Keeping busy can definitely lead to a sharper and quicker mind. But what if being consistently busy is not getting you the results you want? What if you find that you can’t get everything you set out to do accomplished? Even if you do accomplish it, is it up the caliber you wish it to be? It’s really great to be involved in many great activities and organizations. But if you aren’t satisfied with the quality of the things you are delivering, it may be time to re-evaluate.

 Doing too many things at once can sometimes mean nothing gets done very well, and, all too often, it means nothing gets completed either.

We all have 24 hours in a day, 168 hours in a week. In that time, we need to find time to eat, sleep, and do the basic everyday chores we need to take care of. On top of that, most of us either have a job, go to school, or run a business. Now try to add socializing, volunteering at events, volunteering for a non-profit organization or two (or three or four). That’s when you realize that the 168 hours in a week is not always enough time to do what you want to do. Especially if you’re someone who, like me, likes to give good work. Whether we accept it or not, what a person does will be associated as part of that person’s brand. The same, unfortunately, can be said about what a person does not do. If a person doesn’t perform or deliver on what they say they are going to do, it leaves a negative impact on the brand of that person.

You will only be remembered in life for two things: The problems you solve or the ones you create.

How do you want to be remembered when you are no longer at an organization? No longer living in the town you live in now? When you are no longer socializing with the same people you socialize with now? Or when you simply moved on from this life? Do you want to be remembered as a person who helped to solve  a lot of problems or as a person who said they would but didn’t deliver and thus caused more problems than what existed prior to you getting involved?

There are many people, me included, who want to accomplish a great many things in life. In the process of doing that we may find ourselves getting involved in too many things. I say it may be too many things because if you’re getting involved in more things than you can handle, then you are guaranteeing that you won’t be giving the things you’re involved with your all. With that said, your inability to give it your all will undoubtedly lead to mental fatigue, and increased irritability. It’s also a key factor in many people being disorganized.

Signs that you may be taking on too many things:

1. You start missing required meetings because you did not have time to be at them.

2. You find it harder and harder to find time to spend with your spouse, or your children.

3. The list of things you commit to taking care of is growing faster than the list of things accomplished.

4. You begin to get tired easily each and every day.

5. You feel like nothing you do is appreciated or makes a difference.

6. A large part of your day is spent on tasks you find either mind-numbingly dull or overwhelming.

7. Every day seems to be a bad day.

Do you find that many of the above items, describes you perfectly? If so, it may be time to re-evaluate all the things you’re doing, all the items you’re committing to and determine what needs to change. As one of my mentors told me a while ago, “Taking a step backwards from time to time may take you a few steps forward.”

What are some of your thoughts on over committing?

Have you ever found yourself in that situation?

If so, what did you do to change it? 

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It’s amazing how time can be on your side one moment, and then acting against you the next. Recently, I found myself almost running out of time for quite a few of my responsibilities not to mention responsibilities to myself. For me, the last few weeks have simply been an avalanche of things, both at work and in my personal life. During all this, I found myself thinking everyone has the same 168 hours in a week. So how do some people handle so much while others can barely handle keeping up with just a few things?

After finding myself not having as much time as I believed I needed, I decided to re-examine the ways I use to find time in the past. The funny thing is that no matter how good you are at managing time, every now and then a person needs to revisit the process for time management and be reminded of how to make better use of time.

Below is a story I learned a long time ago from a workshop on time management. Since the workshop, I’ve heard it repeated many times in different scenarios and in different formats. Regardless of how the story specifics go, the overall message of the story was the same. I’d love to give full credit to the author of the story. But since I’m not sure who the author of the story was or how the original story went, I’m repeating the version I first heard in an effort to help illustrate one of the most important points of time management:

Is My Jar Full or Not?

One day a business school teacher was speaking to a group of students in one of her classes and, to drive home a point, used an illustration those students will never forget. As she stood in front of the class she said, “Okay, time for a quiz.” Then she pulled out a one-gallon Mason jar and set it on the table in front of her. Then she produced about a dozen large rocks about the size of her fist and carefully placed them, one at a time, into the jar. When the jar was filled to the top and no more rocks would fit inside, she asked, “Is this jar full?”

Everyone in her class said, “Yes.”

Then she said, “Oh really?” She then reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel. She dumped some gravel in and shook the jar causing pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the space between the large rocks. Then she asked the group once more, “Is the jar full?” By this time the class was on to her. “Probably not,” one of them answered.

“Good!” she replied. She reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand. She then started dumping the sand into the jar and it went into all of the spaces left between the rocks and the gravel. Once more she asked the question, “Is this jar full now?” “No!” the class shouted.

