Transcription:
Are You Managing Your Time or Is Time Managing You?

Intro: This is BayCare HealthChat, another podcast from BayCare Health System. Here's Melanie Cole.

Melanie Cole (Host): Are you a multitasker like I am? Do you handle all of your tasks efficiently and in a timely manner or are you like most of us and sometimes find it difficult to get everything done on your list? And does that really bug you? Welcome to BayCare HealthChat. I'm Melanie Cole and joining me today is Tracy Daniels. He's a Behavioral Health Educator and Master Level Practitioner with BayCare Behavioral Health. We're talking today about time management. Tracy, welcome back. I'd like to first start by asking you, what does the act of taking conscious control over the amount of time spent on specific activities mean? Tell us about time management itself.

Tracy A. Daniels, MA (Guest): Good morning, Melanie. Thank you once again for inviting me back to speak on this subject. And I think today this is a very poignant subject. We're talking about time management and how do we manage our time? When I think about this subject of time management, think about how we live in weeks, months, and years, but people are not taught how to live in seconds.

And you know, time is not governed by clocks and calendars. Time is governed by revelation and truth. So when we understand living in seconds, it takes us back to the mindset of what are the things that's going around me that I need to pay attention to that oftentimes I'm not cognizant of when it deals with time management.

And when we talk about living in seconds, it's where now I am really cognizant of the seconds that are taking place in my day, that really moves into time management. Because I think when we look at time management, we kind of base it upon perimeters that we've been taught when it comes to time management.

But I don't really think we get into understanding seconds as we live through them through the day, especially dealing with things that I have to do on my schedule, such as if I know I have my day planned out, which we oftentimes do. How many times am I paying attention to the seconds that I'm living in, as I've been planning, these, things and these events?

So when I talk about being able to manage my time, it's me paying attention to the seconds that I'm living in, that really incorporates the time management that I'm operating in. And so when we look at being able to balance that it is so important, because as I said, I think we get into the cyclical part of life and that is living in months, weeks, and years and not really paying attention to what have I done during those weeks, months, and years, but I say truthfully, understanding those seconds and life and living in those seconds is so vital because have we ever paid attention to us, getting into things and doing things. And then we step back and we say, you know, I've been doing this for so long.

Why? And now the weeks have turned into months. And the months have turned into years and now it's seven, 10 years and I'm still doing the same thing and I never paid attention to the seconds that I was living in to get me to where I am. So that's why I talk about time management is really paying attention to the seconds that I'm actually living in, in my daily living, because now it begins to help me to make my life, have meaning all the way around, being able to understand where I'm going in my life.

And so that's why I talk about time management dealing with living in seconds and really cognizant of not living in weeks, months and years.

Host: Wow. You know, we hear a lot about live in the moment and, you know, stop taking so many pictures and that sort of thing. I suppose part of time management is, as you say, recognizing that time is something that just continues to go. And yes, we all want to get a lot of stuff done and everything's competing for all of our time, whether we've got kids, there's social media, there's our jobs, there's all these things.

How do we look at those things and compartmentalize, which ones are taking away our time and which ones are really beneficial or, you know, fixers or good things? Tell us how we're supposed to sort this all out.

Tracy: Well, one of the things is being able to break them down into events. Because that's another part too, that we look at sometimes we don't pay it attention. And when we talk about a cumulative stress, which is going to be one of the other topics we're going to discuss, that's where we're not really paying attention to how to break things down to separate events, but we group them all together.

They become overwhelming and begin to create stress within me. And so now I'm just living in this moment, but I'm not really conscious of my time. If I have children and I know my children have a routine for going to the gym, or I got to take them to their activities.

Guess what I'm doing? I'm now living in a time management that is specifically dealing with them. However, I'm putting other things on my plate as I begin to do these things with them. So now that becomes cyclical where now one week ends up into two weeks, one month, two months, one year, and now it has become 10 years and I'm living in that time, but not realizing that I'm having some stressors about it, not realizing that that's a part of the time management that I have to go back and adjust within my life because when those kids are gone, and it's just me and hubby sitting across the table, how are we going to manage that? Because we've been doing that all these years. That's a learned behavior. So those things, when we start looking at things that steal our time. Think about where we are right now with COVID. How has COVID stolen people's time?

Host: So much.

Tracy: Exactly. And I tell people, listen, I don't want to blame everything on COVID. We all had lives before COVID right? But how am I now living in this narrative where I'm living in fear continuously? I don't want to go out. Don't want to do things because I have this mindset. That's stealing my time management because that's where all of my energies are going. And that's where my thought processes keep me burdened now.

And I'm not realizing now it's been two years, three years, four years, five years. And I'm still battling in this and now my time is gone. So to answer your question, is really being able to break down events, but understand the time that's necessary during those events. Separate events. That's going to allow me now to be more conscious and cognitive of what I'm doing, where it doesn't become cyclical.

And now one year, two years, I'm still living in it. And here it is, it's been 60 years and I'm trying to figure out where did the time go. Was I living in seconds, Melanie? That to me is the biggest thing that I've learned from being out of the country for so many years, people are not taught how to live in seconds. They're only taught how to live in weeks, months, and years.

Host: So then Tracy, because you're right about COVID and we were all feeling like living in limbo and especially like, as an exercise physiologist and my clients who are generally in the older population, they were feeling this particularly acutely because they were feeling like their time was running out and they're living in limbo. And this time that we couldn't do anything or go anywhere or whatever. So people view that time management, of course, my 19 year old’s, they look at time as this unending thing. Please talk to us about managing that time now. As we're talking about this urgency and regarding time management, I'd like you to spend the rest of your time with this podcast, talking about strategies for vision, for purpose, for getting the stuff done.

