Time Management: Defeat Enemy Number 1
Time management: how often do we hear it? How often do we hear phrases like "I don't have time," "There's never enough time," or "I'd like to do this or that, but I just can't find the time"?
There are a virtually endless number of resources on time management: books, audiobooks, and training courses. My goal with this article is to offer you some food for thought that, I'm confident, if put into practice, can yield significant results right away.
Enemy number 1
The main enemy you should tackle to improve your time management is boredom . Think about it: how often do you find yourself turning on the TV, checking social media, or aimlessly surfing the internet simply because boredom has taken over? If we tried to calculate the time we spend on unproductive activities driven by boredom, we'd all be negatively affected.
Boredom is the product of an induced need typical of the historical period we live in: the need for immediate gratification . We live literally inundated with external stimuli of every kind that require our intervention, and what we do is jump from one input to the next incessantly. In this way, we deprive ourselves of what we call "downtime," a poor term for those beautiful moments in which we can reflect, explore new ideas, and listen to ourselves.
Improve your time management now
The first thing is to be aware of what's happening and when it's happening. Awareness is always the first step to solving a problem . Keep this awareness with you whenever you feel the urge to do something out of boredom. Stay in control of the situation, control the urge to pick up your phone and check social media. Control the urge to turn on the TV or open your browser to surf the Internet when boredom dictates it.
Interference-free moments are beneficial for our mental and physical health. "Doing nothing" has taken on a negative connotation, but healthy moments of doing nothing have a series of extremely positive impacts , for example, on our ability to learn, our mood, and our ability to manage stress.
A new mantra
Remember these words well and make them your own: not out of boredom, but with intention . I'm not telling you to avoid social media or to avoid taking actions to distract yourself or unplug. I'm suggesting that you don't do all this out of boredom, but do it with intention—that is, because you want to do it. Do it, in fact, not out of boredom, but with intention.
I assure you that with this awareness, you'll be able to control the urges of boredom and the induced need for instant gratification. This alone will significantly improve your time management.
If this topic is close to your heart, you might be interested in this article on the most common excuse: I don't have time!
