WELLNESS: Tips on time management

Published 10:54 am Wednesday, July 10, 2024

In my former life and still today, I constantly struggle with a to-do list that far exceeds the hours in the day. It is easy to slip into a pattern of thinking that things will be better when this changes or that finishes, but ultimately, the only time things will get better is when we have taken the timeto make change. Just like a building needs a solid foundation and frame, we too need these.

First and foremost, the foundation. As I mentioned way back in January, we need to have a clear vision of what it is we want. These priorities and overall vision should drive, or at least influence, nearly every decision. Then comes the framework. What must happen? How does that happen currently? When? Can any of these tasks be adjusted? How can a structure (or multiples) be developed to support the marriage of the non-negotiables with the overall vision?

A few key notions I have learned before I share a few key structures that have supported me over the years. First of all, is the importance of self-care. I cannot help others or do the work I need to do well if I am physically, mentally or emotionally depleted. Additionally, there are so many requests, noises, chatter that flies by poking me incessantly and some of it absolutelymust be dealt with, but not all of it. Much of this noise comes by way of some form of (often extreme) urgency. However, the perception of urgency is always in the eye of the sender. Years ago I came across a placard on my dad’s desk “Your lack of planning does not constitute my

emergency,” and I try to remember this as new requests come my way.

One of the best tools I put into place for myself for refilling my cup and managing overwhelmwas a positives folder. If a student, or parent, or colleague, anyone really said something nice to me or about me, I put it in a folder. I had one at the top of my email, just below inbox, spam and trash. If it was a physical note or commendation or a comment someone made to me that made me feel particularly warm and fuzzy, I put the sender’s name and date on it and put it in a physical folder in the front of my main file drawer. I didn’t typically open either of these folders other than to put something else in them, but every time I opened my inbox or my file drawer, I saw them there reminding me that for all the flack I catch on a daily basis, I am putting good out

into the world and people do appreciate it.

I am a messy person and I struggle enormously with organization, and yet the lack of organization also overwhelms me. So, to manage the workload overwhelm, I had a clean deskpolicy. The biggest key to this was my to-do list, which I started fresh every Friday near the end of the day. I took a legal pad and divided it into four (unequal) columns. The first and largest column was labeled “DO” and were my top ten (sometimes more) priorities for the week. Things would get added to this as things got crossed off and as I moved through the week. The next two columns were roughly equal in size and labeled “DELEGATE” and “DEFER.” These items

would get crossed off as they were assigned either to another person or to the main Do column.

Finally, the last and smallest column was labeled “DROP” and I never actually wrote anything in this column, rather it was my physical reminder that not everything is mine to tackle.

The other element of the clean desk approach was the single touch rule. My goal was if it took

less than five minutes to address — then, address it immediately. Now, we truly have limited time and sometimes rely on others to do their part so a true one-touch rule cannot work, however, I put together a system of folders. One folder was a waiting folder (for tasks that needed input from someone else before proceeding) and the other was a project folder (for tasks that take longer than five minutes to complete). Then, on my calendar at the start of each day I allocated time to address those projects. These two folders coupled with the to-do list kept me organized with a clear space and my overwhelm (relatively) in check.

I would love to know your thoughts on my column. What structures do you use to manage your overwhelm? Or if you have topic requests or ideas, please reach out to me at Liz@SoulRebellionYoga.com .

—Liz Havey holds 500 hour certified yoga instructor and Ayurvedic nutritional consultant certificates and owns and teaches at Soul Rebellion Yoga. Learn more about her background and studio at SoulRebellionYoga.com