DE-STRESS AND MEET GOALS WITH TIME-MANAGEMENT

De-Stress and Meet Goals with Time-Management

By: Mia Barnett

There are a number of interpretations of time and it’s meaning that stem from an array of backgrounds such as physics, psychology, and even philosophy. Regardless of the interpretation of time one thing that is for sure is as humans get we get older and some at a faster rate than others. As we age not only do we lose the energy that we once had as teenagers and young adults, but we can often feel limited in our ability to reach long-term goals.

Completing short-term goals in a timely fashion produces long-term results. Our productivity stems from our daily tasks and to-do list. As we become more productive we free more time to be used towards completing other tasks that will steadily take us to the next level in life.

When it comes to time-management we must understand that everyone has a different path in life and that includes different goals and needs that must be met in different ways. To understand how to better manage time there must be an understanding of time as a man-made calculation of interval. We must manage our time with flexibility and the knowledge that not all things will workout perfectly.

As a mother of two beautiful girls, graduate student, operator of a start-up business, and full-time employee I alleviate stress through a daily to-do list. First step in organizing your time is to categorize responsibilities, prioritize those categories, and then prioritize within each category. Everyday I prioritize a numbered task lists that includes all main tasks that must be completed before the day is over.

An hourly schedule can make the difference between being late for an interview, meeting, or work.  An hourly schedule includes the time it takes to drive, walk or wait. It helps a person with a very eventful day be able to distress as they have a visual map of exactly how they will fit their activities into their hectic day.  Prioritizing is ordering daily, weekly or monthly tasks from most to least important goals. After following an hourly schedule from day to day we begin to become more aware of how fleeting time is and accomplish more through the subtle pressures of time-constraints.

With time management our brains can focus on the task at hand instead of the time.  Time management has to be coordinated according to your lifestyle and your personal daily tasks. Managing time can be mundane or even challenging at first, but sticking to it through all slip-ups will yield goals becoming dreams. Managing time can yield at least 30 minutes to 1 hour of extra time to exercise, nap, have daily devotional, meditate, or make that important phone call you've been promising to a special someone for weeks. 

Other methods of time-management are making everyday a special day for a particular activity, setting time limits on all activities and organizing work and home space.

An anonymous American proverb to live by is, “If you don't have a plan for yourself you'll be part of someone else's.”

Mia Barnett is a North Carolina A&T State University alumnus, writer, and independent public relations specialist. She has founded Speak to the Heart Inc., a nonprofit organization that seeks to generate awareness of detrimental issues in communities through the arts and special events to yield collective change. As she pursues a Masters degree in Public Relations she aspires to further develop as a community organizer and public relations consultant.

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