Cup of Inspiration

Today is the day you make time for that morning coffee break. Today is the day to take that full lunch hour. Today is the day you leave work on time for a change. Today, October 24^th, is Take Back Your Time Day.

In a never-ending rollercoaster of work, school, and various other commitments, it can feel like the days fly by. We live for the end of the work week, enjoy a very short reprieve, only to start it all over again. It can be easy to miss taking a break from the desk because there’s always one more thing that must get done. How often does lunch consist of whatever you can quickly consume while hovering over a keyboard? It can be hard saying no to assignments at work because you want to be the team player.

We should always provide our best performance at work. However, we should also remember to stop trying to give over 100%. Stop trying to cram 48 hours’ worth of work into 12-24 hours. Burnout will eat away at efficiency and the quality of your work.

Effective time management does not mean being able to perform half a dozen tasks simultaneously. It means being able to properly execute what needs to be done when it needs to be done. Sometimes just fine tuning the order of tasks can shave some time off. Other times, finding a more efficient means to get results will help give back time. Even if you only shave off a few seconds or a few minutes at a time, those seconds and minutes add up.

Prioritization is essential to claiming back time. There is always another report that needs to be completed. There’s always another meeting to attend. There’s always someone at work with questions about a project. At some point, we must call it quits and make time to rest. When making a priority list, do not forget to include break time on your calendar. When setting appointments, make sure to include what time you are walking out the door at the end of the day for family dinner. During the workday, set your calendar to out of office for that lunch break, and actually leave your desk.

Prioritize what needs to be done and when. Set a plan for getting those items done in the most efficient manner. Accept the fact that work will always be there. Then plan a reasonable time to leave work for the day, because you are taking your time back.