DAY 10 - Time Management and Ten Lords

Ever found yourself with a coffee in hand, contemplating the cosmic juggle of work, life, and that ever-elusive "me-time"? Terri Kellums sure has, and she's spilling the beans on her personal tussles with time management in today's heart-to-heart chat. 
We're on day 10 of our 12 Days of Christmas series, bringing to light the chaotic ballet of daily schedules, from unforeseen work assignments to those last-minute pleas for a forgotten school project. This episode isn't just about the challenges; it's a treasure trove of actionable strategies, referencing a wealth of over 50,000 books on the topic to help you seize the day and reclaim your hours.

Terri's candid reveal about a planner who's set to revolutionize her year is just the cherry on top. And if you've ever disguised procrastination by deep-cleaning your fridge, you'll feel right at home as we dissect the not-so-obvious forms of dilly-dallying. It's more than just a conversation; it's a masterclass in self-awareness and discipline, underscored by tales of last-minute grocery runs and the pursuit of a morning routine that actually sticks. Tune in for this deep dive into time management, where Terry and Amanda bridge the gap between knowing better and doing better.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:02

You're listening to the what Women Want Today podcast. If you love the idea of being part of a community of women who are looking to thrive, not just survive, you're in the right place. Join hosts Terry Cullums and Amanda Keeper each week, as they bring you topics and guests to help you improve your relationships, your health and your emotional and spiritual well-being.

Speaker 2: 0:30

Hello and welcome to today's episode of the what Women Want Today podcast. Today is day 10 of our 12 Days of Christmas series. Our topic today comes with a bit of irony. For me, today's episode is all about time management, and I have struggled on and off my whole adult life with time management. Before we can even begin to go to solutions, we need to utilize our own self-awareness as to why we struggle with it.

Speaker 2: 1:02

My husband and I were having coffee yesterday morning. He's on vacation. This week he's supposed to be working at our property and getting the barn ready for stucco, but that's an entirely different story. But as we were talking about our day, he asked me what the topic was for today's episode and maybe, before I go any further, I should acknowledge that yesterday's episode was extremely rushed. I really wanted to get the episode done before I interviewed the guest.

Speaker 2: 1:32

I had scheduled for a future episode, but I was also fasting and I wanted to get my workout in before I ate. I also had no groceries in the house and because I knew my day was very heavily scheduled, I went online to order pickup. Excuse me, you know how it goes when you try to schedule your day with almost no room for error. It's like dominoes when one falls down, it takes everyone in its path with it. As I was sitting in the car after getting the groceries, I stopped and took a deep breath and for a brief moment of silence and peace, and I was thinking that the busiest part of my day was behind me. And then I realized I only had the 15 minute ride home to relax and breathe and prepare myself for all the things waiting for me at home.

Speaker 2: 2:25

In doing my own self-reflection, I realized I can do better. I can do a better job of prioritizing my tasks, but I also know that external forces that we don't always have control over can cause you to rebalance the many plates you have in the air. Maybe you can relate in the workplace when a manager above you suddenly delegates one of their tasks to you, or your partner suddenly remembers an important task that has to be done, but they get called into work. Or maybe your child forgets an important folder they needed for an assignment at school and they tell you they'll get an F on it if you don't bring it to them. I mean, the list is endless.

Speaker 2: 3:02

Right, I'm also guilty of procrastination, but on the surface it doesn't really look like procrastination. Let me tell you what I mean. Let's just say I'm supposed to be doing some rewrites for a chapter in my book that came back from the editor and I'm frozen. I can't get my thoughts together, so instead I decide that I need to tear everything out of the refrigerator and give it a good cleaning and toss out all the expired condiments and reorganize the entire thing. I mean on the surface level, isn't that what we've talked about the other day when we were talking about clearing out clutter? In reality, it could mean several things, but it probably means lack of discipline, overwhelm, bring clutter and perhaps even a lack of clear direction from the editor or lack of understanding on my part, maybe.

