Talk to most people these days and they’ll tell you they’re too busy.
Too busy to achieve their dreams. Too busy to grow their business or in their field of work.
It’s all just poor time management.
Here are a few of the key signs that you’re managing your time poorly.
#1. Tiredness
General tiredness could be a sign of a few things. Not enough sleep. Something wrong with your body. A newborn in the house.
But a big one that is often overlooked is a lack of good time management skills.
Both in your business and personal lives. When you don’t have things organized and under control you will often feel tired. Some will call it burnout. Whatever you call it there is no balance. You’re not allowing yourself the time to do what really matters.
How to overcome it? First, work on saying “no” to things. That includes things you ask yourself to do. Identify what is most important to you and eliminate the rest. It’s not easy, but it’s what will work.
#2. Disappointed Acquaintances
Are you seeing disappointed looks from family, friends, colleagues and more? Maybe you’re too busy to notice?
Take a little time to see if you’re disappointing people. It could be that you’re late for things. Or that you’re saying you will be there for something and not showing. Or that you’re not entirely present when you are there.
This is usually a time management issue. You’re not allowing yourself the time for the people that are important. Your priorities are messed up.
These days it’s easy to get bogged down with things that seem urgent. Messages, emails, etc. You have to build barriers for those things so you can be there for those you care about.
#3. Missed Deadlines
It’s easy to blame missed deadlines on the deadlines. You just weren’t given enough time to get them done.
That’s not true. It’s amazing how humans are able to meet deadlines if they have their time under control.
When you fill your schedule with things that aren’t top priority…that’s when you miss deadlines.
#4. Full Inbox
Do you have an email from a week ago that needs a response.
I just read in a book about a study that found that the quicker you respond to emails the happier you make people.
That person waiting on that email from a week ago…they’re disappointed. And probably even pissed.
If your inbox is full it’s a time issue. You’re either not leaving enough time for emails and filling your schedule with unnecessary things or you’re not doing email first as it probably should be.
#5. Blame Game
Are you blaming others and outside happenings for your issues? It’s an accountability issue, but also a time issue. When you feel busy you feel like the world is against you. But really it comes down to how you manage your time.
Conclusion
The big thing with time is that you do have enough of it. You’re just not understanding what your priorities are. You’re not crossing enough items on your list.
Derek Sivers just wrote about subtracting. If you’re having time issues it’s time to subtract. You’re not going to fill your heart by adding. You’re going to fill it by subtracting. You fill it by adding more quality than quantity.
