I'll tell you why you aren't using your time wisely

What current circumstances are you dealing with?  What work project are you working on?  Are your kids running around screaming?  Have you cooked dinner?  Have you taken the time to clean around the house? Do you have any other obligations that consume any free time that you potentially could have?  With all of this in mind, you’re most likely thinking “I don’t have enough time for everything.”  

The thought “I don’t have enough time” is extremely common. 

As humans, we’ve all thought this probably several times a week, or even several times a day...  How do you feel when that thought comes to mind?  Stressed?  Overwhelmed?  Anxious?  The emotions can vary, but most of these emotions eventually lead you to try and avoid whatever it is that needs to be done.  

So what do you do when you’re avoiding tasks you need to complete? 

Are you scrolling through social media?  Watching a TV series?  Wandering around in the kitchen?  Or even hiding in your room?  Avoiding tasks also creates problems with spending too much of our time in indecision.  As we’re scrolling on our phones we might consider downloading new apps or just scroll endlessly through our social media feed.  It’s usually after we’re done scrolling that we realize we’ve wasted so much of our time and usually a lot more time was wasted than we had originally thought.  This can only mean one thing...the reason we wasted the time that we do have is because we started thinking to ourselves that we don’t have the time to do what we need to. 

Now imagine this: Sarah has seven children, with a newborn. She’s the only one at home taking care of them, and has hardly slept the last few days (because newborn). 

You probably think, there is no way for her to get anything done. She’s too busy! 

But this is where our thoughts are super important.

Because instead of thinking “I don’t have time to do anything,” she starts thinking “I’m going to make the most out of my time today. I’m going to be productive with whatever time I’m given.” 

When you have a scarcity mindset around time, that’s when things start to go off the rails and you enter a never-ending spiral of doom. But if you think that whatever time you are given to be productive, you will be productive, then you leave that spiral of doom. You begin to realize that you have the time, it’s all about how you choose to spend that time.

Now, I like to call myself a time ninja, because I’ve mastered this skill and never tell myself I don’t have enough time.  I always tell myself I have enough time to finish everything I need to for that day.  Of course I have enough time!  And the real game changer is reminding yourself how grateful you are for the time that you do have each day, and that completely changes how you feel about your time and what you decide to do with it.  I have seen amazing results from putting this into practice, and I know you can achieve these results too.  

This is where having a life coach can help you.  As a certified weight and life coach myself, I can help you bridge your thoughts to make them believable for you, so that you too can experience this process of shifting your mindset and thoughts.  You’ll see yourself beginning to also think these thoughts, from there you’ll notice the change and start to feel better, and then you can really start to take action and make true changes that will make a positive impact on your habits, choices, and life.  This is what we can do together, and what I can help you with!

Why overworking does not make you more productive

We all tend to get trapped in negative beliefs that sound something like this:

• If I put in more hours, I'll be more productive.

• I'm successful because I put in 50+ hours per week at work.

• If I had more time, I'd get more work done.

But these thoughts often lead us to results we don't actually want.

Here's an example:

Circumstance - Your calendar for the month

Thought - If I had more time, I'd get more work done.

Feeling - Frustrated

Actions - Reading blog posts like this one, looking for more time, avoiding actual work to find more time

Result - No time to get more work done.

The thought led to the result in this model.

Your calendar is neutral.

You choose to think thoughts about it. And in this case, it wasn't a helpful thought. It didn't lead to any more time or any more work getting done.

The thoughts that lead us to overwork are sneaky like that. It seems like a helpful thought until you actually live it.

Here's a different thought that completely changes that model:

Circumstance - Your calendar for the month

Thought - I can plan out my work time efficiently.

Feeling - Motivated

Actions - Blocking out time on the calendar, reflecting on time needed for each task, blocking out time for interruptions and surprises

Result - Planned out work time for efficiency.

See how different that model turns out because of a different thought?

If you're interested in learning more about models, please check out The Life Coach School.

I can hear you now. You're saying, "But Caitlin, you don't understand. I HAVE to work 50+ hours in my job. I just have to."

As a life coach, my job is to hold space for you and stay out of your thought swimming pool.

You tell me that you have to work 50+ hours, but I don't believe you until you show me evidence.

It's more likely a thought you're choosing to think.

Why are you choosing to think that you have to work 50+ hours per week?

By working together, we can examine your beliefs up close. We'll separate those thoughts out from the circumstances and work towards purposeful productivity.

For now, let's look at some common behaviors that occur during our work time.

First, are you reading this post when you say you're supposed to be working?

Letting yourself get caught up in distractions is so easy to do.

It's easy to respond to the pings and notifications that show up in our lives.

It's easy to do anything else other than the actual work we're supposed to be doing.

We have to create environments for ourselves where there aren't temptations.

Think about it this way. If you were on a mission to not eat sugar, would you stock your pantry full of sweets? Nope. You'd remove all the sugar opportunities that you could.

The same thing needs to happen with overworking.

Remove the temptations to distract yourself.

• Hide your phone or or put it in Do Not Disturb mode.

• Download a browser extension that doesn't let you browse the internet. I like StayFocusd for Chrome.

• Keep your office door closed or create a distraction free zone in your cubicle.

• Tell others you will be available during certain time frames and only those time frames.

• Keep your email closed, except during scheduled times to read and respond.

See this article for help in setting boundaries with your boss.

You've probably heard these tips before. But are you actually implementing them?

Next, I recommend tracking times you are working.

And this isn't just "Oh yeah, 9-5 each day." Don't give me the, "Yeah, I tried that once. Meh." Be very specific:

• What time of day is it?

• What was the task?

• How long did it take?

• Did you get interrupted? Why?

Creating that simple log will give you a lot of amazing data to look back on in one day and one week.

You'll be able to identify what's going well and what isn't. It won't be vague anymore. It will be specific.

Create the list of results you want, instead of hours you want to work.

If you give yourself 8 hours to write that report, guess how long it will take?

8 hours, maybe 10-12 if you choose thoughts to overwork.

Instead, I recommend creating a result like, "Report written and submitted to boss." Put it on your calendar with a specific time frame.

Refer back to some of your time tracking data if you have it. How long has it taken you to write reports like this in the past?

Stick to the plan you create. You must write that report in the time given.

Choose thoughts like:

• I can do my work in exactly the time I've allowed myself.

• Focusing now on my work will pay off in the future.

• I'm a person who sticks to my plan.

• I know I can get this report done in the time I've allowed.

• I'm committed to this plan I've created.

Then you'll end up with a report written in exactly the time you've allowed. Instead of overworking and being exhausted at the end of the process.

Ready to take the next step toward achieving your goals? Check out my tips for reclaiming your time with the form below!