Success On Your Terms: One Small Thing You Can Do to Ensure You’re Spending Your Time on What Matters Most

Do you ever look at the clock and wonder where the time goes?

Does your to-do list look just as long at the end of the day as it did in the beginning?

Do you have a list of things that you’ve been meaning to get around to but just can’t seem to find the time?

Life is full. And you often feel like you have to compromise something somewhere, whether it’s your self-care, your friendships, or taking time off.

Imagine if you could gently shift your day to be more productive while still having the freedom and flexibility you crave.

That means more time to do what you love, whatever that looks like for you.

Sound like something you want? Keep reading.

My Favorite Productivity-Boosting Tool

You want time to finish everything on your to-do list, be with your family, deal with unexpected hiccups, and get enough relaxation so that you can start all over again tomorrow.

How can you make the most out of your time and get as much done as possible without running yourself into the ground?

There’s one simple method I love and recommend: track your time.

(Did I just see you cringe? I did, didn’t I?)

Before you panic, remember that creating success on your terms is meant to be a gentle process, not a grueling one. Tracking your time can be quick and painless!

I suggest you track your time every day, in 15 minute increments, for 5 to 7 days. But if that sounds too daunting, you can focus on tracking the portion of your day that’s most out of alignment with your definition of success on your terms.

There are lots of time-tracking systems out there, and you can use my handy time tracker PDF here. It doesn’t matter how you track your time—just that you do it!

For more details on tracking your time, listen to this episode of my Success On Your Terms podcast.

As you can imagine, tracking how you spend your time is usually quite eye-opening!

Jackie Johnstone, rockstar social media strategist and original Make It Work client, had some surprising insights which she shares here:

What I love most about Jackie’s story, and this method in general, is that it doesn’t require a lot of pushing or effort or willpower to shift your actions to be more in alignment with your goals and values.

Click to TweetYou can create the business and life you want with gentleness and ease.

Pay Attention to the Little Things

When you track your time, you’ll quickly notice how often distractions come up. We’re constantly being interrupted and pulled away from what we’re focusing on, which is why we so often end the day asking ourselves where the time went.

Distractions manifest themselves in two ways.

The first is physical. Our kids, a phone notification, the oven timer—things in our environment pull our focus.

The second type of distraction is mental. It’s when we’re doing one thing but thinking about all the other things we should be doing. (Women, working moms in particular, seem to have this the worst.)

In these episodes, I talk more about noticing your distractions:

Coming into Alignment

After you track your time for a week or so, you’ll clearly see where you are (or aren’t) in alignment with your definition of Success On Your Terms.

You’ll also reach the true (though sometimes painful) realization that you have control over every single aspect of how you spend your time whether you like it or not.

I talk more about the power of your choices in this episode:

Once you get on board with the idea that you’re in control, life gets so much sweeter because you start to make better choices.

What Have You Discovered?

I’d love to hear from you!

Have you been tracking your time? If so, what was your biggest a-ha moment? If not, why not?

What distractions steal your attention the most?

Are you starting to accept that you’re more in control of your time than you might think?

Share your insights in the comments below. Have questions? Ask away!