How to make more time for your life

Do you wish you could work less and play more?

Are you so stuck in the rut you can't see a way out? Have you ever said I wish I had more time for me?

Well there is hope. First of all you have to be aware of your situation, have a strong desire to change and then take action.

Jackie's Story
Jackie is 31 yrs of age and the Business Development Manager for an insurance company.

She always arrived at work at 8.00 a.m. and never left the office before 6.30 p.m. most nights. She bemoaned the fact that work took over her life.

Through the process of coaching we discovered that the only reason Jackie didn't have a personal life was because she never planned to have one.

She realised she buried herself in her work needlessly. She avoided going home as she had nothing to look forward to. Jackie lived on her own, she wasn't in a relationship and had no hobbies. So she defined her purpose in life through her work. It made her feel worthwhile and wanted. Although her career was blossoming, Jackie was unhappy. In fact, she was lonely.

We worked on getting Jackie on purpose in her personal life.

Through the coaching process we concentrated on three key goals which would be achievable and realistic over a six month period. Why? Because that timeframe is long enough to achieve measurable results and make long term changes.

Jackie's main goal areas related to her career, health and fitness and relationships. This is what she came up with:

Career
Leave work by 5.00 p.m. each day.

Health and Fitness
To be able to wear my black skirt. (Jackie had put on so much weight that she couldn't do the zip up.)

Relationship
To be in a loving relationship.

There were a number of secondary goals, however these three were the key ones that Jackie was the most passionate about and was prepared to take action on.

Define the Goal

Once the goals were defined we then worked out the strategies to reach them and then the actions to take to achieve them.

Career - Leave work by 5.00 p.m. each day
We looked at Jackie's time management. I had her fill out our Weekly Planner which also can be used as a time sheet. We discovered she wasted at least two hours a day on unwanted interruptions and being unable to say 'no'. We showed her simple ways to plan her day more effectively and get more done.

Health and Fitness - To be able to wear my black skirt.
Jackie had no exercise routine and her diet was inadequate. Together we worked out the best solution for her physical activity which was to join the gym near her work. By attending the gym at 6.00 a.m. each morning she was able to bounce into work instead of dragging herself in.

In fact the gym was a double bonus as there were a few good relationship prospects who attended at that hour.

Jackie never planned what she would eat. In fact she didn't shop regularly and therefore would often grab fast food for lunch and dinner. By showing her healthier alternatives and planning time to shop, it was easy for her to improve her diet and overall well-being.

Relationship - To be in a loving relationship
Through the coaching process Jackie realised she would have to be proactive in this area and needed to meet more people. She had always wanted to do photography and enrolled in a TAFE short course. By doing this not only did she meet a nice unattached guy but fulfilled a deep seated need to do something creative in her life.

Once Jackie realised that she wanted to have a life and was focused on her goals, everything changed. On her own she would most likely not have made any significant changes as it would have been too overwhelming and require her to move out of her comfort zone.

The fact that she was investing her own money in herself and had someone to be accountable to, made a huge impact on the results she achieve.

5 Simple Ways You Can Make More Time For Your Life

#1 Learn how to manage your time so you can be as effective as possible.
You can read books on time management, attend courses or the most effective way is to have a coach to work with you.

#2 Say "no"
You don't always have to say yes to everyone else’s requests. You can say 'no'. Perhaps you need to learn how to be more assertive.

#3 Lighten your load
Wherever possible look at ways of delegating or outsourcing tasks to free up more of your time, i.e. at home have a cleaner or gardener. At work see who else can help to lighten your workload.

#4 Do similar things at the one time
Do all your errands in one trip. Visit clients on the one day. Allocate a block of time to return phone calls or respond to emails each day.

#5 Timetable Your Life
Plan in your diary when you will take time out for you. Maybe every lunchtime you'll go for a 30 minute walk or attend the gym three mornings a week, have a facial or massage fortnightly. If it's not in the diary chances are it won't happen.

The Final Word
Many people often float through life with no particular purpose. They'll make the excuse "I haven't got time". It's easy to say "I haven't got time" or "I'm too busy" to avoid having to change and stretch themselves. However, what is the alternative? Continually do the same thing and getting the same results or making changes and getting different results?

The choice is yours.

Lorraine Pirihi is the founder of Relaunch Your Life  , a consulting and coaching practice where she specialises in helping baby boomer professionals who are tired, worn out and over it to get their mojo back in business and in life.