Time Management Over the Holidays

'I wish you the wisdom to know what you need to do.  Step into your time fully and completely, attending to what really matters.' Elena Brower

As we enter into the holiday season with kids off school and time off work, and the pressure of family and social functions looming I thought I'd take a moment today to share with you some of my most effective time management strategies. 

• Analyse clearly where your time goes and where it gets drained. For me social media is a big source of lost time and 'numbing out' of the present moment. I notice when I take a break from scrolling on social media my mind feels clearer and my heart feels more open.  I also find repetitive and mundane housework draining (especially when mixed with the feeling that I'm doing it all). Once you've identified where you are misusing your time, can you change the pattern and delegate or outsource those things that deplete you?  
• Be clever with how you multi-task. For example I listen to podcasts when driving my kids around or when I am doing housework. Utilising self-created deadlines can be helpful too. Business advisor Marie Forleo says 'if it's not scheduled, it's not real'.  If you want to get something done or prioritise it, then schedule for it.  This includes booking in liminal time, which is time to daydream and contemplate.
• Experience the minor discomfort of realigning to that which matters.  All change requires an adjustment process, be willing to be uncomfortable as you go through this. 
• Create a balance of your own personal joy (for me this means meditating, listening, journaling, reading) and your service. You don’t always have to put yourself last. I do 'my time' at the beginning of each day in bed with a quiet cup of tea while I orient myself to the day ahead. 
• Use the guna of sattva as a guidepost. Sattva is that which is sweet, uplifitng and nourshing. Analyse your time management by running it through the sattva test. Is this thing I am spending time on uplifting? Nourishing? Of service? For example cooking for my family = yes. Getting involved in a friend's dispute with her ex = no. What is the cost of this thing I am spending time on to the environment and the animals?
• Remember you have choices and autonomy when it comes to being around difficult people. You have the choice not to go to difficult social obligations. If you choose to go, then embracing the choice of going helps to shift reluctant energy and will support you to show up as your best self. Show up to contribute something good (not with your own agenda).
• Find your rhythm with the day (dinacharya) and the seasons.  Life moves in cycles.  Rising early and going to bed early is useful in optomising your time according to an ayurvedic schedule. 

Time isn’t real and it isn’t linear. One minute can feel like a lifetime or be over in the blink of an eye. You can do a lot in 20 mins and you can also waste a day. Your time is yours, use it wisely. 

Here is an interesting article on time from my teachers Sharon Gannon. 

 https://jivamuktiyoga.com/fotm/time-management/

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