ACTIVITY MANAGEMENT?

Trying to squeeze in everything that I must do into my schedule has really been a struggle for me this year. While perusing the “Etsy Forum” one evening, I was drawn to a discussion on, the hardest part of starting your business. I was not surprised to find that I was not the only one seeking balance and organization in the management of their time. When overwhelmed with the demands of life, whether it be children, husband, household, and/or business, how does one strike balance? Do you ever feel so overwhelmed that all you are fit to do is to sit on your sofa and stare at the ceiling? According to David Allen, founder of the David Allen Company, which is focused on productivity and executive coaching, "time management is a mislabled problem." He believes that time can’t be managed, it just is. He further states that "what we really manage is activity during time, and that defining outcomes and physical actions required is the core process required to managing what you do."

After my introduction to Mr. Allen's ideas (Wikipedia), I began to reflect on some of the things I have observed successful friends and family doing with regard to managing time. Whether they are concious of it or not, they actually do manage their activity and not their time. I've noticed that they tend to avoid time wasters such as gabby telephone time and watching television; they multitask and use creative organization techniques. One example of this was sitting right under my nose. In our June 5, 2008, post, Cinnamon shared one of her creative organizing tips. She uses legal-sized manila envelopes to sort her kids' school papers, party invitations and important dates to remember. She assignes the task of labeling and decorating to her 5-yr. old. Now if that’s not creative activity management, what is?

Light bulb moment! MANAGE YOUR ACTIVTY AND NOT YOUR TIME! Be encouraged, and know that striking a balance is possible, it's all about redirecting your focus. Feel free to comment and share with us any ideas you have found useful in "managing activity".....