making the most of time

A couple of weeks back I wrote this blog post about the precious gift that time is to us. I guess I'm all reflective being that 2014 is winding down, Christmas is around the corner and the fresh start of the New Year is on the horizon. I'm already making plans for 2015; first stop, the inaugural Summer trip to the most serene place in Victoria, Bonnie Doon.

Bonnie Doon - Winter

Bonnie Doon - Summer

If you look closely at the two shots of Bonnie Doon above you'll notice they are taken at the exact same angle at the exact same place only in two different seasons; almost like a positive and negative image.

Time is something that can't be stopped; it moves, and keeps on moving, it changes, and keeps on changing. And so, we must move and change with time too, or else face becoming stagnant… stale… not moving, not flowing, not advancing. Not anything. 

How can we optimise our time so that we keep moving, keep flowing, keep advancing?

Now, I'm not a time management or organisational expert like the well known Australian, Peter Walsh, but I'm a planner, quite anal retentive, and over the years have managed to combine my skills to juggle multiple jobs at the same time. I've always enjoyed a varied routine, doing different things every day, but living in this way requires me to be super crazily organised. I recently read a blog post by Sarah Wilson on people who are like this, and oh boy, it made me feel so much better about my tendency to get bored quickly and my "jill of all trades" ability that means I'm good at many things but not great at any one thing.

Here are my not-so-conventional time management tips to help you stay in the flow… 

• Keep a record of your daily schedule - mark it down in your diary or enter it into the calendar on your electronic device as soon as you make appointments, book holidays, assign work, etc.
• Carve out time in your day or week for self-care - schedule it in like you do your work, picking up your kids from school, cooking dinner, going out with friends. You are worth making time for. 
• Schedule your activities using the method of pacing to be able to "work smarter, not harder" and achieve more balance.
• Group "like" activities or errands together.
• Single-tasking is the new black - use the Pomodoro Technique to focus on one thing at a time.
• Turn off the TV and get off social media - detox from the electronics every now and then.
• Prioritise your life based on who and what is valuable to you - don't let your to-do list run your life but… 
• To-do lists are helpful - you can't keep everything in your head and not forget something: write it down!
• Use technology to organise and streamline your work - check out Asana for tasks and Evernote for notes. 
• Know your limits - when you reach them either ask for help, practice saying "no", or swap out an activity for whatever activity you add in.
• Create routine in your life; and then be willing to be flexible.
• Regularly take time out to relax, recharge and refocus. 

We all have a different capacity to be able to carry different things in different seasons. But wisdom helps us to discern the "have-to's" from the "want-to's", the chances from the choices, and she whispers ever so softly to us, "Make the most of your time."

Quote for the Road…