How do you spend the hours of your week? your life?

My friend challenged me with these questions that took me on a journey to look at how I spend my hours.

It jump started and reminded me of another question.  I'm sure you've heard it before.

Feel free to ask yourselves these questions.

Would love to know how it turns out for you.

What if you switched the hours of the week (168 hrs) into dollar amount $168? 

Would you spend it differently? the same?

For sure, I'd make sure every hour/dollar was used to its maximum potential. 

Did you ever outline your weekly schedule? What were the results?

Do you dislike following boundaries, restrictions?

Felt a lack of freedom?

Well, I did and resisted scheduling how I used my time for the longest because I loved my freedom and boundaries meant confined and taking it all away.  Go with the flow.  Always coloring inside the line isn't fun.

What I thought was freedom without certain boundaries, I realized time disappeared like smoke. Poof.

A whole week can fly by and just a blur.  Things were done, yet not acknowledged or recognized.

If any of you are your own boss, other people wish they had it good like you where they aren't locked down to 9-5 job. What some people don't know is a lot of discipline and commitment is required.

As I experimented with organizing my time, I realized you actually create more time by scheduling.

By scheduling my day or week (heck even the year which is pretty cool), I actually have more time now because none is wasted wondering what to do next or where to go. By knowing what I have planned out for the day, I am clear what I completed and celebrate.

How much time do you spend in the masculine mode versus the feminine each week?

For me, it's a constant reminder to balance both. Yin and yang.  

Very tempting to be sucked into the extremes.

masculine - yang - action, work, success, GO GO GO.

feminine - yin - nurture,relax, maintenance, meditate.

How many hours each week do you think of anything related to success or business challenges? (you can replace it with other priorities).
Here's my rough draft sample of this week.

168   hrs/week

-56 sleep

112

-18 meals (3meals/day includes some family time)

-9 health maintenance (healing from injury)

-3 exercise, nurture feminine energy, reading for my spirit and soul

-35 Chinese Medicine, higher learning, travel, study

 47

-31 (work or $ related. business. challenges. emails. follow ups. problem solve. webdesign)

    - 7 (prep time morning & night)
   -4 family time

5 balance I can apply to unscheduled events or R&R.

If you would like a chart, send me a message and I'll send you a document to create it.  It's fun to look at time from a different angle.

How can I spend it differently next week? 

Next week:

~subtract 3hrs from health and add 3 hrs to exercise and soul.

 ~create more play time by managing time for higher learning better.

~Schedule Time in for:

-2-3 hrs healing research (Chinese Medicine)

-2-3 more hrs spiritual time

-9 hrs to create balance in my space

I truly believe in order to take action on doing something  you dislike, 

Key is finding a way to play and have fun with it.

I did some more research and discovered I was on the right track.  Woohoo. (pat on back).

I just didn't have a name for what I was doing.

(Information below obtained from Academic Skills Center, Dartmouth College).

THE MASTER SCHEDULE.

Any plan to schedule time and activities must have at its center a MASTER SCHEDULE, that is, a schedule of activities that is fixed. A master schedule needs to be drawn up only once every few months: unless, of course, changes occur in the basic program.

First, fill in all the required activities, such as classes or work.

Second, add other regular activities, such as part-time jobs, commuting time, sports, and regular meetings.

Third, include sleeping and eating.

With the fixed activities accounted for, the remaining blank spaces on the uncluttered chart  or time schedule are free for use on a weekly or day-by-day basis. Such a schedule, unclutters your mind, and more important, enables you to visualize the blank boxes as actual blocks of time into which you may fit necessary activities.

With the MASTER SCHEDULE as your source, you may concoct any type of schedule that fits the uniqueness of your courses, your part-time or full-time job, or your personality. What matters most is that the schedule works for you.

Why Time Scheduling?

People who deliberately undertake to schedule their time are not ones who have decided to spend all their time studying and doing nothing else.  They usually have decided to use efficiently the time they have to spend studying anyway, and to "de-sensitize" themselves to the many distractions that are commonly occurring.

What does this "desensitizing" involve? It means removing oneself from constant day-to-day, hour-to-hour decisions as to whether one will or will not spend the next hour working,whether one will or will not go to the library to study,whether one will or will not go to a show on impulse, and whether or not to use that hour between work to get next week's assignment out of the way.

A workable time schedule can make decisions for you, thus desensitizing you to momentary distractions. And, an hour of study in one course is not disturbed by wondering when you will study for another course, or when you'll be able to get out and have some fun. An adequate schedule includes those for you.

How Much Time Scheduling?

Usually a minimum time schedule is best. In other words, plan what you know is necessary, and add to it later only if necessary.  But plan as your first schedule one you know you can keep, and one that it is important to you to keep.

Remember: -Keeping to a schedule is not a matter of "will power," but of the development of a habit of referring to the schedule and following its outline, and this habit development may take weeks of practice.

-Exceptions will occur, but afterwards return to the schedule's pattern.

Time Tips

1.Count all your time as time to be used and make every attempt to get satisfaction out of every moment.

2.Find something to enjoy in whatever you do.

3.Try to be an optimist and seek out the good in your life.

4.Find ways to build on your successes.

5.Stop regretting your failures and start learning from your mistakes.

6.Remind yourself, "There is always enough time for the important things." If it is important, you should be able to make time to do it.

7.Continually look at ways of freeing up your time.

8.Examine your old habits and search for ways to change or eliminate them.

9.Try to use waiting time-review notes or do practice problems.

10.Keep paper or a calendar with you to jot down the things you have to do or notes to yourself.

11.Examine and revise your lifetime goals on a monthly basis and be sure to include progress towards those goals on a daily basis.

12.Put up reminders in your home or office about your goals.

13.Always keep those long term goals in mind.

14.Plan your day each morning or the night before and set priorities for yourself.

15.Maintain and develop a list of specific things to be done each day, set your priorities and the get the most important ones done as soon in the day as you can. Evaluate your progress at the end of the day briefly.

16.Look ahead in your month and try and anticipate what is going to happen so you can better schedule your time.

17.Try rewarding yourself when you get things done as you had planned, especially the important ones.

18.Do first things first.

19.Have confidence in yourself and in your judgement of priorities and stick to them no matter what.

20.When you catch yourself procrastinating-ask yourself, "What am I avoiding?"

21.Start with the most difficult parts of projects, then either the worst is done or you may find you don't have to do all the other small tasks.

22.Catch yourself when you are involved in unproductive projects and stop as soon as you can.

23.Find time to concentrate on high priority items or activities.

24.Concentrate on one thing at a time.

25.Put your efforts in areas that provide long term benefits.

26.Push yourself and be persistent, especially when you know you are doing well.

27.Think on paper when possible-it makes it easier to review and revise.

28.Be sure and set deadlines for yourself whenever possible.

29.Delegate responsibilities whenever possible.

30.Ask for advice when needed.