Six for Success

TIME MANAGEMENT TIPS

Six for Success

Six tips so you can manage your time without sacrificing it all!

By: Chat Mills

Now that we are in the swing of the new year this is about the time that I find myself saying, "Oh yeah, about those resolutions I set..." 

Palm to face.

You're shaking your too head because you know what I'm talking about. You're probably also thinking about how you've let yourself down (again), and how tomorrow you'll get back on track!

Except without a plan you won't. Trust me, I know how this goes.

I knew it so well that I finally decided to do something about it. Over the last year I was so sick of that disappointed feeling that I said, "Chat, get your shite together!" So if you find yourself in this boat where you're simply just floating but are ready to get it together then I have some very realistic and manageable strategies for you!

Is it really you being unmotivated or is it a lack of planning?

​That is the question!

So let's break down motivation for a hot second. There are two kinds: extrinsic and intrinsic.

Extrinsic - all the outside factors out of our control.
Getting an A on the test, receiving praise for our hard work, amount of weight lost, yearly bonuses.

Intrinsic - all the factors within us that are in our control
Endorphins released from exercise, feelings of love, mindset, sense of worth and belonging.

For most of us extrinsic factors help us dictate our motivation in a much easier way, despite the fact that the majority of these factors are out of our control. It's really motivating to hear someone tell us we did an awesome job with that account, or that last night's dinner was delicious, or that our outfit looks really nice. We have zero control over any of that feedback and yet, the moment that feedback decreases or ceases altogether, our motivation goes right in the toilet.

I'm a firm believer that while the extrinsic motivation is nice, (I won't lie - I like getting praised for my hard work) it's really our intrinsic motivation that we need to feed to meet our goals and feel that sense of accomplishment. 

UGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!

I get it! It's not a walk in the park. It requires being very present about the conversation you have with yourself, your personal development, and staying consistent.

Boo! Hiss!

Staying intrinsically motivated makes our growth (or lack of) very real. And the realization that we are the ones stopping ourselves from greatness is a hard pill to swallow! 

Thankfully there are many, many ways to keep up our intrinsic motivation high! My secret sauce you ask - planning!

Planning is THE KEY to continued intrinsic motivation. Here are six steps you can take to begin planning, boost that motivation, and head towards success!

1. Establish Your Goal

This was always really tricky to me because it felt like there were 1000 ways to set a goal. A few years ago I read the book, Atomic Habits, by James Clear (I've referenced his work before and I probably will again!). In the first part of his book he asks the reader to consider identity. "Who do I want to be" versus just focusing on the "what I want".

For example, instead of "eat healthier" as the goal I say, "I am someone who eats healthy." Then I ask myself the question, "what do people, who eat healthy, do?"

Then I create a list of what people who eat healthy do:

• Drink lots of water
• Eat their green, leafy vegetables
• Eat less simple carbs
• Reduce their refined sugar intake
• Eat less processed foods

​Now I have a place to start planning from.

2. Consider the Time You Have

Having this list also allows you to be realistic about your goals. Maybe this isn't the best time for you to eliminate sugar because you're not in the mental space to handle the withdraw yet. This may lead you to recognize that you can reduce instead of completely eliminating.

Time also plays an important factor here. You are busy and adding something to the plate without proper consideration of time will halt motivation to work towards your goal.

My weeks consist of running my business, pick ups and drop offs to and from school and hockey for the boys, choreographing a dance routine for the color guard I coach, teaching that routine, all the things that go with being a parent and running a household, and of course finding time to connect with my friends, family, and myself. 

If I simply say that I want to eat better I have no real frame of reference for what that looks like for me or how I plan that into my routine. If you look back to the list I created about what healthy people eat, I can see immediately that drinking more water and eating more green leafy vegetables is a quick addition into my routine that won't disrupt my schedule. The others don't necessarily disrupt my schedule but they will be more challenging and I will need to prep my mindset which I know will take me some time. Maybe those items take a backseat, for now.  

Yes, we want to do all of the things but considering the time in which you have is important so you know which goals you can meet sooner and which will be for later so you can be successful!

3. Backwards Plan

Backwards planning is freakin awesome!

A tactic used by teachers to design curriculum and classroom plans, backwards planning, or backwards design, is a great way to know if the steps you're implementing into your routine are the right ones to help you reach your goal.

Here's how it works:
In the world of education you have three stages: 1) desired results, 2) evidence and assessment, and 3) learning plan. Without getting into the weeds basically you are working backwards from the picture goal to the tiny details that get you there. Teachers use this strategy to plan so that everything from the vocabulary, to the lesson, to the test is meaningful and is only used to get you to that desired goal. Here's how I have adapted this to use in my real life:

Desired Goal: Be someone who eats healthy

---

Evidence: How I know I've reached my goal

1. Drink lots of water
   
2. Eat their green, leafy vegetables
3. Eat less simple carbs
4. Reduce their refined sugar intake
5. Eat less processed foods

My Plan: What I'll do to reach the goal
​​Drink lots of water:

1. Get a water bottle 
2. Drink at least 8oz of water more daily
3. Track my progress

I understand that it may seem involved to plan in this way BUT if you're new to planning for the sake of prioritizing your own needs then this is a great place to start. And over time you'll be so clear as to what your goals are, what they looks like, and how to get there that planning will take no time at all!

And more importantly you are only planning the necessary steps to get you to your desired goal. In education it would look like learning the 10 most important words/phrases to use when introducing yourself in Spanish INSTEAD of doing three worksheets to memorize all the possible ways to introduce yourself. Blah! Prioritizing your needs may look like finding three at-home workouts on YouTube instead of purchasing a gym membership. 
​
This method allows you to simplify the process of being someone who eats healthy to very manageable and achievable steps that are easily to implement into your routine. ​

4. Prioritize Your Top Six

Here's where I want to caution you as you move forward. 

