Need help with time Management? 2 Tips that might help.

Too busy aye? Join the rest of the world! Thanks to technology and "BUSY" pretty much being the norm, at times I wonder if there's hope. (There IS, but that sounds so dramatic there - I will leave it.)

A recent story I heard helped put things into perspective for me, and maybe it can help you too.

We will get to that in a minute, which will tie in the pictures of the rocks or stones above. (if you're wondering what rocks or stones have to do with time management - be at ease - we will cover that in a sec.) There's a bigger question at hand.

WHY are we so busy? Are we in love with being busy, which makes us feel important or valuable, OR do we really honestly just believe there's too much to do and too little time to do it in? Time is against us?

If we are being real - and I like to do that, just be genuine, authentic and real. We first might look at our core values and take a hard look to see if they align with our "busy" schedules.

Example: Lets say a core value of yours is FAMILY - you love your family, cherish them and want to spend more time together, YET you work too much and don't see your FAMILY as much as you would like. When you are together, your mind is elsewhere. Hey no judgements here - I hear ya - you're putting food on the table and doing your best.

Take a deeper look, (this is the uncomfortable part) do you really value family and time?If you do, you will find a way to spend more time doing what you love with those you want to spend life with. This is NOT EASY! Im with you, learning - It's very hard. We have to come to terms with life and what's really important to us in this life and make that priority.

We can start small by being aware of how we think or talk about time - Do you say "There's never enough" or "I have plenty of time to get the things done I need to get done, and always find time for quality family time." or "Time is on my side!"

OK - not enough? Still need help? So here's what helped me - 2 things to understand:

• It's ok to be withOUT your cell phone. We tend to keep it glued to our side, checking it all day, and for some, all night. Go back in time with me. You see when I was a kid there were no cell phones - no obligations of being available 24/7 and just because you CAN be available 24/7 now doesn't mean you should, or that it's good for you. Give your phone a break. Set it aside and check it only during certain times of the day. This will free up a lot of wasted time doing nonsense work or activities that can wait.

• Tip 2 was really basic. So simple, yet it just struck a nerve. ROCKS - this is where the rocks and stones come into play. I want you to imagine your day fitting into a glass container and the rocks are the things you have to do today. You might even write yourself a to do list - highlight the 3 things that MUST be done today and let those things big your "Big "Rocks". Instead of putting the big things off until the end, (they never get done) get them done FIRST. The things that MUST be done - do those first, that simple! If we put the BIG Rocks in first, the small things will always fit, but if we load our day up with stones and pebbles first, then try to cram the big stuff in - it just doesn't fit in the space. The next time you are hectic - I want you to think about the ROCKS. Big ones first - small ones second. You will NOT be distracted and you will not let time and busyness rule your life.

A friend of mine said it this way - "Every day I want to start my day off in prayer or meditation - but what happens is the busyness of the day kicks in, time is passing and I move on to the other things, then I think - no problem - I'll rearrange my day and do that later." You, or I at least start talking myself into how that's a great a decision - "perfect, I say! I will end my day in prayer "- but at the end, I'm too exhausted and forget about it all together. Oh well - tomorrow is another day! BIG ROCKS FIRST. Get up - prayer and meditation FIRST before the small stuff creeps in and guess what happens? Time slows! Sometimes it feels like it stands still when you do the big stuff first. Time is and can be on your side.

HAS THIS EVER HAPPENED TO YOU? Would love feedback on how you have begun to manage your time more wisely or how you have started to use the ROCK analogy to help structure your day and begin to do more of the things you truly love, not hope and wish in your frantic day that somehow you will end up with enough time to do the things you love because the time never comes. Life is too short to not be in the "now" and in control of our schedules and our time freedom.