Work/Life Balance - Practical Techniques Part I
"Either you run the day or the day runs you." Jim Rohn, entrepreneur, author, motivational speaker
There have been a number of blogs on gaining balance in our busy lives. I would like, today and tomorrow, to bring you two quotes that are particularly important for all of us in business, but also for those whose lives are busy for other reasons.
One sure way to 'run your day', i.e. to be in charge of your day and avoid the chaos that so often reigns, is to plan it the evening before. Set out what you want to do, schedule your vital tasks into your calendar, decide how much time you are going to dedicate to them so you get to do other important things.
It doesn't always work, but give this technique a chance, and you have a greater chance of accomplishing all the things you have to do along with the things you want to do. You will come out of your day feeling as though you accomplished a great deal more than would otherwise be the case, and feel better about it all.
You will find many serial entrepreneurs and authors such as Tim Ferris and Kevin Kruse talk about just this very thing. The game changer for many of us is scheduling things into our day, taking no calls, stopping alerts, and having the mental space to actually do in peace and with focus, what we need to get done.
Gaining balance in our busy lives takes planning. It may feel, for those who consider themselves free spirits, that freedom is being lost, but in fact, you gain more time for the freedom to do the things you want this way. Time doesn't run away.
So try it on for size:
Make a list of everything you have to accomplish tomorrow,
Prioritize it,
Schedule everything into your calendar - most important first, when, how long, and where.
Try it, and discover a whole new world of time management!