How to Add 20 Minutes to Your Day

Connie Mann here, with greetings from Central Florida.

What do you think? Adding 20 minutes to your day sounds great, right? It seems everyone I talk to is pressed and stressed, frazzled and frustrated and trying to figure out how to accomplish everything scheduled for that day. But is adding time to an overloaded schedule even possible…? I think it is and the answer may be found somewhere you haven’t thought to look before.

Lately, I’ve started a list. Essentially, it’s a Cost/Benefit Analysis – of my time.

As writers, it is easy to get sucked into doing and participating in all sorts of writing-related things—good things, in and of themselves--but maybe not the best things for us at this particular time or season of our life and career.

Join this group? Sure. Be part of that online loop? Of course. Offer to write for this publication? I can squeeze that in. Read these 15 great blogs and fabulous newsletter? Just enter your email address.

Before you know it, just browsing your inbox can take hours, even if you get group updates via daily digest.

In my world, something had to give. Since hiring an assistant to peruse all this information for me isn’t in my current budget, I decided I would have to be ruthless. I started by making a list of every group, list, loop and writerly activity I’m involved in. Then I added a column called, “stated benefit.” If I didn’t know what to put in that column, I knew that item needed to be culled.

Then came the last, and most difficult column: “Achieving Benefit? Y/N?” Is this group/activity achieving its stated benefit, making the time commitment worth it? If the answer is no, it’s pretty clear-cut, though not necessarily easy to let go of. But even if the answer is yes, can I get the same benefit elsewhere?

These are hard questions and honestly, I haven’t finished pruning. I think it’s a lifelong process that will change over time. But I believe that by culling out some of our busyness, by being intentional, we gain focus, clarity—and as an added benefit, more time in our days!

How about you? How do you deal with activity overload? I’d love to hear about it in the comments…

In the meantime, I'll be off doing my best to be intentional in my writing, marketing and life. Feel free to stop by my blog: www.busywomenbigdreams.com for more encouragement as you chase the dreams God has planted in your heart.

 

Comments

[Cynthia Ruchti]

Great counsel, Connie! Thanks for the just-in-the-nick-of-time reminder.

[Connie Mann]

Your'e so welcome, Cynthia. Glad it encouraged you!

[Dr. MaryAnn Diorio]

Thanks for your inspiring post, Connie. As a Life Coach, I find that stress is the number one problem people face today, whether writers or not. As a writer, I relate to your post in terms of all that bombards us on a daily basis.

But as a follower of Christ, I have found that the answer lies in making intimacy with Christ our top priority. As we spend time with Him, He will counsel us as to what we should be doing with our time. I have made it a personal policy to filter everything through the lens of Holy Spirit. Most of all, I have learned to allow nothing to compromise the development of an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ.

The enemy will seek to distract us through "good" things. We must be aware of his devices and not let the good deprive us of the best.

Blessings!

[Connie Mann]

Thanks for the great reminder: "to filter everything through the lens of the Holy Spirit!" So very true! Appreciate that...

[Martha McDonnough]

Excellent advice, Connie. Now, to make up that list without forgetting any of the activities.

[Connie Mann]

Thanks so much, Martha. Wishing you calm and stress free list-making and list-trimming. :)