Time Management Strategies for Women
Strategies For Effortless Work Life Balance
For the modern woman, mastering time management is the key to balancing a demanding career, relationships, and self care. These actionable steps will help you cultivate a more balanced life.
PLAN
Make it happen. The term power plan has been coined by perfectionist female entrepreneur business coach Sam Laura Brown. Power planning is the process by which you spend one hour at the beginning of each week planning your days. The process of using a calendar to write down your plan for each day increases the chances that you will actually do as you plan. This is how you reach your goals.
First, Start with your values and intentions. For the week ahead what are the tasks that you need to accomplish which align with your values. and move you toward your goals.
Next, Schedule time for uninterrupted rest.
Leave space within your schedule for the unexpected and spontaneity. Your plan should not be overly ambitious leave room for bathroom breaks, food, traffic. This will decrease stress and increase motivation as you will be more successful with your plans.
Make your plans actionable. Instead of writing down:
Tuesday at 3PM work on tax return.
Be more specific: Tuesday 3PM-4:30 complete, review, and submit tax return to accountant for review.
Review, once per week compare your plan to what you actually accomplished. This will help you better plan in the future. Commit to this process for three months to solidify the habit of planning.
PRIORITIZE
Learn how to effectively manage your time:
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: 30th Anniversary Edition (The Covey Habits Series)
Urgent and Important: These are high priority task that should be entered into your weekly schedule first. Plan to perform these actions early in the day when you are the most energized an alert.
Not Urgent but Important: These are usually tasks that bring meaning to your life but there’s no external pressure to complete them. You are responsible for making time for the things that matter to you.
Urgent but Not Important: This category is usually filled with “to do” list items that need to get done but don’t necessarily bring a greater sense of purpose or joy.
Not Urgent and Not Important: Simply put these are time waster.
BALANCE
Balance is not always going to look the same. Life happens. The way you allocate your time to the important parts of your life will changed across time. It’s important to make time for reflection. Think about what you need and respond appropriately. When unexpected events occur how can you adjust your plans accordingly? Remember that part of creating balance includes knowing when to ask for help.
Set benchmarks for yourself to review progress toward goals. Once a year is not sufficient for ambitious women. Companies will once a quarter review their financial statements and evaluate progress toward greater goals. This also creates room for celebrating your progress and re evaluating your processes.
For Reference.
GRACE. Learning new habits take time. Be kind to yourself as you learn and grown into a more time efficient woman.