When you’re someone who thrives on keeping busy, you treat invites and social plans like most handle click-through agreements while online shopping. You check “Yes” wherever you find an empty spot in your agenda, as aware of other commitments for the week as most of us are of the fine-print terms and conditions when we select “I Agree.”

“If I work out for one hour and twenty minutes, I can make it home in eight minutes, get ready in forty-five minutes, and be in my car just in time to get to the event no later than 8:15 pm.”

Sound exhausting, or more importantly, familiar?

Truth be told, I never gave this habit of mine so much as an afterthought. Recently, though, I tried to set up a coffee date with a close childhood friend. I squinted at my planner – yes, I still prefer a paper calendar to the one on my iPhone – trying relentlessly to find a space wherein I could squeeze an hour or two to see her. Much to my embarrassment and disbelief, I had literally filled my calendar to the brim for two weeks to come. While I was mortified at having to ask her to meet fourteen days later, and I find myself eternally grateful that she graciously and lovingly laughed off my ridiculous response (she knows me well, and with that, she’s keenly aware I’m prone to “yes” syndrome), this encounter really prompted me to reassess how I manage my time, leaving me with newfound goals as I [hopefully] walk, not run, headfirst into these last five months of 2019.  

  1. Say “no” to anything I do not want to do with 100 percent of my being.
  2. Learn that “maybe” is not taboo, accordingly reminding myself that commitment and promises are not required at every turn.
  3. Purposely leave room in my calendar for spontaneity.

Do you have any time management tips or struggle with the same? E-mail me or comment – I’d love to hear them.

XOXO,

Sarah