Let’s talk about time management, otherwise known as “Why is it already 3pm and I’m still in my robe?”
We’ve all been there. You start the day with the best of intentions. Maybe you even made a list the night before, color-coded, bullet-pointed, underlined with purpose. You wake up and think, Today is the day I finally conquer Mount Laundry, respond to all my messages, and maybe even do something wild like cook dinner.
Then you blink, and somehow it’s mid-afternoon. You’ve spent 40 minutes organizing your sock drawer (which, let’s be honest, was not on the list), another 20 watching a video on how to be more productive (a favorite form of procrastination), and 15 minutes standing in the kitchen wondering what you came in there for. Oh, and you did scroll past 37 posts about how “highly effective people” wake up at 4 a.m. to meditate, run marathons, and write novels before breakfast. That’s lovely for them. Meanwhile, I’m over here trying to remember if I brushed my teeth.
Here’s the thing: time management isn’t about becoming a machine. It’s not about doing everything, all the time, at top speed while smiling like one of those people from a paper planner ad. It’s about being real with yourself. You can’t be in five places at once, you can’t say yes to everything, and you can’t do it all without eventually finding yourself hiding in the pantry with a cookie.
Time management is about choosing. It’s about taking a deep breath and asking, “What actually matters today?” Not “what would impress people on the internet,” or “what would make me feel like a productivity wizard,” but what needs me most today?
And let me just say this, sometimes what needs you most is you. Not your to-do list, not your overflowing email inbox, not that pile of mystery paperwork by the printer. You. Your energy. Your focus. Your peace of mind.
So maybe you only crossed one thing off your list today. That counts. Maybe you forgot what you were doing halfway through and had to start over. That also counts. You are still making progress, even if it’s slow, slightly chaotic, and fueled by caffeine and determination.
Time isn’t out to get you. It’s just quietly waiting for you to stop trying to wrestle it into submission. You don’t need to conquer your calendar, you need to make friends with it. Invite it to the table, pour a cup of tea, and say, “Okay. Let’s figure this out together.”
And for the love of all things organized, stop trying to do it perfectly. Done is always better than perfect. A little progress beats a perfect plan sitting in a notebook that’s been buried under three other notebooks and a random sock.
So here’s my best advice, from one slightly-overbooked human to another: Start where you are. Take the next small step. Don’t wait for the stars to align or for the laundry fairy to show up. (She’s on vacation, by the way.)
Time management isn’t about doing more. It’s about doing what matters, when it matters, in a way that feels doable. And some days? What matters most is deciding that today is pajama day and moving the big stuff to tomorrow’s to-do list. Again. On purpose.
Live with intention,
Coach Linda
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