How to improve your self-management

How to improve your self-management

1. Live by your rules. That’s number 1! You are grown don’t let anyone tell you what you cannot do. You make the rules for your life it’s up to you to live them out.
2. Use your voice. My daughter has a problem with speaking up and using her words when it comes to talking to her teachers. She has no problem with her words on a regular basis but when it comes to others she clams up. I admit I do the same but we have to use our voice. No one can hear us if we are silent.
3. Your word is all that you have. Honor it! Don’t say you are going to do something and don’t do it. If you can’t do it say that instead of beating around the bush.
4. Create good habits. I’ve done this by making sure I drink at least a half-gallon of water per day. I created this habit by starting small and working my way up to a gallon.
5. Have a good work ethic. I know I am late sometimes to photoshoots because of Atlanta traffic but that is something I need to work on. I am a photographer. It doesn’t’ matter if the client is late they are the ones paying. I need to be on time so that means I need to leave earlier and plan ahead. I know this can’t happen all the time but try not to be late but 2% of the time.
6. Be interesting. No one pays you attention if you don’t command attention. Be unique and stand out from the crowd.
7. Don’t be a victim. You choose your choices so stick to them even if your voice waivers. Even if you know you are wrong. You make your bed you need to lie in it and don’t regret a single moment of it.
8. Take care of yourself. This means setting boundaries for others. Making sure that you are eating right. Making sure that you are exercising your mind and your body.

Now let’s talk about how to improve your time or self-management.

Don’t multitask

I know we think we can but we can’t. Can you truly work on a project with your favorite tv show going on in the background? Can you help your kids with their HW while also trying to set up your content calendar for the day. I can’t and I’ve tried. I am easily distracted. I know that I can’t multitask so I do one task at a time. I set a timer and work on each thing so that I can give it my full attention. If I’m scrolling Instagram while watching a movie I know I will miss something.

Admit when you can’t do something

Look I wanted to be a brand photographer so bad that I went out and bought all the boards, all the decor, all the classes. I realized that this isn’t my cup of tea and I needed to let it go. I can’t do brand photography with products because I can’t set the products up. I’m not a designer, I’m not a person who can set things up to create a story. I had to say to myself…self this ain’t you. So I gave it up. This freed up my time and I was able to focus on something else that I’m good at.

Reflect on the good and the bad

Reflect on your mistakes and reflect on your accomplishments. You gotta know where you’ve been so you can understand where you are headed. I have made some bad choices when it comes to my life but I have also made some good ones and I love to pat myself on the back when the good ones land me deals, coins, or networking opportunities. Look in the mirror and be real with yourself about yourself.

Hire what you aren’t good at

If you aren’t good at writing hire someone else. If you aren’t good at Pinterest hire someone else. Time is just as important as money if not more important. If you try to do everything yourself you will get burnt out real fast. Give up some of that control and let someone else do it. That freed up time can be put into what you are really good at so that you can make more coins.

Timers

Set one. I have a 5-minute rule that I use for my social media channels daily. M-F (weekends I try to be off of social so I can spend time with my family) I spend 5 minutes twice a day on all my channels. If I miss something of yours and it wasn’t in that time frame oh well. I try to do mid-mornings and late nights. I also set up easier ways to manage my social like scheduling things on Hootsuite/Planoly. I set timers to do all my tasks. If it doesn’t get done within that time frame I move on. This helps manage me and my time.

For the rest of 2020, I want to make sure that I am managing myself as well as my time better. I want to work hard but I also want to enjoy life too. Work hard play harder is my motto. How are you managing yourself and your time? Any tips that you can give?