Time Management – The Holiday Principle

previewRaise your hand if there’s something that every year you tell yourself, “It’s not like the date moved. Christmas (or whatever yours is…holidays, birthdays, anniversaries…etc) is the same day every year.”

Most of us do it. We plan to be ready, then somehow BOOM! The day/event is upon us and we’re floundering.

FLOUNDERING!

Floundering is not where we want to live.

But, the truth is, most of us have this issue monthly — if not weekly or daily.

The kid’s rehearsal is the same time every week.

My writing group is the same time M/W/F.

My ASL class happens every Tuesday at 7:30.

Book club is the third Sunday of the month.

But some of them are less tangible.

My writing energy dies off about 7:30 every evening.

My “Okay! Okay! I’m not just a zombie and the caffeine has kicked in!” happens around 9:30 every morning.

These things are, on a smaller scale, the same as the Holiday Principle – same time/day. We know it’s coming.

Or, is it a smaller scale?

When we look at this honestly, floundering once (or a couple times) a year for big events is hard. These are usually already surrounded by stress. But what about smaller flounderings…flailings…monthly? What about weekly and daily? Imaging the level of stress you’ve built up a tolerance too that you could be managing and then disposing of.

So, how do we do that?

Planning.

I know. It’s not what you want to hear, but it’s what makes life simpler. I would argue that if you did one thing to plan, this would be it.

Can’t manage doing to-do lists? Hate doing a weekly/daily goals? Don’t want to balance your time as you go?

The one thing you can do that will make this work is to know how much time you have and to know without a doubt what you don’t.

Step One: Grab a monthly calendar and do it right now.  Writing in everything that happens on a schedule. Kids, doctors, visits, grocery shopping. Whatever it is. If it happens at the same time every day/week/month write it in.

Step Two: Post it somewhere you’ll actually see it.

There you go. You now have a supriseless month. Can’t you feel your blood-pressure dropping?

kk,
Bria

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