Find that Balance
We organize, establish routines and schedules so that we can maximize our time and achieve our goals. You may think that routines are boring and stifling, but they actually give us the freedom to become decisive and productive. They also allow us freedom to be spontaneous when we want to.
Time is relative and schedules and routines are for our benefit. They are there to serve us – not dictate our life. If they are too rigid or unrealistic, we will become frustrated and tired.
Remember to schedule “down” times, when we turn off the hassles of the day and allow ourselves time to spend doing pleasant, relaxing and fun things.
Once in place productive, routines become unconscious daily habits that streamline our days. Our routines and schedule do not rule us – they are tools that allow us to live life to the fullest.
Different Work Styles
We all have different styles of working and organizing our time. Some people can function in what looks like chaos, while others find it very stressful to have anything out of place around them.
For example, I have a large home office. I work on many projects every day: writing blogs, articles, developing workshops, editing a manuscript and keeping notes for future books. At first glance, my office may appear messy and cluttered as I often have many files, books and materials spread around me for easy and quick reference. Eventually, however, my “organized” clutter becomes confusion and disorder, and I need to schedule an organizational day to file things away.
Disorder or “organized clutter”
If the rest of my house becomes cluttered, however, it soon becomes a source of irritation and discomfort. When I leave my office, I want to step into a place that is restful and tranquil. If I allow my home to remain cluttered, it is hard to relax and enjoy my surroundings. So routines I establish require keeping my home space as clutter free as possible.
Clutter and disorder will eventually create distress. Establishing a system of organizing your life is worth the time spent in setting it up and pays off in huge dividends. It is part of time management. The time we spend looking for misplaced items or things that haven’t been put away create ongoing frustration and irritation.
The following 3 websites give additional information about time management, work and balance in today’s world and may be of interest to you.
Website #1: Jones Loflin writes about the “Two most critical challenges in today’s world: Time management and Work Life Balance.”
http://www.jonesloflin.com/time-mgmt-work-life-balance/?gclid=CO3t1-XY88MCFcdgfgodKrMAVw
Website #2: Sue W. Chapman and Michael from the University of Georgia have put together a downloadable pdf entitled “10 Strategies for Better Time Management”.
http://www.wiu.edu/advising/docs/Time_Management_Strategies.pdf
Website #3: Susan Ward, a small business expert from Canada has written a blog entitled “11 Time Management Tips: Coming to Grips with the Time Management Myth.” http://sbinfocanada.about.com/cs/timemanagement/a/timemgttips.htm?utm_term=time%20management%20tips&utm_content=p1-main-1-title&utm_medium=sem&utm_source=msn&utm_campaign=adid-d1a454c9-20b7-421a-bb7f-2e1720ff31c4-0-ab_mse_ocode-5995&ad=semD&an=msn_s&am=exact&q=time%20management%20tips&dqi=&o=5995&l=sem&qsrc=999&askid=d1a454c9-20b7-421a-bb7f-2e1720ff31c4-0-ab_mse
Marlene Anderson