Speaker 2: 3:56

I did a quick Amazon search for time management and it came back with over 50,000 books on the topic. I scanned the first couple of pages and I saw a few titles that I've read over the years Eat that Frog, which tells us to do the most important tasks first. Books by Hal Elrod that tell us to establish a morning routine. Books that tell us to journal and meditate to help with that brain clutter and decision fatigue. But, as you probably already know, knowledge is not power, it's the application of knowledge is where the true power lies. I'm definitely planning to put time management into my goal planning for the year. In fact, I went on Facebook yesterday and did a post asking for suggestions on planners that people love, and a friend sent me one that she just ordered from Amazon. It was exactly what I was looking for. I was so excited. All right, so let's start to summarize and pull all this together.

Speaker 2: 4:53

People may struggle with time management for various reasons, and it often stems from a combination of internal and external factors. Some common reasons include lack of prioritization we struggle with time management when we fail to prioritize our tasks effectively. Without a clear understanding of what needs to be done first, we might spend too much time on less important activities, ie cleaning out the refrigerator. Procrastination I believe this is a common challenge. People may delay tasks due to a lack of motivation, fear, failure, a tendency to avoid unpleasant or difficult tasks, inability to say no. Some people find it difficult to decline additional responsibilities or commitments, leading to an overloaded schedule that can result in a lack of time for the more important tasks. Poor planning Without proper planning, we may not allocate enough time for each task, ending up with that domino effect right, that feeling of being overwhelmed and rushed.

Speaker 2: 6:08

Perfectionism A desire for perfection, can hinder effective time management. People can spend excessive time on a task, striving for perfection, which can lead to delays in completing other important tasks. Lack of awareness Some people may not have a clear understanding of how they spend their time. Without awareness of time wasting habits, it's challenging to make meaningful changes to improve our time management. External distractions I think everyone is probably guilty of this Social media, emails, interruptions from our colleagues, our family. They disrupt the workflow and they impede effective time management. Ineffective work habits so our poor work habits, such as multitasking, constantly switching between tasks, can reduce productivity and hinder effective time management. Over commitment Taking on too many commitments or projects they can overwhelm us, making it difficult to manage time effectively. How about lack of boundaries? Feeling to establish clear boundaries between work and personal life can result in time being consumed by one at the expense of the other. Addressing time management challenges often involves a combination of self awareness, goal setting, prioritization, effective planning and the development of healthy habits. Strategy such as creating to-do lists, setting realistic goals and learning to delegate tasks can help us improve our time management skills.

Speaker 2: 7:48

Okay, there's a lot to consider in today's episode. I invite you to head over to our Facebook community. You can find the link in the show notes. I want you to share your challenges or your tips that you found helpful in your time management journey. But before we end today, I want to share the meaning of 10 Lords of Leaping. The Lords of Leaping can symbolize taking bold leaps and embracing change. So today I encourage you to reflect on the courage you need to pursue your passions and make significant life changes. That's all I have for you today. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow. Take care, amanda. I don't know if this ever happens to you, but I sometimes will learn something really cool on a podcast, on a YouTube video, audiobook, whatever. I think I'm going to remember it and then I forget. Does that ever happen to you?

Speaker 3: 8:43

Yeah, I call it brain after 40 all the time.

Speaker 2: 8:47

That's what we'll officially call it, but we've come up with something. Do you want to introduce it?

Speaker 3: 8:52

Sure, it's from an app called Quick Jim Quick, and it's an acronym called FAST.

Speaker 2: 8:58

Yeah, and the F stands for Facebook. So we're inviting you officially right now to come over and join us on Facebook. Get involved with the community, share your favorite episodes with your friends on Facebook.

Speaker 3: 9:08

Yeah, the A is go ahead and take an action, so you can't remember anything if you don't act.

Speaker 2: 9:15

And S is for subscribe. Make sure you're subscribed to our YouTube channel.

Speaker 3: 9:19

And then T is teach. Teach what you've learned to somebody else. Share the love.

Speaker 2: 9:23

All right, we hope that works for you. Thank you for joining us. We'll see you next week.

Speaker 3: 9:27

Bye, bye.