Time Management Archives | Maureen Michele

Auditing your Time

Erica Lambert — Mon, 07 Nov 2022 03:06:33 +0000

I had become a zombie. After Kyleigh’s initial diagnosis of cancer, I was tearful, sad, and full of fear, but this was expected. As time went on, though, I tried to push these emotions away and became numb. Resentment and anger became part of me later in Kyleigh’s medical journey. Years later, Kyleigh was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes during the month of September, Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month. This was an ironic joke. I once again became a shell of a person when trying to juggle all the parts of life.

The initial adjustment to the diagnosis of diabetes did take some work, but I realized that I had no joy in the new life I had been given. My days were filled with checking her blood sugar numbers on her glucose monitor app because I never let go of managing Kyleigh’s diabetes. I never fully trusted Kyleigh’s school and my days were filled with emailing, calling, and meeting her teachers. I was worried about her nutrition so I spent time planning meals and counting carbs. I was working full-time as a physician, but I was distracted with Kyleigh’s medical visits and trips to the pharmacy.

We shouldn’t live in a state of emptiness like I was experiencing. I wanted to once again feel intense joy along with deep sadness, but this would require change. I spent time reflecting on my usual days which included overseeing Kyleigh’s health and working. When I wasn’t doing these things, I would watch mindless television because “I needed a break”, but I know it was really to escape my life. This audit of my time was very revealing and were not in line with my priorities. My life was not balanced: I needed time for myself and time for my other children; I needed time for relationships with a significant other, family, and friends; I needed time for career goals.

It is amazing how organization and planning can change everything! Our time is valuable and our use of time will help us to create balance and achieve goals. We can’t add hours to the day, but we can make sure that we are maximizing our use of time. I have learned how to organize time on a calendar to help ensure my use of time is in line with my priorities. This organizational tool has been a valuable resource for achieving goals, eliminating unproductive “breaks”, and decreasing worry.

Being a parent of a child with a medical diagnosis does add tasks to my day, but time management allows me to manage these tasks and accomplish the other commitments I have made to myself and others. I transformed my chaotic, numb life into an organized, priority-focused, vibrant existence.

What would your time audit uncover?

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The Use of Time

Erica Lambert — Mon, 24 Oct 2022 04:53:18 +0000

I love the book, “The One Thing” by Gary Keller. I read this book years ago and learned that if someone is focused on too many things at the same thing, attention is divided and progress is slow. Conversely, focusing efforts on one thing will cause noticeable change and other aspects of life will fall into place as a consequence. This laser focus removes the distraction and noise to keep your energy concentrated. A teen who takes a magnifying glass and concentrates the sun’s energy in one spot will soon learn that the energy can turn into fire. In a similar way, change in our life can develop into roaring flames if we pick one thing to put our efforts towards.

When becoming a parent, our lives are filled with new responsibilities, but increased responsibilities overwhelm us if our child is given a medical diagnosis. We are forced into new roles like caregiver and advocate. Our day is filled with appointments, waiting for prescriptions, and researching ways to help our child. Relationships that are important to us are no longer a priority. We are lonely, scared, and overwhelmed. We continue to sink deeper into despair and don’t know how to love the life we were given.

I know firsthand how difficult this is and it becomes even more challenging when trying to change life without a plan. The biggest way to make change is to first change the fundamentals. The Latin word ‘fundamentum’ means foundation and we can be confident knowing that if we build strong foundations, the rest should follow. Time management is truly the cement of our new life’s foundation. Time is a precious currency that we can use to create the life we desire. It is our most valuable asset and should be used wisely. This is where we should start.

Time management begins by listing tasks that need to be accomplished during the week and then scheduling time on a calendar to accomplish these tasks. Unwavering commitment is needed to accomplish the things on the calendar. This is a skill that takes practice and will not be perfect initially, but focusing on improving time management will help to overcome feelings of being overwhelmed and improve relationships with ourselves and others.

We should schedule time for the care our child needs, but also schedule opportunities to take care of ourselves. Formally scheduling personal activities allows us to make time for family, friends, health and fun because having a balanced life reduces stress and increases energy levels. With practice we begin to understand that time management is really about life management!

How can you improve your use of time?

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