How To Prevent Work from Stealing from Your Life

Even though work life may take up a percentage of the day, sometimes it feels like it’s taken the best of it. Let’s be honest, most people in Barbados, myself included, wake up to go to work, only to go home and recover so we can do it all over again.

Trapped in a never-ending cycle that promotes basic survival but never really enhances our quality of life. We all complain about having no time for ourselves, but what can we do to change it?

Sometimes some help is needed so we don’t become overwhelmed by the tasks we need to complete or, become disadvantaged by neglecting them.  So, I took upon myself to do some research to find some solution because this problem affects almost everyone at some point in their work life.

It could save us all time if I did some of the dirty work, you’re welcome. The instinctive solution, which I think crosses everyone’s mind at various points in the day, was to quit, but I had to quickly reconsider due to the uncomfortable elephant in the room (Cue sound effects “Dun dun dunnnn!!) the cost of living.

Desperate for some answers I decided to take a different approach by finding things that I could change to take control of my time. Here are a few tips to reclaim the time which work has taken from us all. 

The 4 Ds of Time Management

1. Do!

Okay, the idea is to start your day by accomplishing the tasks that are small and easily attainable. As you begin your day don’t jump right into your biggest project because starting small then progressing to larger tasks may give you the momentum you need to make it over the hill of work you need to complete daily. We have to be strategic about our work as much as anything else in life. Planning and executing  for optimal results. I started by checking my emails at the beginning of the day. This task is simple enough but I found that I was guilty of haphazardly jumping from one task to another without any real structure and by the end of the day I’d be exhausted, frustrated and down right miserable. I’ve become much more efficient now and tasks that would usually be left until the next week or until I eventually remember are now at the top of the list. My productivity has never been higher and my energy is finally back to the old normal.

2. Defer/Delay

Don’t be afraid to postpone tasks that aren’t time sensitive. It’s okay to temporarily press a mental pause on the duties that aren’t a priority. This gives you the necessary breathing space and the option to not feel so overwhelmed by the mountain of work that may keep piling up at work. I don’t know who needs to hear this but stop biting off more than you can chew and set realistic expectations not only about what you can accomplish but also when tasks should be completed. There is a give and take relationship between this tip and the first one that requires you to think objectively about what needs to be done and what can be delayed. I decided to look at everything that needed to be executed holistically and listed them based on importance to least importance every day so I could successfully achieve effective results.

Stay tuned next week for the remaining Ds to take control of your life and your time!

Part Two

As you have applied the first two-time management tips to your life over the last week, I’m sure the changes have been a pleasant surprise. Here are the two last tips to complete your time management journey.

3. Delete

This one may just be my favourite one. Seriously, there are obligations that may no longer be useful to the grand scheme of things, and you need to determine when it’s time to make the right cuts. Imagine you’re the manager of your life because you really are and do what needs to be done to be as productive as possible. Don’t hoard tasks that have become obsolete because you run the risk of wasting time and energy that could’ve been utilised for your own personal gain. I find deleting work tasks very therapeutic as tasks disappear so does the obligation to accomplish them and if that isn’t a bonus then I’m not sure what is. Removing goals also gives you the opportunity to focus on aspects of your job.

4. Delegate

Of all the points I think this one may be the most important. I am guilty of hoarding all my tasks because I like to be self-reliant but after some self-reflection, I have come to the realisation that this may be counterproductive. As I applied all the points to my life and started to see the fruits of my labour, I decided it was time to do something different. I thought about anything I could relinquish control over that would give me the optimum amount of time. Funny enough I came across Price Whirl. So what exactly is Price Whirl? It’s a grocery delivery service in Barbados. Now I can spend about 10 minutes browsing www.pricewhirl.com selecting exactly what I want from where I want it and continue on with life. Don’t get me wrong I was really sceptical about it but after trying it out I’m really glad I did because supermarket runs can just be such a hassle. Price Whirl has made a major dent in the time I have spent doing mundane activities. It feels as though I get the results I want without having to sacrifice the time at a reasonable rate. 

Now that I have taken control over my life and my time I have so much more time to myself, and I can confidently say I am happier, less stressed and much more relaxed. If you’re someone who has been struggling with the same lack of time, you should really try to implement these time management skills even if you take it slowly and do them one at a time because it has honestly changed my life.

I’d also like to thank Price Whirl’s grocery delivery service for the helping hand. Had I not been willing to try I would be stuck with hours a week in grocery shopping. The convenience of the whole process has been a game changer.