Everyone is so busy these days, and there’s a lot of talk about productivity; getting a lot done with the time you have. You probably heard the term ‘time management’ a bazillion times. And you may have heard many say that we cannot manage time. Time is a constant that we cannot control. I may have said that before in previous posts. It’s true, but we can manage our actions for optimal productivity.
Managing our actions to increase productivity includes, understanding the difference between wasted time and downtime. With this knowledge, you can plan your actions to make the most of your time, by being more productive, and consequently have the time to do the things you really want to do.
Wasted Time
When we think about productivity, we are encouraged to think about ‘time wasters’. Time wasters are pesky little unnecessary things that use up our time so that we don’t get things done. If you think about it, I bet you could quickly name 3 things you do that waste your time. It could be anything like spending too much time surfing the internet, or watching tv, over thinking how a task needs to be completed, or procrastination. And actually, we may be wasting time, or procrastinating because we have a task that we don’t really want to do. The subject of procrastination however, will be a post for another day.
Downtime
We are not machines. When I go, go, go, and that happens a lot these days, at some point my body tells me NO! You are not doing anything else, I won’t let you! At that point, I just don’t do anything. Well, anything productive. I watch tv, read a book, or maybe even take a nap. If I don’t, I cannot concentrate on the task at hand. I feel lethargic or worse. I’m being told in sometimes a not so subtle way that I need some downtime. This is time to recharge physically, as well as mentally. Downtime is a periodic necessity to maintain our physical and mental wellbeing. We need it on a regular basis. Some time every day, and once or twice a year in the form of a vacation.
If you sometimes feel that you’re wasting time and not getting a lot done, take a look at the things you are doing, or not doing. Pay attention to the way you feel. It may just be your body telling you that you need some much needed downtime.
