Time Management and a….Toaster??
I know, I know…..a toaster is central to an article about time management? Weird, right? Actually, not at all.
One of the central themes to ALL of the coaching and fitness work I do is time management. Don’t see that? I didn’t either, at first. But there is a through-line with all of these areas. In coaching with entrepreneurial clients, they’re doing all the things for their business AND dealing with all of the “life” things as well. My fitness folks often struggle with creating time to work out. The women I coach, who are working full time and parenting or caregiving for another, often feel like there is little time to pee, let alone attend to their wellness.
So, enter time management. Yes, there are systems and steps I work through with folks, but today? Today is about the toaster.
What the heck is with this toaster?!
Yesterday, when I was making my breakfast (yes, toast!), I was looking at my toaster. And I was remembering how happy I was to receive this as a gift from my husband. DO NOT throw him under the bus right now for giving me a toaster as a gift. I was struggling. Struggling with my mornings. With two parents working full time, one car, and two babies, getting breakfast made in the morning and getting us out the door was hard. I often felt like I had run a marathon by the time I arrived at work. AND I had a full work-day and family evening still to go. So, enter the toaster.
Here is the time management takeaway for today friends. Just as it can be calendars and systems that help improve your time management and time usage, little things, simple things, can make a huge difference as well. Like moving from a two slice toaster to a 4 slice toaster. That meant I could throw in 4 pieces all at once, one each for the littles and two for me, and breakfast was made. This small change made a difference. It gave me a few extra minutes to breathe, find a missing sock, and pack lunches. It simplified a repeatable activity. The key to being efficient with one’s time, I have found, is to identify your repetitive activities, and figure out how to simplify or create a strategy to simplify these repetitive tasks. Simplification and strategies open pockets of time. Yes, you have untapped gaps of time available. You just haven’t found them YET.
Don’t overcomplicate things, folks. Yes, we need larger systems especially if you have larger tasks, projects, and to-do lists, but do not underestimate the value of taking back a few minutes of your time by making some small changes.
So, where are your most chaotic times? What are the tasks that you repeat in this time? And, how can you simplify?
Message me if you need a hand.
Wishing you a toaster-filled, simplified day,
Deanna