough look at how you are spending your time – where is it really going?! Make a list of all the “givens” and all the “options”. Working with a 7 day week calendar, plug in all the “givens” and see how much room is left for the “options”. Gradually and selectively plug in the “options. Be realistic. It is wise to leave some open, “free” time because we all know life happens.

Now, let’s be honest. Stress and strain can motivate us to get a budget started or set up a weekly calendar and then that same stress and strain can also give us the excuse to ignore it. If you are finding yourself frustrated about your financial situation or at a loss for how you will “get it all done” then ask yourself, “Am I taking time each week to manage my money or plan out my time?” If the answer is no, then no wonder you are frustrated. You can not expect anything to change, if you do not designate some of your most precious resource to achieve the goals you’ve established. Management takes time.

Think about your business. If you spend all of your time working your business so you can EARN money, but never stop to manage it or even pay yourself, then you are more likely to spend frivolously and retain less of what you earn. Managing your time can be the same way, unless you intentionally plan your time, it’s easy to waste it away.

The best gift you can give yourself is regular time to manage your life and work. Yes, you need time in your weekly schedule to manage your business, your money, and life in general. We often see the light bulb go on when we recommend designating some time as “Money Monday” or “Financial Friday” – setting aside time to make the change you want to see in your life a reality only makes sense.

Remember, we all have the same 24 hours each day so we must be wise about how we spend it.