The Sense of Time (Part 3) - Three Secrets of SENSE-a-tional TimeManagement

Happy Labour Day World!

"This is a fast-paced world

This is a fast-paced world

But it would be nothing, nothing

Without time management skills" 

I took the liberty to change a legend's song lyrics and adjust them to the real issue these days... T.I.M.E. M.A.N.A.G.E.M.E.N.T.

While some of us have all the time in the world to throw spaghetti on the ground, have Barbie doll parties, and be grumpy when wearing a hat, others have no time at all to do anything. Or is there something we are missing? Maybe a skill?

This skill is called learning the art of SENSE-a-tional time management. 

As we have moved from a generation of thinkers to doers, from small cities to metropolis, from calligraphy letters to e-mails, house wives to pink empires, one wife to multiple divorcees, our time and duties have shaped us into the "who has the time to (insert concern)" generation.

While Part 1 and Part 2 of the Sense of Time took us from a philosophical school of thought to a more action oriented mindset, Part 3 will give you the tools needed to tackle the most complex and busy life one can live. 

If you apply all that you are about to read, you will decrease the amount of stress in your life, replace worrisome with mental clarity and focused actions, and establish yourself as the GURU of "no such thing as busy".

Prepare to never, EVER, say "I don't have time", EVER again. 

Here are the three secrets of SENSE-a-tional time management. 

Secret #1: Keeping a Calendar/Planner

Is one of the most effective ways of time management in our era. Many of us prefer the electronic calendars due to the nature of our fast-paced lives (especially in the metropolis), and then there are the few of us who cannot live without our paper calendars a.k.a. a planner - you know the ones that look like notebooks? They have these sheets of paper bind in the middle, and you need some extra tools, like a pen or a pencil to write on them? Rings a bell? YEP! Those ones... (laughing as loud as I can)

The choice of the calendar is irrelevant, but the point of the matter is G.E.T. O.N.E.

If you are a beginner at time management, and you feel you would do better with a planner, find a local store that sells planners and spend some time picking one that speaks to you. Spend one hour if you must, but pick a planner that you find visually appealing. It has to spike your interest so that you actually use it. It could be the colours on the cover, the texture of the paper, the fact that it was made in India, or made out of elephant poo (YES, there is such a thing - it's also called amazing recycling techniques). If you are an adept of "Simplicity is the newest sophistication" (Hello! Right here!!!), pick a plain colour with a texture, no texture, no cover, whatever floats your boat. You must keep in mind that picking a planner that makes you want to touch it or look at it will create a change in your behaviour a.k.a. you will be more inclined to use it! Remember those shoes you loved so much that you wore everyday until your toes poked through and the soles got lost somewhere on the street of your childhood? Find a planner that you fall in love with and use it until the pages fly out of it.

If you have been using paper planers for a long time and are constantly on the search for something better and more efficient, consider the following three best rated planners:

• WeekDate. A Calendar Like No Other - Write all of your monthly and weekly recurring appointments, and specific daily appointments on folded-in "flaps" of the calendar itself. This way you can view all recurring and non-periodic events at once without having to rewrite them at the beginning of each month.
• Planner Pads - If you are looking for importance of appointments and daily tasks, this baby is the answer to major time savings. It funnels all daily activities and allows you to categorize, prioritize and then schedule each one. If tasks AND daily schedule are your thing, planner pads is the solution to your specific needs. 
• momAgenda Desktop - Whether you are a mom, or simply managing multiple schedules, this planner has a unique layering system that allows you to see your schedule as well as up to four other schedules all clashing in one tiny day. 

WeekDate                                                        Planner Pads                                                  momAgenda Desktop  

If you are a technology child and your phone carries your entire life inside its case, including your daily Calendar - apps are your saviour. Similarly to allowing your senses to pick a daily planner i.e. colour, texture, picking a calendar app that suits your style and character can also be a girls night in theme party.


If you are transitioning from a paper planner to a virtual planner, Google Calendar is the simplest way to go.You do need to have a GMail account a.k.a. an @gmail.com e-mail address in order to set up your Google Calendar. It's user friend-ability allows you to create numerous types of activities, colour code it, plug in addresses and share events with attendees, as well as creating tasks to be tackled before the end of your day. Whether an IOS or Android, Google Calendar is compatible with your gadgety gadget!

Anson Alexander is great at Google Calendar training and you can find his tutorial series HERE. The same concepts discussed in the training video apply to your Google Calendar App, so the skills you learn on the computer are easily transferable to your gadget.

And now, for my tech nerds... here are three amazing Calendar Apps to make your life easier, plus a bonus for those of us living in the fast lane:

• Sunrise, Fantastical and Tempo are the easiest transitions from Google Calendar into a more sophisticated calendar app. It is the delight of every day professionals whose calendars are packed with meetings and appointments. All three apps bring an additional element of connectivity with those who are part of your schedule, while keeping the interface simple and clean. They also have the benefit of gathering information on the weather forecast, traffic and even the LinkedIn profiles of those who will attend your meetings and appointments. Check out a compare and contrast review of all three apps HERE. 

• Mynd - the personal assistant that does it all without asking for a salary. After you have decided on a Calendar App that suits your needs, Mynd will notify you about appointment, Skype you into conference calls, take a rain check, and offer you the information that is relevant to your lifestyle. Mynd learns your life style and filters through the massive amounts of information that would otherwise be considered irrelevant to your personal needs. Mynd is the personal assistant when living in the fast lane, and you can find a brief demo on how it can make your day more productive HERE.

Secret #2: Alarm Reminders

My senses tell me that if we could have it our way, we would surpass separating whites from blacks and colours, ironing, scrubbing the bath tub, folding our clothes, showering, vacuuming and many more other chores that take up a significant part of our precious and limited time.