Once again she said, “Good.” Then she grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in until the jar was filled to the brim. Then she looked at the class and asked, “What is the point of this illustration?”

One person raised his hand and said, “The point is, no matter how full your schedule is, if you try really hard you can always fit some more things in it!”

“No,” the teacher replied, “that’s not the point. The truth this illustration teaches us is: If you don’t put the large rocks in first, you’ll never get them in at all.”

Find Time for the Large Rocks that Make Up Your Life

Finding time for the large rocks or simply the things most important for you first depends on examining what is important in your life. What are the ‘large rocks’ in your life? Are the large rocks:

Your loved ones?

Your children?

Your education?

Some worthy cause?

Your dreams?

Your spouse or significant other?

Doing things that you love?

Your health?

Having time for yourself?

Remember to put the LARGE ROCKS in first or you’ll never get everything in at all.

If you sweat the small stuff (the gravel, the sand in the story) then you’ll fill your life with little things you’ll worry about that really don’t matter, and you’ll never have the real time you need to spend on the big stuff (the large rocks).

Make a list of the things you definitely want to accomplish — For those who’ve gone to time management seminars and/or have taken classes on the subject, I’m sure you’re heard this time and time again. Even so, how many times have you found yourself intending to create a list of the things you want to do, but failed to do so?  Or even worst, creating a list but then, have days where you forget to look at it? One day passes, and then another, and then another. Sometimes you may be in the middle of something and you remember your list only to say “I’ll look at it when I’m finished or when I’m not as busy as I am now”. Doing that will sooner or later render the list created ineffective in helping you to accomplish the things you want to accomplish.

Make sure you review your list everyday, preferably at the same time each day. I find that doing this as part of the morning routine in the easiest. By reviewing your list each day at the same time, you make it a habit to review your list.

When You Make Your List, Pick the Top Three Things to Accomplish – Many people when they create a list of things to do, they still get overwhelmed at the things they intend to do.  There’s an old saying that says, “How do you eat an elephant? You do it one bite at a time.” This concept is similar to the concept of large rocks in the earlier story. What are your large rocks?

Keep Your List in a Place Where You Can Easily Find It — If you create a list, it’s easier to review it if you keep it in a place where you can easily find it every day. What good is a list of things to accomplish if you are not able to easily find it?

Learn to Say “No” — I myself am quite guilty of doing this on many occasions.  I’m the type of person that by nature wants to get as much accomplished as possible. The irony is that the more a person has going on, the more chance they’ll not be able to accomplish everything to the level of satisfaction they set for the task. That’s of course assuming they’re able to finish everything they’re personally responsible for. Who said you have to say “Yes” to everything that is asked of you?

Have a Pad and Pencil/Pen Next to the Bed — One thing that has helped me is to have a pad and pen on the nightstand next to my bed. Reason being is that I find I remember many of the things that I’d like to do or plan to do as I lie down relaxing just before I go to sleep. Having a pad and pen next to the bed has helped me to get a much better night’s sleep. Why? Because as soon as I remember something I’d like to do the next day, I write it down on the pad.  The beauty of this is that I don’t have to worry about remembering it the next morning. I can go to sleep without the worry that I’ll forget.

Block Out Time Each Day for Yourself to Catch Up — If you use a personal information manager such as Outlook or Google Calendar, make sure you block out half an hour to an hour each day for you to catch up on things. Once you do so, make sure you keep this appointment everyday. This has been one of the most valuable lessons I learned early on in my career from one of my mentors. Having that time each day, allows me to either catch up on things, or re-examine how my day is going. Sometimes I use this time to re-evaluate my list of things that I want to accomplish and if needed, re-prioritize.

Make Sure Your List of Things to Accomplish contains Fun Things to Do As Well – Having fun things to do on your list is just as important as having things you feel are not as much fun. Sometimes, having a list of fun things to do can make life much more enjoyable.  Making time for you is not selfish but just as important as everything else. If you do not find time for yourself every so often, you will find yourself getting time-starved. You’ll start feeling tired, and over-extended and believe me that others will notice.  Scheduling time for rest and relaxation will help to give you energy to do the things you need to do.

Note: If you’re in a relationship, make sure you plan time into your schedule to spend it with your significant other. This will help ensure a successful relationship.

How Do You Find Time?

The ideas I’ve mentioned above are just some ideas to help manage time a little bit better.  These are not the only methods for finding time for things, they are simply a handful of the many ways a person can create time for themselves.

What are some of the ways you find and make time for yourself and for the things you want to accomplish? Why not share them with others below?

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