Manage Your Time But Remember to Live Your Life

When was the last day you didn't look at your watch? Or the clock? Perhaps relaxing on the beach or on vacation it's possible to be time-less, to ignore calendars and schedules and go through the day without paying attention to time. But most of us, even on weekends, have places to go, people to see and usually by a certain time.

This awareness that things have to be done to a timetable helps you get more stuff done. And makes sure you are a worthy, productive person. 'Wasting time' i.e. doing non-productive things is perceived as 'bad'. Maybe there is in every productive, hard working person a Time Dictator. This is the part of you that says 'My goodness, we couldn't have you drifting along just doing whatever you feel like whenever you feel like it'.

But there is also a Time Bandit inside you, a person who says 'Just another five minutes in bed' each morning or whose daily mantra is 'Yes you can do that tomorrow'.

Wouldn't it be nice to get the Time Dictator and the Time Bandit working together? Then you wouldn't feel guilty about doing the fun stuff but you'd also have the satisfaction of getting the worthy, hardworking, serious stuff done.

Very often, schedules and to-do lists only have chores and work on them. Chilling out talking to the cat is not considered serious enough to go on the list. But it should. Always award yourself some chill out time in the day. It doesn't have to be exotic or difficult to organise. Some of the funniest and deepest conversations I have with the teenagers are around the TV or getting meals together. We all value this slightly shambolic family time where we are doing little other than hanging out together.

So here are some tips towards helping you manage your time, get to your goals and stay sane:

1. Decide on what it is you have to do. What is your goal? And how important is it to you?

2. Knowing your goals, set in time three things that have to be done today.

3. Also decide on three things you'd like to do.

4. Go back to step three and make sure that this includes some fun stuff or some down time.

5. Step into a time machine, go forward to the end of the day - visualise what it will be like to have done everything in steps 3 and 4. What will it feel like?

Now get into action, do the stuff you must do and some stuff you'd like to do. And, most of all, live YOUR life.