There used to be a time when I would spend days on tiding up my room and by the end of it, you wouldn't even notice much of a difference besides putting all of my stuff in one corner versus having it splattered all over the place. Not to mention the hour long showers where my neighbours would hear me sing through multiple albums of artists such as Alicia Keys, Mariah Carey, Prince... You get my point... chores used to take up a lot of my time, however, I have grown out of it using some simple time management tips that I will share with you right about now:

• Personal hygiene and house chores timers: If you are planning on a mani-pedi, closet organization or document shredding, decide on the amount of time you would want to allocate for each chore an set up your timer, which can be found in all phones, every ten minutes. For example, when your bathroom needs some scrubbing and shining, allocate 30 minutes to completing the task, and have your reminder keep you in check every 10 minutes. That way, if you end up day dreaming, or checking social media while you were supposed to wash the bleach off the sync, the annoying sound on your reminder will bring you back in business and help you finish in time for your next chore.  

• Leisure activities timers: If you are in need of a new cooking recipe, fun tricks to teach your dog, or keeping your brain active via sudoku, plug it in your calendar and, you guessed it, set up a timer. It may be that you enjoy reading, listening to relaxation music, banging your drum set or looking for inspirational quotes; whatever the leisure activity, stick to the amount of time your Calendar shows, and set up an alarm to remind you when the time is up, so you can move along with the rest of your day. 

Secret #3: Sunday Set-UP

Whether recovering from a heavy night-out with your friends, a long work week, sleep deprivation or the restless and fun moments under the sheets, Sunday is the day when we reset and take it easy. It should be lousy, slow, drama free and chilled. There is not much that goes on Sundays, however, this concept is completely unproductive for those of us who want better time management. Let me rephrase that... For those of us who seek SENSE-a-tional time management.

I use Sundays to set up for the week ahead of me. It doesn't meant I don't take a longer time sipping off my cappuccino or lounging outside the patio, but I don't allow the entire day to be, for lack of better words, unproductive.

Here is how to use your Sundays for a more productive week functioning (assuming you have a Calendar to work with):

• Organize your Calendar - That was unexpected, right? Take one or two hours to plug into your Calendar appointments, events, chores, spontaneous plans, etc. These may be one time activities, or repetitive events that you have scheduled for the upcoming week or the month. Whatever the occurrence or purpose, it has to appear in your Calendar and you must stick to it. Not to say that the unexpected won't happen, but sticking to your initial plan as much as possible will allow you the mental clarity and organization you need in order to become more efficient with your time. In addition to your scheduled Sunday Calendar Set-Up, make a habit of immediate action calendar updating: if you agree to have dinner with Lisa two weeks from now, plug it into your calendar right away and avoid double booking yourself and looking foolish trying to explain that you forgot about thing that you agreed to weeks in advance and you have to cancel drinks with this great guy you've met. Nobody likes to be bailed on, nor referred to as "flaky".

• Look the part - While our every day life may not be a fashion show, our clothes and personal style are an extension of whom we are. Just like our resume, our apparel is a summary of what we are about, and whether we want it or not, it shows our personality, energy, values and choices. While we cannot control a bad hairday, we can control the clothes that we wear. Pick a minimum of seven hangers for each day of the week, and use them to set aside your every day outfits. For example, if your Monday schedule has your 9-5 job, followed by drinks with your friends, your Monday hanger should have clothing that you can dress down for work, and accessorize for a fun evening of catching up over drinks. I.E. A man can throw over a blaser with a sophisticated handkerchief, while a woman can change her shoes and add bold accessories to a flare solid color dress. Or, if you are an entrepreneur like myself, and sometimes go through multiple sets of clothes in one day, use cascade hangers for each part of your day a.k.a. have your workout gear, meetings and appointments dresses and date night attire on hangers and ready for you to quickly put on. Other important factors to keep in mind are weather, means of transportation and overnight stays, so plan accordingly.

 Organized Calendar + Planned Outfits = L.O.V.E. 

• Stay satiated - We are what we eat! It's as simple as that. Staying on top of our nutrition helps us be more productive in our daily lives, thus prepping for a week of craziness is key to SENSE-a-tional time management. While we may not make time to cook every meal we eat, we can definitely make time to fill up some ziplock bags with healthy munchies that will keep us hunger free until our next meal. A few personal favourites are ziplock bags filled with nuts and berries, hand held fruits and soy beans or any roasted beans for that matter, smoked sausages and celleri sticks. Whatever your preference of snacks, enclose them in any type of container you can take with you before leaving your house in the morning. Ideally, you want to have your meals planned out regardless of them being home cooked or dined, so set aside time for cooking at home, or checking out restaurant menus before arrival. Being prepared is better than being out of shape, period! If need be, consult with a holistic nutritionist like Tara Miller on the perfect diet to compliment your life style and schedule.

Does it seem like a lot of work? 

Maybe!

But remember that time management is a skill that thankfully can be learned and practiced until it becomes part of your acquired senses... The sense of time.

You see, if we are lucky, we are given all five primary senses at birth and we utilize them throughout our life spam. BUT, in addition to these primary senses, we also have the ability to develop other artificial senses like a sense of humour, a sense of time, a sense of imagination... 

Mastering time management develops our sense of time - it gives us the confidence to chose an activity that benefits us over one that which is detrimental to our wellbeing. Have you found yourself in a place and time when you wished you were somewhere else with somebody else? If the answer is YES, read this post as many times as needed and start applying all these life-changing techniques I have shared with you, for they have helped hundreds before you, and will hopefully improve the lives of million others in the future. 

Part of Live. Life. Through Your Senses is mastering the sense of time... 

oxx
Andrina