Mastering Consistency in Time Management

Building block #2 is consistency. I liken consistent people to dependable people. They keep a schedule and plug in things that they’ve said yes to into their current scaffolding which is their calendar, their current plan for the week, month, or year. They say yes, they do what they commit to, and you can count on them. Building block #1 gave you that solid plan, your schedule. Now how do you stay consistent when the unexpected requests come up? 

Consistent People Can Adapt

There was a time when I traded services with a friend. I did her laundry, she made my family meals. I love laundry and by trading for this “service,” I got to drop the cognitive load of prepping and cooking meals. However, I had to adjust my personal laundry schedule to accommodate what I agreed to do for her. 

Another example I shared was when the kids were at preschool I did errands. I would do my Sunday Basket® on Sunday. I would pay the bills, plan out meals, and “grant” the family’s wishes. Tuesdays, I would drop the kids off and that was my time to zip around town and get all my errands done. My family knew this was the cadence and to get all requests in by Monday at the very latest. Knowing Tuesday was errand day gave me the option to say yes to anyone that needed an errand that I was willing to do for them as well as my own. I knew how much time I had and if I could say yes to additional requests. 

Consistent People Can Say No

When you know where your time is going, you know when you can say yes or no. You know if you will have the capacity. Joey came to me this summer and requested my services (LOL). I looked and knew between trips that were scheduled, PhD assignments, work responsibilities, and managing the remodel of Abby’s “apartment,” I could not say yes for 6 weeks. I had to tell my own child no. I didn’t like doing that and it was a heads up to me to adjust the allocation of my time. 

On the other hand, because I know where my time goes and that I am very intentional to spend time with my family, I can say yes guilt free to something I want to do for myself. It is better for my family for me to be consistent rather than make a commitment every other week. I have a commitment that keeps me late one night every other week. But in the name of consistency for my family, the off weeks I stay at work and take a call with my colleagues. It fills my cup and keeps me consistent with my family. 

Stay Consistent Even When Your Energy is Low

Consistent people stay consistent even when their energy is low because they realize that their future time is as limited as their current time. One glance at your schedule and you can see that project you want to push off to next week, but then oops, you don’t have time to complete it next week. This mindset is that of maturity and self discipline. When I had low energy about recording some videos, I knew I’d feel better once I had them completed. And as I have said many times, I am where work comes from. My team could not start working on them until I had recorded them. I didn’t not want to put my team behind. And when I looked ahead there was no other time I could record them. You will feel so much better the next day knowing you did what you planned to do and knowing there really wasn’t any other time you could have “caught up” later. Just like at the house, I’ll see a few quick things I could do quickly. Your future self will thank you when you run that thing upstairs or put something away.

I have had such a full calendar for a while now. I always think, “What will I do if I or an employee gets sick?” I know my priorities and I know what I will delete or delay in the event it cannot be done. Consistency doesn’t mean you are consistent in every area, totally regimented. It means you are consistent in the areas of priority. Up next? How to be flexible within your schedule. 

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