How Do You Want to Spend Your Time?

Certain things are always going to be part of your day. You have to sleep, eat, wash, dress and get to work. But you have a choice about other things. Do you want to see more of your family and friends? Do you want to take up a new hobby? Do you want to involve yourself more in the community? Do you want to get promotion or change your job?

How do you want to spend the next year? The next six months? Your week? Each day? Sit down for a few minutes and close your eyes. Picture yourself during the perfect day. What would you be doing first thing in the morning? How would you spend your time at work? What would your evenings be like? Who would you see and talk to? Then do the same for the week.

Now list some of the most important differences between your perfect day and your present day. Look at it carefully. Can you make any changes to your present day to bring it closer to your ideal?

Suppose, for example, that your perfect day included getting into work at 10 a.m., getting through your work quickly, having a long lunch, leaving work early and spending the evening having dinner with your partner. In reality, however, you get mho work at 8.30 a.m., spend the day snowed under with work and snatch a sandwich to eat at your desk for lunch, spend the evening catching up with paperwork after a quick supper, and only have time to chat to your partner for half an hour before going to bed. This is not an unusual scenario. How can you bring your working day and perfect day closer together?

First, put into practice some of the time management techniques. That way you can get on top of your work and free up your lunch-times and evenings. As you get more effective at work, you could ask your boss if you could work a flexible week allowing you to start later some days. Finally, you could arrange to meet your partner once a week near your workplace for that meal.

Your real day won't yet be your perfect day, though you will have made changes that bring it closer to your ideal. But unless you know what your ideal is, you can't aim for it.