Where to Start? Choosing the Beginning of Your Time Management Journey

How many hats do you wear on a given day? I’m willing to bet that you play a number of roles in your life and the lives of those around you.

We all have various areas of our lives that require different things from us. Often those differing requirements can present some challenges when we’re working to take back control of our time. We need to acknowledge those and figure out a plan that will work with them, not against them.

In yesterday’s introduction post I mentioned that building our time management foundation was going to be done one small step at a time.  Today we’re diving right in and taking that first step – choosing where to start.

This month we’re laying the foundation and building structure.  All the steps we take will help us get from scattered to sane, but you need to be willing to set yourself up for success.  That means being willing to take it one step at a time in one area at a time.  You cannot do it all, and more importantly, you shouldn’t even try.  We’ll talk about ways to figure out how to not do it all without dropping the ball, but before we can even start thinking about that, we need to figure out where to start.

Figuring Out Where to Start

Some people say getting started is the hardest part of any new project.  I’m sure, that in many cases, they’re correct.  I always find that the hardest part is figuring out where to start.  When we’re talking about time management systems, this goes double.  

If you’re already feeling like you’re behind, picking that starting point can be really tough.  It feels as though everything needs your attention right now.  How can you get started when you don’t know where you should be starting from?

It’s not as hard as it seems.  All it takes is asking yourself some questions, and using your answers to guide you.

Create Categories for Your Life

Take a look around at all you need to do in a day.  As we move through the different roles in our daily lives, our list of tasks, responsibilities, and expectations change to fit the hat we’re wearing.  I tend to group my hats into broad categories such as:

• Home
• Family
• Self
• Work
• Friends

When I find myself wondering where to start, sometimes taking a look at the roles I play can give me a really good idea of what area I need or want to work on first.  Seeing the various roles I need to play helps me identify which areas require the most out of me and it allows me to take stock, and hopefully make an informed decision about where to go from there.

What Are Your Roles IN Those Cateogires?

Take a few minutes to jot down the different hats you wear, and if possible see if you can fit them into broader categories or life areas.  For example, in my Family area I’m

• wife
• mom
• daughter
• sister
• aunt

Each of those roles requires different things from me, but they’re all part of my Family life.

Questions to ASk Yourself To figure Out Where to Start

Now ask yourself:

• what are my most important areas?
• do they need my attention or are they well under control?
• is there an area in my life that I know needs more of my time or that I would like to dedicate more of my time too?

Knowing the answers to these questions can help you narrow down your focus.  Maybe work is using up a lot of your time right now and you really want to spend more time with your family just enjoying being together – maybe family becomes your area of focus.

I can’t tell you where to start, you need to choose for yourself.  All I can do is share how I do it and guide you to the next step.  To help get you thinking about the area you want to focus on I created the following worksheet for you to use.

Tomorrow I’m going to show you how to take your answers and use them to take the next step.

If you’re still not sure what area you want to focus on, consider printing out a worksheet for each area you’re trying to decide between.  I know it’s tempting to think that you can easily tackle more than one area, but picking ONE place to start is key to laying down the foundation for a successful time management system.  

Trust me, I fought this idea with everything in me when I started my journey.  There are times when I still baulk against the “one thing at time” mantra, but those are the times when I crash, burn and end up in the middle of a big ole mess.

Remember what I said up near the beginning?

You have to be willing to set yourself up for success!

Don’t forget that!

Up Next

So, there’s your homework for today.  Grab a copy of the worksheet and spend some time thinking about what your life areas are and which one you want to start with.  As always to snag your copy of any of the printables shared on Scattered Squirrel, simply click the pic!

Tomorrow we’re going to take the next step in reclaiming our lives (or at least our time), and I can’t wait to take it with you!  Until then if you have any questions or want to chime in, drop me a line in the comments below.