Page 10 - Robeson Living Holiday 2018
P. 10

By: Dr. Veronica L. Hardy

                  Time Management: Breaking



                         Contract with Busyness




          Michael never grasped how to live his life at a gradual   son in your life, this is a great way to prepare.
          pace. He was raised in a household with his parents
          and four siblings. The air was consistently flowing   2. Seek Help to Remember
          with the breath of movement, busyness, and accom-     As busyness increases, our memory tends to decrease.
          plishment. To sit still meant to waste time, there was   Why? Because there are so many tasks running through
          so much more he could be doing. As an adult, he       your mind that some will be overlooked or even forgot-
          packed up the busyness trait and carried it with him.   ten (leading to some “oops!” moments). Therefore, call
          Yet, “it” seems to be controlling his life rather than   in some help. The traditional to-do lists and daily plan-
          him keeping “it” under control. The oppressive nature   ners may be best for those who prefer the paper and
          of busyness has left Michael’s condo in disarray, his   pen method. Yet, for those who tend to lose little slips
          relationships in despair, and his freezer stacked with   of paper that hold important information, a technolog-
          pre-packaged dinners. He has a goal to scale the cor-  ical strategy may be best. If you have a cell phone, use
          porate ladder and feels he only needs to maintain this   the calendar function to store your appointments and
          hectic life pace just a little while longer. Endurance is   send reminders. If you use your computer often, there
          his key. Yet, persisting at this current level of stami-  may be a reminder function that posts appointments
          na can harm his health, emotions, and well-being. As   on your screen. Also, I cannot forget the handy tech-
          there are loopholes in just about any contract, Michael   nique of placing a post-it note on the bathroom mirror
          can also find gray areas in the commitment he made    – the first place many of us visit in the morning.
          to busyness. Instead of endurance, time management
          will be his shiny new key.                            3. Day or Night
                                                                Examine when you are most productive throughout
          In order to break contract with busyness, Michael and   your day. Are you a morning person or an evening
          others in this situation could take the following steps:  person? If at all possible, handle your most demand-
                                                                ing tasks at that time (you may see an increase in your
          1. Stock Up and Save                                  productivity).
          Stock up on the items that you tend to use most fre-  In order to break that contract with busyness, it may
          quently  (e.g.  printer  ink,  shampoo, toothpaste) and   take a little time for a period of self-examination and
          store nonperishable foods. This helps to cut down on   reorganization. Yet remember, every minute counts, so
          road trips, gas, and time spent perusing the stores.   why not use it the best way possible.
          When you know that you will be entering a busy sea-
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