Here you will get the SECRET behind great time management that no one taught you. This time-tested and proven effective system is used by everyone from spiritual leaders and gurus, to billionaires and supermoms. They all use ONE system before they even start doing the activity that is most often called “managing time.”

Read more to discover what time management skills and strategies are important to help you reduce stress, cut out procrastination, help both WFH parents and students succeed, support planning for the future, and master prioritization.

You already know why time management is important. You know time management is really life management.  You know time management can be the key to success for students, teachers, and professionals alike. But now with WFH (work from home), time management is a soft skill that is important not just for productivity,… but for sanity too. And when done right can give you more patience, help you set a good example for teens, and allow you to succeed in the things which are most important to you! #Priorities

If you are a Teacher, Parent, Student, or one of a million people unceremoniously thrust into WFH, this prioritization training will help you manage stress, increase productivity, and achieve your goals! So whether you want to get your homework done for more video gaming or you find that your work, family, school, and service life are all battling with each other for your attention, this PRE-Time management template is for you.

Here you will discover the time management system that no one is talking about but is the secret to successful time boxing, time blocking, scheduling, and time management.  

So if you feel don’t know how to manage your time well or your life is demanding you get better at it, I’ll be your time management coach.  So let’s get started on the time management tools, tips, and techniques for life success that no one is talking about.  

To be successful at time management and reduce stress, achieve your goals, or just meet deadlines… you must start with a Time Budget. The time budget exactly as it sounds a budget for your time. What is a time budget? Time budgeting means you allocate how much time to give things.

#TimeBoxing 
#TimeBlocking 
#TimeBudgeting

A time budget allows you to feel confident when you start scheduling and working on your time management.  

As Alisa said after learning the Time Budget, “The Time Budget makes it easy to know where to things in my schedule. And that makes me feel more secure. If I had this in the beginning, I would have stressed A LOT less!” 

Today, my plan is to help you know WHAT to put in your schedule so you are managing the right things to begin your time management life because this will make you more effective and help you stress a lot less.  

#Peace

Another working parent and full time student said “I love it. It feels so good. My time budget is like my leader now!”

I know even when my commitments change drastically I can use the time budget to be confident about how I use my time! Life-changing.”  

As a coach and business owner my favorite part of time budgeting is that I can set my schedule with confidence that I’m putting my time where it matters most to me and then follow my schedule like it is my boss.  And I’m not the only one.  I’m constantly hearing that people feel more confident in their day and how they are spending their time.

So, now that you know the benefits of the time budget, 

How do you do your own Time Budget? 

HOW TO TIME BUDGET: 

Step 1:

Make a List: 

Write down the 5 most important things you have to get done in a day.

Time Budget Example: Am/Pm Routine, Cook & Eat 1 to 4 times, Work, School, Family Quality time.

Next, make a list of the 5 most important things you have to get done in a week.

Time Budget Example: Grocery Shop, Laundry, Spiritual Time, Visit Grandma, Hobby.

Instead of breaking your day up by minute tasks like wash face, brush teeth, comb hair etc.  Set aside enough time to do all these similar tasks in a block/box of time. 

This time management step helps you get clear on what you really need time for and can work similarly for work, projects, quality time with family, your own self-care or spiritual care, school, or even finding time to build a business, and more. . .  

Step 2:

Remember what you forgot: 

Now add to your list all of the things you need to do but forgot to put in step one.  Remember, you have 24 hours in a day and you need to sleep, take care of pets, kids, plants. Or maybe you forgot to factor in your commuting time (if you still do that).

I know this seems redundant but it happens every time.  Most of us forgot to leave enough time for exercise, meditation, sleeping (4 to 10 hours a day/night), and even private time. . . whatever that means for you. 🙂 

Take a moment and add to your list. It could mean time for television, getting your nails done, or cleaning the house.

Step 3:

Now Do the Math: 

In this step, you estimate how much time each item on your list takes each day. Then you multiple how much time it takes each day by 7 to get the time allotment on a weekly basis. 

Time management example: Morning & Evening Transition time is 90 minutes total daily * 7 days a week = 630 minutes weekly (to shower, dress and get ready for work and again for sleep)…

630 minutes/ 60 minutes = 10.5 hours weekly time budgeted a week!  

That means you are spending 10.5 of your 168 hours in a week on Wake up and Bedtime routines.  

This leave 157.5 hours for sleep, work, exercise, family, spiritual practices, school, fun, etc.  

Step 4:

Add up ALL your time budgeted items together.  

