Exhaustion is not only rampant in our ‘modern’ life, but that it has become ‘en vogue’. Our society has not only surrendered to the notion that work is stressful and exhaustive, but it is constantly wearing exhaustion as a badge of honour.
I Felt Like An ATM Machine (With Limited Cash).
At one point in my life, I too felt at the mercy of work. I was stressed, frustrated and tired. I remember feeling like a moving ATM machine, where I used my body to withdraw money at the end of the month believing that I had no other choice.
One day I was called to a meeting by my superior during which he asked me to start managing my time. He asked me to start scheduling all my meetings, activities and tasks. Worse still I had to enter a log of my time at the end of every week. I was shocked as he was asking me to allocate time I didn’t have to manage my time. At first, I considered all this a big waste of time. As my superior had access to my calendar and time logs, I had no option but to comply. I really felt watched and not trusted.
I Realised There Was Something Special In This Time Management Sh..tuff.
After several weeks, time management started to pay off big time. The act of executing what I planned, started to give me a sense of empowerment. I started to feel confident about myself and the work I was doing. It didn’t take long for all of this to translate into a 10-fold rise in productivity. To my surprise this increase in productivity was matched by a decrease in stress. By having a clear system for handling the planned and unplanned tasks, my anxiety fell away.
With my time being managed regularly I got to know how much work I could take. When my superior would give me more work than I could handle, I would tell him I had no time. A discussion would follow on how to best prioritise the task and when to allocate it. This process meant that I stopped piling up work ceaselessly as though my body could sustain an infinite workload.
It Wasn't All Plain Sailing But...
Of course, things weren’t always plain sailing. There were many times where I had to stand up for myself and disagree with my superiors. This resulted in some arguments at times. As I was still learning the art of managing myself and negotiating with my superiors, there were times where I am sure that I was very difficult to manage. From here I want to thank my superiors of my past employment, Omar Said and Patrick Cutajar of Eyetech Ltd, who not only mentored me in such a way but also had a great deal of patience.
I am sure everyone's story is different and unique. I am also sure that everyone can take a decision to manage their time and energy. Decisions and managing time, I found, are like a muscle. If I don't use them, I will become a victim of life. When I exercise them, I become assertive and can gracefully manage my tasks.
The Simple Technique That Changed It All
In the long run, by taking 1 hour a week to manage my time, I opened a door towards a greater sense of wellbeing. Managing my time freed my time and energy to such an extent that I could ask myself what I wanted to create in my life. The ripple effect of this allowed me to be more conscious about life and to find a sense of happiness. I wanted to share this story with you because I want you to know that as a human being you deserve a life of happiness, not exhaustion.
I Would Love To Share My Story In A Way That Could Be Useful To You.
Currently I am organising a Workshop called: Exhaustion is Optional! 6 Steps To Managing Your Time and Life!. This will give the basic understanding of what it would take for you to start managing your time and life.
You can visit the workshop page clicking here
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