Time Management Hollywood Style

The good news is that you have a job… yeah!!!  The bad news is that you're now working 10-15 hours a day.  So how do you squeeze in all the routine things that come with living a life?  You can take a hiatus from the gym, explain to friends and family that you won’t be seeing them for a while, postpone haircuts and doctors appointments, but you still have to buy groceries, prepare food, pay bills, clean house (a little?), do laundry and call your parents once in a while.  And even those seemingly simple tasks are challenging when you're working long hours, and all you feel like doing on your day(s) off is absolutely nothing.

When working long days, figuring out how to effectively manage your time can be especially daunting when you have other commitments (like a family, home and/or side jobs) you can’t ignore.  So if you’re like me, and there are never enough hours in your day for everything you need to accomplish, here are some suggestions that should help:
 

• Create a to-do list, and prioritize. Ask yourself what has to be done by noon today?  By the end of the day?  By tomorrow?  By next week?  What can wait, and how for long?  And what are the consequences if something isn’t done by a certain time?  Answering those questions will help you arrange your list.

• Schedule all of your time (just like a business).  Block out periods of time for each task, including things like grocery shopping, running errands, straightening the house, answering emails.  If you’ve scheduled an hour to have lunch with a friend, you’re going to be more apt to enjoy the time and meal and not spend that hour worrying about all the other things you need to do.  Once your time is scheduled, you’ll feel more in control of your day.

• Limit your distractions… don’t stop something you’re doing to answer emails, chat on the phone, check Facebook.  

• Break large tasks into smaller portions.  (Better to accomplish something slowly than not at all.)

• On your days off, be sure to schedule in some time for yourself… to nap, read, walk, take a bike ride, get a manicure or massage, have a lovely dinner with someone special or go to a movie.  If you never take time for yourself and are always feeling rushed, that sense of being overwhelmed will never leave you.

• As hard as it often is to do, get enough sleep and eat properly, or you'll deplete your energy, won't function at your best and will possibly get sick.

• Delegate as often as you can.  And if you can afford it: have someone come in every couple of weeks to clean your house and change the sheets; have the dry cleaners wash and iron your shirts/blouses; and find a selection of restaurants in your neighborhood where you can stop off and pick up (healthy) food to-go.

• Don't over-commit yourself.  You’re not a bad person if you have to say ‘no’ once in a while.

• If you freelance, use your time in-between projects to catch up on everything.  And take a vacation if you can.  If you can’t get away for long, sometimes just a day at the beach or a hike in the mountains is enough to catch your breath and feel rested.