3 Time Management Mistakes

Even though I’m a time management coach, I struggled with time management for YEARS. I know from experience that poor time management can rob you of so many fulfilling life experiences and kill your confidence.

Here are some of the time management mistakes that I struggled with in the past, so you can recognize them in your own life and avoid them.

Not structuring my free time.

During those rare moments when I had a few hours to myself on the weekends or during the kids’ nap time, I would often spend that time mindlessly scrolling through social media or watching TV. It took me a while to realize that those precious moments when I had “free time” were opportunities to move the needle on my personal development. I just needed to plan ahead and use that time effectively.

Sacrificing my well-being.

I started my PhD program in 2018 with three kids ages 3 and under. The first year of my PhD program was harder than I could have ever imagined. My mental health was a struggle. I felt the pressure to “balance” being a mom, wife, and graduate school. I would pull all-nighters and even forget to eat because I was focused on being productive. I eventually realized that NOTHING was worth sacrificing my well-being, and my time management needed to reflect that fact.

Setting unrealistic and impractical goals.

Perfectionism and comparing myself to others were often at the root of the impractical and unrealistic goals I’d set for myself because they weren’t grounded in a clear vision for MY life based on where I was in my career. In hindsight, I would have focused on setting smaller goals to boost my confidence when I felt like I was never doing enough and was stuck in a cycle of perfectionism.

Ready to start improving your time management? Book a Making Time for Me video session, and I’ll share some insights into why you may be struggling with time management.