Time Management: 7 Ways to Keep From Losing Your Mind

Goodevening Everyone!

I apologize for my posts that get published late at night. I've been so busy now that school started up again! But, those of us who are busy bees are the topic for the night! In 12 Things You Might Not Know About Me

, I talked about how passionate I was about school. That's when most people beg the question:

How are you juggling so many things at one time?

I work full time, I'm a mother of a baby boy, I go to school double the amount of what the military sees as full time, I'm a wife, a friend, I have this Blog, etc. I'm doing a lot! And I'm not going to lie, it's not always easy. But there are ways to manage your time to where it is not all that difficult. Many women worry that their kid will suffer at the expense of their personal success... Let me tell you this: THEY WON'T!!!! These are some rules I live by to get the job done, and good. I'm not perfect, but I manage straight A's and I'd like to think I'm pretty decent at my job. Also, my son LOVES me and is doing great! So allow me to let you in on what I've learned to keep my sanity!

One - Get organized!

You need to PLAN your schedule. It's definitely hard to get used to, but you can do it! I identified how much free time I have. I have about an hour in the morning (I use it for my workout), an hour to an hour and a half at lunch (Homework) and around 7 hours after work. A LOT can happen in 9 hours if you plan it out! I pick the times when my mind is moving at a good pace for homework. I naturally have working energy for it on my lunch breaks. I get it, most people want to relax, but I'm a mom. My goal is to spend as much time possible with my son. I prefer to work out in the mornings because it boosts my energy for the day and my son goes to bed at around 7 pm right now and that's when I get another burst of energy. So I utilize the silence to get homework done. Look at your day and see how you feel and plan out the day!

Two - Never become complacent.

If you are trying to get something done for yourself, don't waste time. When I got back into school full time, I signed up for a class exactly a month after my son was born. On one end, I didn't want to slow down and get lazy and on the other end, I wanted to use my maternity leave to get used to being a mom and going to school before I threw work back in the mix. You know your limits, so make sure you are pushing yourself! Being successful is not a luxurious limo ride. It's challenging! I always say "Heat and pressure make diamonds." So put yourself out there and see how it goes! I got to a point where I was going to school full time and I was procrastinating so bad, all my essays were being written the day it was due, so I decided to not be complacent, make the most out of my time, and I signed up for double the amount of classes! It just meant that I had to go to step one and get re-organized and re-plan my day!

Three - Buckle down and hold yourself accountable.

Everyone still has that little kid inside that tells us, "You can't do that." "I'm tired." "I don't want to." But, you are the adult! Take control and tell that little part of you it can come out and play when it's done with it's chores! As we say in the military, "embrace the suck." It will be so worth it in the end! You have to admit your faults and refrain from making up excuses with yourself. I always end up crying to my husband when I feel I'm slacking or made a bad habit of something. I set high standards for myself, but they are still reasonable!

Four - Celebrate the small successes!

When you finish a class or a chore of some type, reward yourself, but stay reasonable! For me, I will have a movie I really want to watch, but clearly that would take me away from homework. So, I tell myself I will only rent it if I get an A in my class! For me in these double classes, I'm in love with this blog, but I don't allow myself to post in it unless I've done at least an hour of homework!

Five - Don't be afraid to fail.

If we all were afraid to fail all the time, let's face it, we wouldn't do anything, ever. My mentor has always told me, "Success wouldn't be so good without a little bit of failure." And it's true! That doesn't mean you have to flunk a class to understand this concept. Maybe you just didn't meet the personal mark you set for yourself and you didn't get that reward you've promised yourself for the last two months. Well, let that disappointment in yourself build the motivation to slam that next class and ACE it!

Six - Don't listen to the Naysayers.

People are going to tell you to stop, slow down, etc., etc. Look, this is YOUR life and if you want to do something with it and your passionate about it, you can definitely find a way to squeeze it into your schedule. I don't know how many people have told me I should give everything up now that I have a child. But here's how I feel about that: It's not the 1940's anymore and there is nothing wrong with me building on myself outside of my husband and son. I am a person too and I always will be. I also intend on teaching my Son that no matter what happens in his life, it is still very possible to manage many things at once. I'm living proof.

Seven - Search for a weakness and fight to improve it.

We all know that we are imperfect beings. However, if you are arrogant and see yourself as someone who is good at everything and neglect your flaws, it will catch up to you. Stay in a reflective state and always search for ways to be better. No plan is perfect and no person is perfect. You might see my schedule as insane and think I'm being so inefficient about it, but it's what meets my needs, expectations, and forces me to improve on my downfalls. For example, my procrastination. I forced myself to double up on classes, because clearly I had too much free time on my hands and was getting lazy. So the adult in me kicked in, said enough, and got me back on track by FORCING myself to have to be more organized to manage my school.

Now, I know I use school as the main example, but these things are applicable in all facets of your life. If you want or need to get something done and squeeze something into your schedule, these are ways to keep sane and keep going. Managing your time is one thing, but I've never had someone give me advice on how to stay sane as I manage my time. I hope this is helpful to at least person because I know there are a lot of people out there that are afraid to work, take up that new hobby, or go to school because they struggle with proper balance. When you make your plan, follow this tips and I'm sure it'll help in some way, shape, or form.

Feel free to contact me through my Facebook page or hit the contact tab at the top and I will reach back to you! I would love to hear your situations and help out where I can. Thank you for tuning in once again!!