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You first need to focus on your mindset to manage your time more productively. That sets the stage for everything to follow.
It starts with understanding the psychological principles that make time management challenging. In fact, even using the term “time management” sets your mind off in the wrong direction.
Time Management Isn’t Really About Time
At one time or another, most of us have said we want to:
- Find more time
- Have more time
- Get more time
- Make more time
But we can’t do it. There are only so many hours in a day or week, and nothing we do can change that. If you don’t control your time, someone else or a series of events will.
Instead of thinking about time management, we need to recognize that our focus should be on self-management and choice management. Every minute of every day, we make choices about what we will or will not do. Those choices add up quickly, exhausting your finite time. You will always have more things to do than the time available to do them. So making wise choices is critical.
Changing Your Mindset
Albert Einstein famously observed that “insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” Yet we do it all the time, don’t we? Maybe we don’t actually expect a better result, but we hope for one, even though we keep doing things the same way.
If you truly want to see different results, you need to engage in different behavior. Be determined. Be ready to experiment. But also be patient with yourself as you set about changing your mindset and behaviors. If good habits could be established overnight, most of us wouldn’t be wrestling with so many of the behavioral patterns that persistently trip us up.
Target Beliefs and Behaviors
When you’re completely honest with yourself, what do you believe at a gut level, for example, about how many interruptions you have to tolerate throughout the day? About pushing back on scheduling requests? About saying No to scope creep for that important client or colleague? About whether you’ll ever get your inbox under control?
Those questions likely just stirred up some low-level anxiety. We get it. Welcome to the club. It’s not easy to change our beliefs and behaviors.
Set Your Destination
So to make lasting changes, we need a deep, abiding sense of where we’re going. We need clarity about what we want our experience to be.
Think about the results you want. If you were measurably more productive and enjoyed measurably greater peace of mind one year from now, what would that feel like? What improvements in your professional and personal life would you enjoy?
The secret here is to:
Monitor Your Progress
Remember that changing your default mindset takes time. To observe the progress you’re making, we recommend starting a journal devoted to your journey. Envision the differences you want to see in one year. Consider your level of stress, the time you spend working, satisfaction from clients and staff, your reputation, and your financial situation.
Make notes as you go through the year. Many times, we do not recognize how far we’ve come until we look back to see where we once were.
Take the First Step on the Road to Productivity by Changing Your Mindset
Remember that you are managing your choices. How will you choose to spend your time? You cannot make or find more. But you can make the most of what you have.
You also need to remember that if you don’t control your time, someone or something else will.
Contact Our Lawyer Coaches for a Mindset Shift Today
Get the additional assistance you need to start shifting your mindset today. Contact us by phone or online for a free consultation.