How to Make 2017 a Smashing Success Part 1: Busting Time Traps

One of the biggest complaints we hear from women in our workshops around the world is that they don’t have enough time to be everything they need to be. Every New Year starts with lofty aspirations and the best of intentions, only to careen into another yearend, leaving a tattered trail of unfinished goals and unfulfilled desires. In this three-part series, we’re going to work with you to help you truly own your time and make 2017 a year of smashing success.Work, family, and social demands almost always reach a fever pitch this time of year, so now is the perfect time to develop an awareness of any potential bad habits and time-wasting behaviours you may have developed. Because what if, by this time next year, you find yourself feeling like you have controlled your year and not that your year has controlled you?Over the next month, step outside yourself every now and then and watch out for these potential timewasters. Give yourself a rating of 1 to 10, with 1 being not at all true, and 10 being ‘oh my goodness, that’s so me!’

Time traps:

Perfectionism. I take much longer than other people to complete a task because I feel that everything I do has to be absolutely perfect.Tip: perfection can be stifling. The world rewards productivity, not perfection. Let’s embrace that “Done is better than perfect”. The best we can be or do or say right now, with all the tools, skills, knowledge, and time we have at this very moment… because it doesn’t get any better than that.Procrastination. If there’s something I don’t really want to do I keep putting it off instead of tackling it straight away.Tip: if this sounds like you, plan your most daunting task first thing on your calendar. Notice what happens to your energy once you have tackled it.Distractions. I plan a full 8 hour day but because of distractions like phone calls, meetings, and unplanned tasks, I never get everything done.Tip: distractions are inevitable. Only plan for 4 to 5 real hours of work per day.Meetings. Meetings are pointless. They’re one of my biggest time wasters.Tip: meetings need a clear agenda. Define that agenda beforehand, keep that agenda on track, and close the meeting on time. No agenda? No meeting!Yes, yes, yes. I say yes to everything and take too much on because I’m scared I’m going to miss out on an opportunity.Tip: Some of us have a hard time saying no because we hate to miss an opportunity. And saying no always leads to a missed opportunity. But it’s not just a missed opportunity; it’s a trade-off. Remind yourself that when you’re saying no to the request, you are simultaneously saying yes to something you value more than the request. Both are opportunities. You’re just choosing one over the other.Multitasking. I’m so busy trying to do a little bit of everything that I never really get anything done properly.Tip: we don’t multi-task, we switch-task. Switch-tasking is inefficient and unproductive – it takes an average of 23 minutes and 15 seconds to get back to the task you were tackling before you switched, so resist the temptation.Emails. I check my emails first thing, and before I know it, I’ve almost lost a whole morning.Tip: focus on your most urgent task before you check your emails in the morning. That way, you stay focused on the task at hand and you won’t land up with 5 other ‘urgent’ tasks.Social media. I’m obsessed! I keep finding myself scrolling through my social media streams even when I know I have work to do.Tip: social media is to the mind what sugar is to the body. A little in moderation is okay. Put yourself on a social media diet, dedicate reasonable little pockets of time for social media and don’t allow yourself any more than that.Punctuality. OMG, I’m late again!Tip: the last minute rush is always stressful and could derail the rest of your day. Being more realistic about your scheduling will help you to be more organised. Take into account time wasters like parking, security check in and of course traffic.Disorganisation. Everything around me is chaos. I can never find what I’m looking for.Tip: spending a little upfront time organising your desk, your handbag, your hard drive, your car and your home will save you a lot of time in the long run.Now watch this space for part two! We’ll show you how you can actually boost the time that you have.Warm wishes,Lori