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Episode 2197:
Jeff Goins lists six symptoms he finds in his own life when his schedule has gotten away from him: skipped workouts, an inbox that never empties, clutter in every room, broken commitments, friendships gone quiet, and a low hum of stress that no amount of work relieves. His argument is that none of these are separate problems, they are all the visible edge of a calendar built around whatever is loudest. The fix he offers is unglamorous, which is to name what actually matters and then build the week around those things first rather than fitting them in last.
Read along with the original article(s) here: https://goinswriter.com/poor-time-management/
Quotes to ponder:
"Don't sacrifice long-term health for short-term productivity."
"Clutter is a form of procrastination, an indicator of a lack of organization."
"We don't get more time. So we have to learn how to use what we have wisely."
Optimal Work Daily is a daily career advice podcast where we narrate the best articles on productivity, entrepreneurship, and work-life balance, read to you by a professional narrator so you can grow your career a little more every day.
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[00:00:54] This is Optimal Work Daily. Do you exhibit these six symptoms of poor time management? By Jeff Goins of GoinsWriter.com.
[00:01:05] Do you struggle with time management and prioritization of projects and tasks? I sure do. It's the bane of my existence. But actually admitting it is half the battle. I feel like the pastor who preaches against the very secret sin he's hiding, constantly encouraging people to have better productivity systems so their creativity doesn't go to waste. In other words, I feel like a fake. Most of the time, if I'm being honest, I have pretty poor time management skills.
[00:01:33] I get distracted with Facebook or kill too much time on Twitter. I obsess over a certain design piece of my blog, spending hours trying to get it just right. I aimlessly wander through the blogosphere, scanning irrelevant articles and commenting on posts that really shouldn't be a priority to me. I get stuck answering emails for half a day, giving in to the vile temptation to keep hitting the Get Mail button, even though it's set to retrieve new messages only every hour.
[00:02:00] I eat up my day with pointless, unproductive meetings and lengthy phone calls. And then, when my wife asks me to do something like take out the trash, I procrastinate, using work or personal projects as an excuse for being busy. I'm a mess. The reality is I need to get a grip on my schedule. Maybe you do too. On occasion, I can be really fantastic at organizing my time.
[00:02:23] At other times, my whole world falls apart due to, quote-unquote, busyness. Even now, as I write this, I'm in the process of reclaiming my schedule. Reading an article recently, though, helped me identify what a problem this had become, and I want to share what I learned. There are six symptoms of poor time management that are worth monitoring. One, you're overweight. Do you find yourself saying that you don't have enough time to work out and eat right?
[00:02:50] There's no reason why you shouldn't be able to spend 20 minutes a day doing some light exercise. If you don't, it could literally be the death of you. Fitting more activities into the finite time you have will eventually cut your time on earth short. Don't sacrifice long-term health for short-term productivity. It's not worth it. Two, you have lots of email in your inbox. Do you never get your inbox close to zero? Do people send you emails and have to follow up a week later because they haven't heard from you?
[00:03:18] In today's connected world, it's a challenge to stay on top of electronic communication, but it's not impossible. And if you're going to be effective in your work, you can't let the digital paperwork mount up. Three, you have clutter. Everywhere. Is your office a mess? What about your bedroom? Can you not see your desk because of all the paper? Four, if you have unpaid bills or unreconciled credit card statements, there's no way you're able to concentrate or fulfill the tasks at hand today.
[00:03:48] Clutter is a form of procrastination, an indicator of a lack of organization, which betrays your inability to manage your schedule. If you're feeling stressed or overwhelmed, a surefire way to regain control of your life is to kill the clutter. Four, you often break commitments. Are you constantly running late or canceling appointments? If you're making promises you can't keep and always apologizing for it, you may need to acknowledge that you have a problem.
[00:04:16] Leading a non-committal life will project a lack of character and integrity, and it will hurt the relationships you care most about. Five, you don't spend enough time with the people you love. Do people complain that they never hear from you? Are you unable to make time for friends and family? Do you make excuses about this, like you're too busy or there's just too much work to do? Losing touch with those who are closest to you is a sure sign you're spending too much time engrossed in activities that are not your priorities,
[00:04:45] which means you aren't managing the time you have very well. And six, you are constantly anxious and stressed. Do you constantly feel stressed no matter how much you work? Do you struggle to fall asleep or go a day without checking email? If you always feel like you could be doing more and never on top of things, this is a bad sign. Your life is probably out of balance. It's time to make a change. What to do You don't have to feel like this.
[00:05:14] If you were afraid to answer any of the questions listed or found yourself saying yes to many of them, then you may have some time management issues. That's nothing to be ashamed of. In American culture, these feelings are almost inevitable. But you can take control of your schedule. Who cares if this is normal in our culture? You don't want to be normal. You want to be healthy. And that begins with taking the following steps. One, acknowledge the problem. Two, revisit your list of priorities.
[00:05:43] Decide ahead of time what matters most to you. And three, start planning your time around your priorities, instead of trying to fit the most important things in, like family and friends. Last, we don't get more time. So we have to learn how to use what we have wisely. You just listened to the post titled, Do you exhibit these six symptoms of poor time management? By Jeff Goines of GoinesWriter.com.
[00:06:13] You're listening to a quick ad. You know what else is quick? Selling your car on Carvana. Just put in your vehicle information and we'll give you an offer. Done. No hassle. No negotiation. No guy from an online listing lowballing you. Which means, by the time I'm done explaining this, you could have basically done it. Still haven't started? Hey, better late than never. Sell your car today on Carvana. Pickup fees may apply.
[00:06:44] This episode is brought to you by Google Chrome. You think you know a browser, but Gemini and Chrome? That's new. It can help you with practically anything on the web. Like restoring a vintage motorcycle from a 50-page restoration block. Or finally break down that long article you've had open for weeks. Gemini and Chrome is here for it. Ready to make anything online make sense? There's no place like Chrome. Check responses set up required. And thank you to Jeff, who is a super popular writer. He's the best-selling author of five books,
[00:07:15] including The Art of Work and Real Artists Don't Starve. And towards the end of the post today, you heard Jeff say, who cares if taking control of your schedule is normal? Because you don't want to be normal. You want to be healthy. In the landing page for Jeff's site, the first thing you see is big red letters that say, stop being boring. And that's Jeff's whole thing. He doesn't want you to accept the way things are. He wants you to create change. And on the site, you can hear his thoughts on writing, life, and creative work of all types.
[00:07:43] So you're going to hear him narrate it across a few of our shows. And if you're looking to share your work, but you're afraid of becoming a starving artist, this site is definitely for you. That's goinswriter.com, G-O-I-N-S. And thanks again to Jeff for letting us share his work. But that is going to do it for today. I thank you so much for being a subscriber to the show and being here with me each and every day. And I will see you back here tomorrow, where your optimal life awaits.