• Time Budget Example: Shelly
• Sleep = 7.5 hours
• AM/PM Routine = 35 mins * 2 = 70 mins 
• Meals = 2 hours 
• Work = 8.5 hours 
• Family = 3 hours 
• School – 2.75 hours 

Daily Total  = 24.85 hours a day  

Weekly Total – 173.95 

Since there are only 24 hours in a day and 168 hours in a week. This time budget Shelly has made is over.  That means she is going to constantly be running into problems like over-committing, under-delivering, or just being worn out. Shelly needs to spend less time doing some things herself. Maybe she can ask for help at work or with family chores to reduce the amount of time she gives to one of those.  Maybe she needs to be more effective in her study time or meal preparations.  Maybe she will need to hold off a few weeks, months, or years on school till she has fewer family commitments.  

NEXT STEP: Add up your time budget!  

Is your total more or less then the number of hours in a week? 

HINT: 24 hours * 7 days = 168 hours a week.  

 QUESTION: What to do if YOUR time budget is more than the hours in a week: you may need more help, more effectiveness, more efficiency, or fewer commitments. Or like most of us. . . you may just have to decide what is more important to you and your life right now!  #prioritize

Those things which you say are more important to you and your life right now are called your priorities. 

Time Budget example: 

Shelly works full time, takes care of her grandmother daily. She makes time for spiritual things and she wants to learn to cook healthier and is trying to decide if she should go back to school.  

Here’s and example of her time budget and what Shelly discovers about if she has time to get another degree.  

• Sleep = 7.5 hours
• AM/PM Routine = 35 mins * 2 = 70 mins 
• Meals = 2 hours 
• Work = 8.5 hours 
• Grandma = 3 hours 
• School – 2.75 hours 

Daily Total  = 24.85 hours a day  .85 hour over budget

Weekly Total – 173.95 (5.95 hours over weekly) For simplicity sake, let’s round up to 6 hours

Here in the above example, Shelly discovered that she needs almost an hour more than she has in a day. . . Which comes to roughly 6 hours a week. 

So, she calls her sister and asks her sister to take care of Grandma on weekends. Her sister agrees.  That saves Shelly 3 hours on Saturday and 3 hours on Sunday.  Now she has time for school.  It doesn’t look like she has time to add cooking better in her schedule so she decides that can wait till she finishes school.

 – What do to if YOUR time budget is fewer than the hours in a week, you may be underestimating how much time you give to your priorities, you may have left out activities that need to get done, the time you need for your sanity/self-care, or you may have more time to put towards the things which matter to you most.  

Once you get clear on the time you are giving to the priorities that matter to you, you have successfully created a Time Budget. Congratulations!! This means you are ready to start scheduling and managing your time. This is the moment when Time Management begins! And not a second sooner.

You have just learned the secret behind great time blocking, scheduling and time management systems.  Now let’s get started with YOUR time management.

Step 5:

Put it in your calendar. 

Get out your paper planner, phone calendar, or work calendar and schedule your time blocks into your calendar. Your schedule should be 80 to 100% full if you include your sleep and major transition times.  

For example:(Add Time blocking calendar pic) On Desk top

Step 6:

Dress Rehearsal 

Now is the time to test run your new schedule with the prioritized time blocks.  

Here you will get to see how well you know yourself.

How good you are at noticing or estimating the amount of time something takes.  And you will get to see if the time you are giving things is enough for what you really want. 

It takes about one week to see where you have forgotten something critical to your daily functioning or your happiness.  

For students this maybe 1 hour (or more) a week for chores so you can have uninterrupted gaming or time to create that Youtube channel you want. 

For teachers and WFH parents, this may be a way to set expectations with the family to be able to balance work, helping the kids with their studies, while still having time for yourself and all the demands of life.  

Step 7:

Polish your Budget and polish your schedule

Now that you have run through your week and you’ve noticed the things you forgot. The things you gave too much or too little time to, OR you have discovered which things that are more or less important then you previously thought they were; you get to make the estimated adjustments to your time budget accordingly.

Now, time blocking your schedule brand new for the new week. 

Remember, the first time you do this you may make a lot of mistakes. That is completely normal. You can expect that those mistake are what will show you exactly what has been causing you stress. And when you can see the cause you can change it.

Eventually, you learn what really works best for you. And you’ll also know how to make adjustments when you have a special event, emergency, or some other kind of change occur in your commitments in life.  

My favorite part of the time budget is that

it makes dealing with change so much easier.

~Sarah Kay Harrison

“Before I learned how to time budget I dreaded change because it would send my life into chaos.  Now I just redo my time budget, schedule the new time blocks, and set expectations with my family or team.  I love feeling like I’m always on my game.”

~Scott H. newly divorced Dad and business owner.  

~ Scott H., newly divorced Dad and Business Owner

In conclusion, we have taken the mystery out of Time Management which is what causes most of the confusion, frustration, and stress.  You have seven simple and proven steps to improving your time management skills and strategy. 

You have examples of how time blocking works and ideas for how to adjust when things change in life. All of this adds up to major progress on being able to set priorities and build a schedule that supports the life you want to live. 

Remember today is a product of who you were and where you spent your time yesterday. 

When you want a new tomorrow, start giving time to the things which will help you create that today!  

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