Redeeming The Time

 by Barbara Latta

Another year on the calendar has gone by in the blink of an eye. Time is a precious commodity; we can’t get minutes and hours back after they are gone. But one thing we can start the year off with is time management.

Last week’s post was an encouragement to look forward and not be peering into the mirror of yesterday admonishing ourselves about mistakes or missed goals. But we can look back in a positive way. Seeing the mistakes of the previous year can be used to remind us of how to prevent the same ones again. We can learn to redeem our time. Using mistakes as a stepping stone for the future can help us rejoice instead of making us guilty.

This year I am using my planner more wisely. I will keep it open in a place where I can see it every day. I write down meetings, projects, even my daily word count for writing on it. Keeping each day’s list divided into small increments prevents becoming overwhelmed.

For example, I attend a writer’s group meeting once a month from 10:00 – 12:00. I have a one hour drive to and from the meeting. That means the entire morning on that day is blocked off for that purpose. Days before the meeting, I need to get documents ready, so I block off time in the planner for printing, typing, or organizing my notebook. This keeps me from forgetting anything and having it written down makes victories visible.

I can do the same thing with cleaning out the closet, reconciling the bank statement, or exercising. If I miss something one day, I don’t beat myself up. I just start again the next day and work the missed things into other days.

You will be surprised at how much you get accomplished when your time is scheduled. At the end of each day or week you can give yourself a reward such as a small (big smile) piece of chocolate, a movie you want to watch, or a book you want to read.

At the end of the year, you can look back at your planner and give yourself a pat on the back for redeeming your time wisely. Instead of looking at what you missed, you will have a record of all the things you did. You will be surprised at what you accomplished in 2015! 

What are your plans for 2015?