Time is money. A phrase we hear too often but how many of us really take it to heart? Since I started working full-time I’ve really begun to appreciate my time. I miss the spontaneity of university but at the same time starting work has meant that I have to schedule far in advance to ensure I see my friends & family and keep up with my hobbies.
The biggest challenge at the beginning was that I was exhausted after my first week of working full-time. The early start in addition to a much more sedentary lifestyle (sat at a desk most of the day) meant that I was very lethargic and would go home, eat and then go to bed. I knew that I had to write off a month to get used to this schedule but now that I’m used to it I find myself able to do lots of things in the evenings and at the weekends.
I’ve worked out that including hours spent at work I try to utilise 70 hours of waking time during the week. Of those 70 hours I spend 35 hours working but can spend up to 8.5 hours a day physically in the office. On top of that, I have a 50 min-1hr commute to work either side of work. All-in-all my time spent out of the house each day for five days is approx 10 hours. Now most people might equate that to the amount of time that they devote to their job but I still view it as ‘me’ time. That means I still view my 35 hour work week as only 35 hours long (unless of course I do overtime).
So where do the other 35 hours come from and how do I utilise them?
I know it may come across as a bit obsessed to go this far but in time management using a timetable like this one can make a huge difference. For instance, I can see that I’m spending half of my time devoted to my company and my job. The other half of the time is me-time as far as I can tell. I’m utilising it to work on my personal development so that I can be an even better performer at work but also so that I can make sure I reach my goals, financial and other.
Time is similar to money. Most people find themselves asking, “Where does it all go?” One proactive thing you can do today is to track your time. It’s a similar process to tracking your finances and is a great start to reviewing your overall time management. Use this task to identify areas where you can change your activities so that they’re aligned with your goals and the things you enjoy most in life.
Hi Maureen! I like this – keeping some sort of timesheet for a week or so can be REALLY useful (and challenging) in finding out where your time actually goes…and how much of it might be wasted, oir at least used a bit more profitably.
On the other hand, sometimes ‘wasting’ a bit of time can be a good thing: sometimes, rather than read on the train, I like to stare out of the window and just…well… look. Luckily for me, I live in Scotland, and the scenery is beautiful, and I often see deer, a fox or two, birds of prey and so on on my commute….whilst everybody else is reading the financial pages or checking their blackberrys.
Anyway, I’m going to follow your example and challenge myself to track my time this week… and I wonder what I’ll find out!
Annabelle B at Yara Consulting
Hi AnnabelleB,
I’m glad you enjoyed the timetable. I like tracking things and time & money seem to make the most sense.
I know what you mean. I sometimes feel as though I need to take a bit more time to chill out. I really enjoy reading and find it a useful form of escapism which is why I do it so much. I can understand how on the commute it’s nice to look at the landscape. I do this on occasion especially on a Monday morning when I’m mapping out the week ahead.
Thanks for your feedback. Input – negative or positive – on this blog is always appreciated.
Maureen