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Introduction to Time Management

I was recently watching a TED talk and the subject the lady covered was time management.

I feel this is a topic many of us struggle with. As we live our lives we are bombarded by so many things that occupy our day.  We attempt to do more and more things and we are often faced with using the words “I just don’t have enough time”.

I know I say, or at least think, this frequently.

Color Coding

One way that helps me as an entrepreneur is that I color-code on my phone all of the day-to-day appointments. I like using color codes because I can categorize what the event is by the color that it relates to me.

I am running two businesses right now so that allows me to see at a quick glance which hat or hats I will need to be wearing.

Here is my list of codes. When I was in real estate I used green for all real estate appointments. This is for showing homes,  meeting inspectors at homes, and anything else that is a scheduled real estate related event.

I use the color purple for everything that deals with my business coaching.  This included going to networking events or being on a podcast or on stage.

When I am doing my strategy calls via the phone or Zoom then that automatically will show up as orange.

Going to MeetUp functions, networking events, or other related events shows up as black.

Light brown is for exercise classes or times at the gym or yoga studio. If I am taking a yoga class then that class is put into my phone as a scheduled appointment.

Yellow is for my volunteering events. I do a lot of volunteer work and I put those events and times into my calendar.

The last thing I do is use light blue for personal events. This can be meeting a friend for a cocktail or a date with a friend. Anything that is scheduled is put into my phone.

One thing I have said for years is that when something comes up that may add to my calendar is how will it fit in? Some days are swamped while others are relatively open.

Mindset

One thing you have to do is figure out just how important that newly scheduled event is. If it is very important then you can put it into your calendar. The way I look at it is that we all know someone who is a lot busier than we are and somehow they figure it out.  It becomes a lot about mindset.

Do you know that single parent of 3 kids who manages them, has a full-time job, possibly taking night classes, and yet still goes to the gym or yoga studio? How do they do it?

I figured that how back in 2010 when I was going through my dramatic weight loss. I told myself I had to exercise 6 days a week with one to two hourly routines per day. Plus, I was very busy showing homes and doing real estate deals. And the real answer is, if it is important enough then I will do it. Plus, I had a strong reason why for the results I wanted from it.

If that meant I started the routine at 10:30 PM then so be it. Or if I had to get up earlier the next day then I did it.

Time Management TED Talk

The TED talk video made a great point on this. Let’s say you are as busy as you are and then an emergency occurs. She uses the example of a water heater bursting and now you are faced with getting the water stopped. Hiring plumbers, flood control people, and a number of other people to get it fixed. She said this happened once to her and she spent over 7 hours over the week on that emergency. Where did she find the time?

The answer to that is you will find the time if it is important enough to you. When you look at taking on a new event and you say it is important then look at it from a Do or Die mindset. Once you do that then it may become quite clear what to do next.

And remember to add it to your calendar.