I was sent this book for review purposes and all thoughts are my own. This post features affiliate links
Last year I reviewed a lovely little book called How Your Story Sets You Free. It’s part of the. “HOW Series” from Chronicle Books and I was interested to read more of these titles. How Time is on Your Side is a recent addition to the series and I looked forward to seeing how it could help.
It’s a wonderful book – short, accessible and relatable, with suggestions which allow for flexibility, so you can focus on what works for you
I recently completed a Stress Buster course and learned a lot about my triggers and behaviours. I know that I’m at my happiest when I’m feeling productive and able to make time for myself, something which always falls to the bottom of my to do list. And I’m at my most stressed and anxious when my workload is overwhelming and I’m constantly having to react to whatever is thrown at me. It’s like I need permission to take a break or do something just for myself. I hate to play the working mum card but whenever I’m in the office my priority is my job, and whenever I’m away from the office my priority is my son. It`s never me. And I feel guilty for asking for even an hour myself. But it turns out that the working mum card is justified:
“Why does no one feel like they have enough time? Turns out, like so many things, deep down our lack of time is a feminist issue. It comes down to work and the family, and the ways women’s roles in those two arenas changed in the second half of the 20th century – and the ways our world did not change to keep up with them.”
Yasss!!!
These days it seems that no one has enough time. But do we need to prioritise self-care or productivity?
“We need to hold ourselves, and those around us, with the same tenderness with which we’d hold a tiny baby. While at the same time we need to fight for what is right with the tenacity of a full-grown adult human who isn’t exhausted all the damn time.”
Sometimes it feels like a lose-lose situation.
I initially thought it was time management and productivity that I needed to work on, thereby getting through the ol’ to do list quicker and finally getting to an hour or so at the end of the day for me, by which point, of course, I’m exhausted. But I’ve since learned that’s not the case. It’s about prioritisation. It’s not that I don’t have time for myself, it’s that I don’t prioritise myself. And that was such a wake up call.
It’s not about cramming in more, it’s about making time for it. I’ve identified pockets of time and learned to batch work. I have a few child-free hours a week, during which time I have a mass photo sesh for the blog and social media, then I draft the posts in the evenings and finish and schedule them on the commute. I spend 12 hours a week on the bus – that’s enough time to schedule and promote posts, read a book, and listen to a podcast!
I can use this ‘pockets of time’ technique to develop my lettering skills too. Practising for just 15 mins each evening builds up to almost 100 hours over the course of the year. It’s all about breaking things down. I’ve just been recruited as an Ambassador for Blink Lettering and I’m looking forward to making lettering a daily habit and seeing my progress.
I’ve also learned how to be more productive in the office by making small changes, such as not responding to emails as soon as they come in. Instead I’m checking them a couple of times a day and then focusing on project work without the distraction. All of these small changes have already made such a big difference.
Buy it on Amazon
Buy it on Wordery
What have you tried to help with time management, productivity, and prioritisation?
This sounds like a really interesting book and series, will definitely look up!