As we move further into the festive season, you may feel the pressure of mounting tasks. There may be demands at work to round off urgent tasks and unfinished projects before closing for the Christmas and New Year break. On top of it all, there are often more things to do: events to attend or even to organise, or both; travel plans to put in place, presents to buy, arrangements to see people. Lots of shopping may take up your time whether in person or online.
The more organised you are, the easier it will be. Good planning can greatly reduce the time you need to do all those work and personal tasks and allow you to enjoy those social events without worrying so much about what you still have to do.
Here we are going to focus on a common time thief: the butterfly syndrome, and how to save time and manage your butterfly. Before I explain precisely what it is, try this mini quiz.
Time Management Butterfly Quiz
Do you:
- Constantly hop from one task to another, not knowing what to do first
- Ever get distracted from the task in hand by piles of paper or unanswered emails
- Keep leaving tasks unfinished because you feel the need to move to the next
- Put difficult tasks aside in favour of the easy
- Feel you have a never-ending to-do list?
Overall, would you like to be more in control of your time and life?
So, what is this practise known in time management jargon as The Butterfly Syndrome?
The Butterfly Syndrome is where you move between tasks, settling for a moment on one task, then landing on another task. It is a common misuse of time. The same may happen with your thoughts – you start thinking about one thing and then flit to another! Not only is it unsettling, but the habit also involves exerting lots of energy as you think about one task, leave it in the middle and move on to another. When you come back to the first task, you are likely to need to remind yourself what it’s about all over again, hence wasting precious time.
Here are seven tips to avoid butterflying and stay organised.
- Clear your workspace before you begin.The very sight of lots of papers around you is a diversion waiting to happen as the eye gets drawn to all the tasks waiting for your attention, causing unnecessary stress. Put all papers unconnected to the task you are doing somewhere you can’t see them, so you are less able to flit from one task to another – the ‘out of sight, out of mind’ principle.
- Clean screen, clean paper. If you’re working on an idea or strategy, take a clean sheet of paper, or work on a clean screen, and write down your GOAL. Keep your eye on the goal, not allowing yourself to be diverted. You won’t win the match if you do!
- Look at your ‘to-do’ list. Make sure your tasks are in priority order. Do the most important task first, and then the second, and so on.
- Complete one task before you move to the next.Resist doing several tasks at once. If a task will take a long time, say 4 hours, divide it into 4 tasks of an hour each, which you may choose to do on consecutive days, unless it’s required urgently today.
- Each time you complete a task, tick it off your To Do list. It will give you a sense of achievement and motivate you to do more tasks.
- Avoid doing lots of easy tasks, simply to make your list look smaller. They will use up the energy you need for doing what’s important, those vital tasks that take you towards your goals and give you a sense of achievement.
- Have a good diary and/or planner system so that you ‘diarise’ tasks for the future and don’t lose track of them. It is this concern about forgetting things that often leads to butterflying; that’s why a system that won’t let you forget is so important.
Here is another very important tip!
Avoid distractions!
Don’t get diverted from the task in hand! A cup of coffee, getting drawn into a conversation or gossip, an article in a magazine, a telephone call, social media, searching the internet … can take you away from what you were doing.
Another common distraction is being interrupted. Interruptions may be a welcome relief from the task in hand; however, it will take your mind off the current task. Manage interruptions and diversions assertively and confidently and don’t let yourself be easily distracted from the task in hand. Let others know when you are available so that you don’t need to leave your current task and spend time on a different task before having to get your head back around the original one.
Taking action
Life Coaching can help you to achieve positive change such as improved time management and less butterflying.
Free initial call
If you feel life coaching would help and want to know more, you are welcome to arrange a free initial call for 20 minutes without obligation to see how it would help. Life Coaching is adapted to meet your own unique needs and circumstances.