If you're like me, you're reading this ready to get started and you're already feeling the adrenaline boosting that intrinsic motivation. You're so boosted you've created a goal and have planned to eat better, to get into activity, to incorporate a nightly routine, to start a mediation practice, and get your financial health in order. 

Yup, you've done it again! There are so many priorities that if you try to do them all then what is the likelihood that 1) you take the steps needed to meet the goal, 2) you keep going, and 3) you'll  burn out?

To avoid this and/or to make sure that you are working towards all that you want to accomplish you need to revisit step 2 and consider how much time you have so you can prioritize you most desired goal. 

This isn't to say that you CAN'T work on multiple goals simultaneously but making sure that you're realistic about the time you have and the steps you're taking is the only way to prioritize your needs. It is simple enough to drink more water daily and get in a 30-minute workout but if incorporating exercise was difficult for you to begin with, you need to be honest with yourself and decide if you are ready to take this goal on. If yes, then which steps are you going to incorporate that are the most manageable for you?

If you make too many changes or if the changes are too drastic you're more likely to stop and your intrinsic motivation depletes. 

Whether I am planning my goals, planning my week, or planning my day I like to start with six priorities first. This gives me plenty to work on while also helping me stay present with a glimpse of what's coming. 

My top six priorities for the week.

5. Focus On One Thing at a Time

I have sets some goals around my my nutrition, preparing for a triathlon (I know - random but I do triathlons so it fits), and building my savings account. My first step was to prioritize these goals so I can begin to work on them one at a time. This just means that the other two goals I work on more weekly or monthly basis than daily.

I further prioritize so that my day has just six priorities so I can make sure I incorporate the right steps to reach my goals. It's important to note that things like appointments, meetings, school plays, basketball games don't count. These are just obstacles that get in the way of the goal.

Now I know what you're thinking, "how is my son's basketball game an obstacle?" It's a great question, I'm glad you're thinking this way.

While it's brings you joy to see your child do something they love, it ultimately takes away time from the steps you want to take to reach your goals. You can argue that your children's happiness is a priority for you, yes, but also ask yourself, "is this at the sacrifice of my own personal joy and happiness?" If it is, then is it possible to miss a game? Also consider, how can we truly give our friends, family, and others the best of ourselves if everyone else is always the priority?

Focusing on one thing at a time allows you to work towards your goal AND fit in work and family priorities as well. As you prioritize yourself you increase your ability to find that work-life balance!

I prioritize my day based on my priorities from the week. My to-do list consists of steps towards my first priority. Once met, I'll create steps for the next one and so on.

6. Track Your Progress

Your job has a way of tracking your productivity, schools have a way of tracking student grades, sports teams have ways of tracking athlete's progress and you should have a way to track the steps you take towards your goals as well.

Tracking is more than just accountability. Tracking provides you insight into your consistency and gives you an idea of what steps are working and where you might need to make some changes. 

I learned first hand how important tracking was when I first started my journey. I remember working out five days a week. I would attend my dance class for an hour and half, go to color guard rehearsal where I'd dance another two hours. On the opposite days I'd be at the pool and going for a run to train for my triathlon and I still struggled to meet my weight loss goals. 

As soon as I reprioritized my goals and focused on balancing my nutrition, I started to see the changes I was looking for. I didn't abandon working out, I just gave myself a lot more grace if I skipped a day. That said, it was easy to continue working out because I had made that my initial priority and it was now a habit.

Perhaps my favorite aspect of tracking is the ability to focus on the long term. Nothing boosts my intrinsic motivation more that having a physical representation of my consistency. So whether you are keeping tabs in a calendar, notebook, or homemade tracker use this not just as your accountability but also as a way to keep your eyes on the prize!

Busy AND Healthy

You've just learned that when you consider the time you have you can prioritize and plan your goals so that you can focus on the priorities of your month, week, and day to meet those goals.

The other take-away here is that it is entirely possible to be busy and healthy. 

If you're like me, then you've been stuck in the thought process that everything has to give for you to make yourself a priority. We want to be the person that everyone can rely on and letting down those we care about it isn't an option. The question becomes then, is it okay to let ourselves down?

As a recovering people pleaser, I can recall many moments where I allowed myself to completely burnout because I was so afraid of letting someone down. I was also afraid that if I admitted that I couldn't do it my family, friends, and co-workers would think less of me. Saying "no" made it very real that I, in fact, wasn't superwoman. 

Here's the truth though, IT IS OKAY TO SAY NO. 

I don't mean to sound sassy here but once I took the opportunity to prioritize myself I realized very quickly that everything that I was worried about not getting done was still getting done even though I wasn't part of it. I would ask my husband to drop off the kids so I could do my workout. I would be honest with my co-workers about how much I could give so others could help me. I decided to stop checking my email after 6pm.

Setting those boundaries, saying "no" more, and communicating where I needed help allowed me to not only work on my goals but to actually meet them! And because of this, I am a better mother, wife, coach, business woman, and friend because I am giving the best of myself to those around me. 

Where at first I thought I was sacrificing everything, I learned that what I was actually doing was prioritizing my needs and in turn I was able to get more accomplished than I ever thought possible. 

You can be busy and healthy.
You can be busy and happy.
You can be healthy and happy.
You don't have to sacrifice it all to make yourself a priority.

Life isn't perfect. There are still dishes in the sink from time to time. There are still loads of folded laundry in the basket. There are days where I skip a workout. But the stress of not putting me first is way more draining than the stress of a few dirty dishes (which do get done because I've learned to prioritize my needs so I have the energy to do them - see what I did there? ;) )

So friends, ask yourself, if I wasn't there to do it, would it be okay?  The answer is yes! 

Until the next time,