9 Common Mistakes for Time Utilization

Do you often feel overwhelmed, or as if you are spinning your wheels, or you can never finish all the things you need to do? Or maybe your days seem to go from one crisis to another putting out fires. If you answered yes, that may be a sign of poor time utilization.

Let's face it, we could all use help to better manage our time. We all have good intentions. We want to be more productive and complete our tasks, and there is no better feeling than achieving our goals. Being productive helps us be happier, more positive, relaxed, and obtain balance in our lives.

In this article, you'll discover 9 of the most common mistakes people make in using their time.

Mistake #1: No To Do List Is your day full of obligations and you are running around from one thing to another causing you to forget to do something important? If so, that's probably because you don't have a To Do List. Having a To Do List is a great way to stay on track.

Use an A - C coding system (A for high priority items, C for very low priorities). Nightly, you should have your list ready for the next day. When you create your list, make sure you differentiate between a Project List and a To Do List. For example, if you are going to work on a strategic plan, such as a spa budget, marketing plan, etc., set aside enough time each day so it won't cause you to procrastinate or miss key steps. It would be wise to break large tasks or projects down into specific, actionable steps. Then, you won't overlook something important.

Mistake #2: No Goals Do you know where you'd like to be in six months? What about this time next year, or even five years from now? If not, it's time to set some goals! It's wise to set three types of goals: Personal, Business and Spiritual. You should also set short-term and long-term goals.

Goal setting is essential because it helps you manage how you spend your time. When you know where you want to go, you can manage your priorities, time, and resources to get there. Goals also help you decide what's worth spending your time on, and what's a distraction.

Mistake #3: Not Prioritizing Once you create your to do list, you must prioritize it. This allows you to manage your tasks and keeps you on track. Some urgent task may come up from time to time and you need to tend to it. Once you take care of this urgent matter, you must get back to your to do list. Make sure you prioritize your list.

Mistake #4: Managing Distractions and Interruptions Are you practicing the "open door policy? Don't! Distractions and interruptions can kill productivity and working on your to do list. Close your door and be productive.

Did you know that you could lose as much as two hours a day to distractions? Interruptions may come from emails, spa team members, colleagues in a crisis, clients, or phone calls; they all prevent us from achieving our goals. If you want to gain control of your day, don't allow distractions and interruptions to get in the way.

Mistake #5: Procrastination Procrastination is when you put off tasks that you should be focusing on right now until later. Sometimes we have busy work instead of productive work. We use that as an excuse to procrastinate on something that we need to do. If you have to do something, just do it. Procrastinating will weigh heavy on you. Placing a timeline on projects and things that you must do will help you manage procrastination. Don't let procrastination get the best of you. The results will make you feel overwhelmed and anxious. Instead, focus on devoting a small amount of time to starting. That's all!

Mistake #6: Saying "Yes" Too Often Do you have a hard time saying "no"?? Saying no to certain things is ok. Don't feel obligated to take on too much. You can't be everything to everybody. You need to keep your schedule in mind and if you can't do something, simply say, "NO, I can't at this time." It's better to say "no" now than to say "yes" and disappoint them later. The other thing to keep in mind is the ability to delegate and avoid micro-managing. This will free you to maybe say yes to something you would like to do.

Mistake #7: The Juggler - Multi-tasking How many balls do you have up in the air? Don't think that you can be Superman or Superwoman. Sooner or later, the balls are going to start dropping. Multi-tasking is good some of the time, but not all the time. You can accomplish things faster and more accurately if you focus on one thing at a time. You will save more time and avoid mistakes that result in re-doing tasks.

Mistake #8: Not Coming Up For Air It's nice to think that you can work non-stop, but that may not be the best thing for you. (I need to practice this). It's important to take breaks and come up for air. You will be able to think much clearer when you take a mental break. Your brain will be able to recharge.

It's good to take a mini mental vacation by using a breathing exercise with some essential oils to help you re-energize and then you can go back to work. Thomas Edison used to take a power nap all the time while working on his inventions. If you can't take a power nap, you can always take a few minutes to meditate.

Mistake #9: Bad Schedule We all have our favorite time to work when we are most productive. Some of us are morning people and some are night owls. When is your most productive time? Know that and take care of the most important tasks during that time. Think of your high-energy time and schedule accordingly.

Avoid these mistakes and you will become a lot more productive, have less stress and obtain balance!

Special tip: We all have the same amount of time. - 7 days per week x 24 hours = 168 hours per week - Take out 40 hours for work - 50 hours for sleep - You will have 72 hours left - Deduct 3 hours per day getting ready and travel. - That will leave you with 51 hours of spare time.

If you invest 2 hours per day back into yourself and your spa/salon business (that is 14 hours per week), you will have 37 hours left. That is an average of more than 5 hours per day of free time.

The 2 hours you will invest in improving yourself and your business will move you from average to superior. Tap into business solutions and watch your spa grow!

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