Because I mean, I'm a list person, Tracy. So my lists are long and, as I cross something off, something else gets added. Please give us some strategies because that's I think what people need is the direct, usable now strategies for our time management issues.

Tracy: When we look at it, what's our view of time management. Let me ask you that, Melanie, what's your view of time management?

Host: For me personally, it's being able to get done what I set out to get done for the day and with realizing that there are going to be curve balls, things that take it off my list, or maybe I just don't feel like getting something done.

Tracy: Okay. Now with that mindset in place, do I pay attention to the behaviors that's going along with that mindset? That’s where it starts at.

Host: Well, of course, because if you don't pay attention to the behaviors, because that's what contributes to your motivation to follow a schedule or get your stuff done or be motivated to do those things. Am I right or no, not really?

Tracy: Yes. You're right. So do I really understand how to balance my behavior with the time that I'm living in? You said something a few minutes ago, your son. So of course, everybody are at different levels when it comes to what they consider time management. But how many of us are really managing the things in our life that are bringing us into success?

The strategies from the very beginning are to identify those areas of patterns that I have learned to live in that are causing imbalance in how I'm operating in my daily routines. For instance, as we said earlier, one of the first things that happened with everybody globally was everybody's routine changed, which now affected their time management ability because now they start living in narratives that caused them to feel either setback, they were having anxiety because everything changed. The strategy from the very beginning is being cognizant of what I call time management. That's the first thing I must do. And the other strategy that goes along with that is now realizing the things that I've been doing, have they been cyclical that's causing me to operate in this way?

A big strategy, I would say as well is understanding the irritability that I might be living in based on what I don't want to do during this time. That's another one too we don't pay attention to. And doing these things, am I really cognizant of what's causing me to live in this time. For instance, we all know we got a job. But during this day that I'm doing my eight hours or 12 hours, whatever hours I'm working, how cognizant am I and just paying attention to those things that's going to help me once I get out of my work? But also understand how to balance my thinking during the time. Because, you know, I think of it in this way, Melanie, when we start looking at how to manage our time, how do we manage ourselves?

And that's another big factor within this. Because if I'm having a struggle with managing myself, then I look up, it's been, 30 minutes, 40 minutes, it's been an hour and I'm not managing myself very well, there goes my time. And so now I have to be cognizant and balance myself as I'm doing the things that are even necessary. Another big one is how do I spend my time?

Host: Because sometimes we spend our time doing things that are unnecessary. That's a big one. I'd like you to speak while you're talking about this, Tracy, and touch on the multitasking society that we have become, because does that steal our time management abilities or does that make it better?

Tracy: You know what I would say, that it really, really depends upon the person, how they're balancing themselves. Because once again, when you think about time management, we think about the words managing, what am I really managing because am I managing myself in the time? Or am I managing the time in myself. What am I really managing?

And that's where it has to go back to help people balance themselves. How am I dealing with me and the timeframe that I'm operating in and what is it that I want to do during this time that I've set aside? I think one of the other strategies is recognize what are your time stealers? What steals your time?

Host: TikTok. Twitter.

Tracy: Yes, you're right. TikTok, Facebook. And I'm not saying these platforms are wrong, but what I'm saying is if I'm caught up in those and I look up and it's been 10 hours and I'm still playing those, then what am I doing? How am I managing myself? When I really look at and, put in about time management, it's the ability to recognize where I am and the things that's going on around me that keep me living in seconds and not in minutes. Hours. It doesn't do that because when I'm cognizant of those things, it helps me to bring balance to myself. And to me, that's my biggest understanding when we start talking about managing, what am I managing? Is the time managing me or am I managing it?

Host: That's an interesting thing to say right there, Tracy Daniels, and I think so many of us don't recognize as you say those times stealers, but also, and one of my most important things as we're discussing this, and I think about it is knowing the best time to tackle whatever it is you're going to do. I know that I will treadmill better if I do it in the morning, but in the afternoon, I'm just too tired.

If I do anything in the morning, I have much more motivation than I do around, you know, two, three o'clock in the afternoon. So, prioritizing when we have those things.

I'd like you to wrap up for us with your best advice for the listeners. This is so interesting, what you would like us to know about time management, making sure that we are getting our own feelings of success versus our fear of failure and able to kind of sort all of that out.

Tracy: I would say the biggest thing, Melanie ,is when time is not understood and addressed people have the tendency of not living in time. When time management is not understood and addressed, people have the tendency of not living in it. Why? It's because, as I said, a few minutes ago, is the time managing you or are you managing the time? To me, that's the biggest thing and understanding how to balance ourselves because you're right there are so many things that are out there that, really, we’re not paying attention to. And you hit it on the head. When is my best energy at doing something? Is it in the morning or is it an evening?

And am I recognizing that. Also am I naming it's something other than what it is because I am not cognizant of me? I think the most important thing in understanding time management for anybody is understanding how to live in time and not allow time to live in them in those ways. Meaning I'm cognizant of what I need to do in my day. I'm not so rigid where I keep it in this style all the time, but I am also learning how to live and to do the things that are going to bring me success in my life. That's the most important thing about managing ourselves and then also managing the time that I live in. Being able to balance myself through those times where I'm not allowing distractions and things to rob me and I look up and it's been four or five hours and I haven't done anything.

And sometimes it's okay just to sit back and relax, but am I really cognizant of what I'm doing for myself and my time management abilities? And I think that's what we have to look at and understand.

Host: And I think everybody just saw themselves to a degree or people that they know and love when you just described that. And thank you so much, Tracy. You're such a great educator and so compassionate and warm and you really give great information. So thank you for this and to learn more about help with time management, please visit our website at BayCareBehavioralHealth.org for more information. That concludes this episode of BayCare HealthChat. Please share this show with your friends and family on your social channels, because we're learning from the experts at BayCare together. I'm Melanie Cole.