As the year draws to a close, I’ve been reflecting on how I use my time, and whether or not I enjoy my daily schedule. In business and in life, it makes a big difference if you are happy with your daily schedule.
While we all have days that don’t go as well as we would like or days where everything seems to go wrong, we want those days to be the exception and not the rule. Consider your daily schedule as a whole. Are you happy with it? Do you wish you could accomplish different things? What would you do differently?
How Do You Use Your Time?
Your first step, if you are even a little dissatisfied with your daily schedule, is to review your time use. We know that the average American spends a significant amount of time watching TV or engaging in some form electronic entertainment. When many of us say that we don’t have enough time, the reality is that we just don’t realize how we spend our time.
Every few months I become a little unhappy with the way my days are going. I feel like I should have more time to play the piano or guitar, or to crochet something for my son. When I get to the point where my daily schedule no longer seems manageable, I stop and think about what I’m doing. That’s the time I return to the old habit of tracking my time use.
Once I’m honest about what I’m doing with my time, calling attention to it by writing down everything I do during the day (and how long I do it), I realize that extra Facebook time has crept into my schedule. Or my 20-minute afternoon meditation has turned into a 90-minute nap. Reviewing your time use every few months brings everything back into focus, and you can make tweaks to your daily schedule.
Change Your Life One Day at a Time
After moving to Idaho Falls, I realized that I could change my life, and re-do my daily schedule anyway I wanted. Of course, this is easier said than done. As part of my efforts, I made small changes, and I made them gradually.
I knew that just after moving I couldn’t just jump into everything I wanted to do. Instead, I established each aspect of my life separately, taking the time needed to incorporate it in my life. I wanted to add exercise to my day, so I started making sure I did some exercise each day, even if it was just 10 minutes. I joined the Chamber of Commerce and started going to some of the events before I added another community group. I also gradually began shifting my workload to accommodate my new activities.
Making small changes, and gradually adding what I want to my daily schedule, and continuing to tinker a little bit, helps me feel good about what I do with my days. There are days where unexpected disappointments change the way I operate, and not every day is perfect. But, for the most part, I’m happy with where things are going and what I am doing.
How do you tackle your daily schedule?
