We are continuing to talk about Time Management using the book "Time Management from the Inside Out" by Julie Morgenstern. See if the Psychological Obstacles below are things you deal with...
Psychological Obstacles
Obstacle # 2: Conquistador of Crisis
The Conquistador of Crisis is someone who does a great job at handling crisis situations. You probably fill your schedule up with To do's and activities and in the end it makes you not have enough time to spend on the things that really matter to you. Being able to get your schedule to a place where you are not juggling too much will help you not always be in crisis but be able to handle crisis when it occurs naturally. We all have enough crisis in our lives that creating it for ourselves by letting things wait until the last minute is just self punishment.
Obstacle # 3: Fear of Failure or Success
Sometimes failing is so scary that simply not trying is a great defense against not ever having to feel like you failed. You can just tell yourself that you didn't try or didn't spend the right amount of time instead of it saying something about you. Success may also scare you for a number of reasons. You may not know how your spouse, friends, or parents will feel about it and you may even be afraid of the pressure it will increase on your life. Fearing change can also thwart your work. My advice to all of these fears is to take a first step and begin small. If for instance you would like to go to college and get a degree, take a first step of researching schools and majors and simply asking for information to be sent to your home. Make reading the materials and narrowing your search to 5 schools one of your goals. Sometimes that first step is the step you need to let go of your fears.
Obstacle # 4: Fear of downtime
Some people get their identity from being busy and relaxing and spending time in self care is something they do not schedule. They may feel an overwhelming sense of anxiety when they are trying to relax. Other people tend to avoid downtime because it will make them have to process bigger issues like a poor marital relationship, financial difficulties, pain, depression, etc... These are great things to be aware of and work through with a therapist. Start out by relaxing for short periods of time and give yourself more and more time to relax. Yes, your issues will surface but the only true freedom from pain is walking through it and processing it.
Obstacle # 5: Need to be a Caretaker
Many of us like to do everything we can to accommodate others and do things on our own. One of the greatest tools of self care and time management is without question DELEGATION. Being able to delegate tasks that are lesser importance to your priorities is a great way to clear up time in your schedule for the important things in life. Saying Yes to everything may make you feel needed but it often can also make you feel under appreciated, resentful, and drained. Saying "I can't do that today" is a great tool for time management and proper self care.
Obstacle # 6: Fear of Completion
Have you ever met that person who starts a million projects and never finishes one? This person may be fearful of completion. People may also be fearful of completion because it means making solid decisions. Many people are indecisive and not finishing things makes them avoid those decisions. If you are one of these people, team up with someone who likes to close the deal or finish projects and have them help you get things done and not just start!
Obstacle # 7: Need for Perfection
This one is pretty obvious since one of the major personality types that struggles with time management is the perfectionist. Perfectionists do not like to do things unless they can do them perfect and this can clearly get in the way since nothing is perfect. This could stem from their fears of being humiliated, criticism, or harsh judgement. Some things in life are worth putting that kind of effort in but honestly, good enough is usually good enough. Again, this is a great place to start by taking one step and being okay with your best!
Obstacle # 8: You fear structure will stifle creativity
Many creative types are fearful that if they get on a schedule, keep a planner, and get things done on time than they will stifle their creativity and they will not like their lives. As a result of these thoughts, they often have a very chaotic personal and business life that makes them miserable. My theory is that if you are structured than you have MORE time to create and be open and don't have trouble meeting your deadlines for projects.
I hope you are all getting more clarity as you read these posts! Have a great time managed day!
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