I recently asked several groups of men about their greatest challenges. Their response? Time management. And it’s even more specific. These men are challenged with two things: not having time to finish their work at work and secondly, feeling swept along by the chaos and unending pace they’ve created at home.
One guy I’ve been coaching confessed that his kid’s activities run his family schedule. They’re out every night and away from home most weekends. His spirit is shouting that this pace is wrong and unhealthy, but what can he do? He fears the kind of message he’s sending his kids about priorities.
It’s cliché, but we’re all given the same amount of time. How we manage it matters.
Here’s an idea to implement. Think about your day from sunrise to sunset. Dawn to dusk. Within that timeframe, there are three things to consider: productivity, relationships, and sleep. Here’s a way to break this down into practical chunks. Productivity happens while the sun is up (I’ll say more about this in future posts). When the sun sets, time is given to relationships. Family meals, limited tv/social media, time together. No more rushing to another place or event. Finally, between 9 pm and 10 pm, everyone settles in for a good night’s sleep. It boils down to this: 12 hours for productivity, 4 hours for relationships, and 8 hours for sleep.
Follow this rhythm for six days and then rest on the seventh day!
Like anything, life left to itself has no boundaries. Take control of the day. Fashion it and make it work for your purpose. Set up good boundaries that keep out the chaos.