If you could travel back in time to one specific summer, which one would you choose? The one you spent at sleep-away camp? The first one you spent with the love of your life? The first time you go to take your own kids to the beach, or to Disney World?
I’m sorry to tell you that my expertise in time management doesn’t allow me to actually bend time and space, so I can’t give you a way to go back to the summers of your past.
But I’m thinking about time travel a bit right now because I’m already looking ahead to the end of the year. It will be here before we know it, and by the time the first flakes fly here in the Northeast, we’ll all be dreaming about going back to this summer.
In my last blog I talked about looking back to the past six months. This time, I want to talk about looking ahead. When you’re in the January doldrums and thinking back on Summer 2019, what do you want to see in your mind?
Let’s Play What-If
I want to give you something to build from, so play along for a minute here! You wake up in the middle of the night and open your refrigerator, looking for a snack. Your orange juice and leftovers are gone – the fridge is actually a time machine programmed for six months in the future. You climb inside and find yourself in January, 2020. As you watch the sun set (at 5 p.m.!), you find yourself thinking back on the previous July and August, remembering the best moments….
What can you make happen this summer that will be worth daydreaming about in the future? What things do you want to accomplish now, so you don’t regret not having done them later on?
Now keep that time-travel hat on and jot down a list of the top three to five things that you would love to be able to say happened this summer. Whether you’re hoping to get your black belt and a promotion by August, or are just hoping to make it to the beach at least once before Labor Day, quickly identify some important priorities for the coming months.
Congratulations – you have the start of a roadmap to an amazing summer. Your future self will be proud. (Or, confused? Again, not sure how the rules of time travel work, so just go with me.)
Making Time Management Work in Summer
So you’ve figured out what you want to get done this summer. Now the question is: How are you going to do it all?
The thing is, several or all of the things on your list are probably related to personal time and relaxation. They might involve travel, entertainment, friends, food and family. And if you’re going to take enough time for all of it – and I want you to! – you’re going to have to shift some things around in your schedule.
For busy people, the only way to free up more time without sacrificing sleep is to cut out time wasters. Bust distractions. “Contain the Dragon,” as I like to say. That’s the time management secret for summer.
Simple, right? Just stop being distracted!
Yeah, right. It sounds pretty straightforward. Surely, if you just tried a little harder, you could keep yourself from clicking over to Facebook or staring out the window. Defeating distractions isn’t that easy, though. If it were, everyone would be able to do it. It’s a real skill, and it’s one of the most complicated parts of changing your relationship to time management.
I know you’ve got a lot on your plate. Finding enough time to get it all done might already seem like an uphill battle, or even a lost cause. I’m here to tell you that it’s within your reach – with some help.
My upcoming (free!) webinar is designed to give you that help. I’ll be demystifying distractions and digging into the strategies that will allow you to “contain the dragon” in ways that work for you.
I hope you’ll join me on Wednesday, July 31st at 4 p.m. (ET)/1 p.m. (PT) for Get it done AND have fun: 3 Secrets for your best summer ever! This webinar is completely FREE and will only last about an hour. Click here to learn more and sign up!
When January does come, you won’t regret having taken this hour for yourself. Until then – go out and enjoy the summer!
Gratefully,
Sarah
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