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?
