How is your relationship with time management?

Would you say it is a healthy one?

Generally speaking, when we talk about health, we talk about things like eating healthy foods, drinking lots of water, getting adequate sleep, and making sure we get plenty of exercise.

Unfortunately, we rarely talk about time management and health in the same breath.

Yet how we go about managing our time speaks volumes about our physical well-being.

It’s a direct reflection of our sleep, dietary, and exercise habits.

It’s pure and simple: if you want to have a healthy body and mind, you need to have a healthy relationship with time.

In this post, you’ll find several tips that will help you better manage your time through the lens of health.

Understand what feeds your need for time.

We all have professional and personal responsibilities. And it’s no surprise these responsibilities shape how we spend our time.

Think about your current professional and personal responsibilities. Which of these responsibilities are absolute musts?

If you were to set these responsibilities aside, what would remain in your schedule? Would these responsibilities be necessities, or would they be wholly unnecessary?

It’s worth taking some time to determine exactly where, when, and how your time is needed on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis.

Quench your time thirst.

Do you thirst for new challenges and experiences? Are you eager to reach your goals and dreams?

Do you regularly wait until the start of the New Year to begin new resolutions or habits? Why not make use of the time available to you right now?

Truly, there’s no better time than the present to set your own personal goals. You don’t have to wait for the year to roll over to begin something big, new, and exciting! How can you can seize the day, right now?

Could you devote more time to your new exercise routine this week?

How about completing the craft project you meant to finish last week?

What about finishing that mystery bestseller so you can fully participate in your book club this Saturday?

Take a snooze…from timekeeping.

Time will pass whether or not you pay attention to the clock, guaranteed.

But, you don’t have to glue your eyes to the clock. Doing so can actually do more harm than good!

Do you pay too much attention to the clock during your waking hours? If so, it might be time to take a time break. You’ll want to ease up on your eagerness for time management.  

Give yourself ample time to go “off the clock.” Have an extended break and do everything in your power to resist looking at the clock.

You could go on a two-week vacation to a remote location with no wi-fi or phone service or simply decide to spend a lazy Sunday morning at home with loved ones sans email or smartphone.  

Adequately exercise your approach to time.

How do you view your time? Do you feel as if there isn’t enough time in the day?

Perhaps you feel as if you have too much time on your hands? If you’re feeling locked into one mode of thinking, you may want to try flexing your time muscles.

Sometimes, you need to do a bit of mental jogging, lift a few heavy thoughts, and challenge your mind. Consider looking at time from different angle. What would happen if your current thoughts were flipped around 180 degrees?

Maybe you feel as if there isn’t enough time in the day. What would happen if you suddenly believed there was more time available to you? How would you feel?

What would you do with all those minutes and hours? You never know what insights you may gain when you look at your calendar in a brand-new way!

How about you? What are your thoughts on healthy time management? Join the conversation and leave a comment below!