Metaphor: Time management can be like dieting. We portion out our time, like food, so we have optimal energy and results. Some people diet obsessively. Others manage their time obsessively. And both obsessions can be driven by a lack of self worth—a constant striving to be more acceptable, more productive… better.

I think that time management systems can suppress our own innate wisdom and cravings for vitality. They don’t free us, they imprison us. (And yet… so many of us are obsessed with time management systems. It’s crazy.)

Your calendar may say it’s a “high-priority day” but what if you need a break to reconnect with your mom, or cook a good meal very slowly? You block out two hours to work on your project, but then your best friend’s number shows up on your phone and you’re torn. Why should you feel guilty for talking to your friend? It’s your life.

It can go like (I know, I used to be a professional at the following):
You push yourself when your heart isn’t in it.
Your to-do list becomes more important than your fatigue.
You work to earn your time off, and you’re too beat to enjoy it when you get it.

Time regimens can be freeing, for sure. We need them like we need good eating habits. I batch my actionable tasks, I schedule in administrivia days, and I lay out key priorities in my planner. But it’s my relationship to those time methodologies that makes the difference in my psyche, and therefore the quality of what I do. I shifted how and WHY I use productivity tools.

If we’re going to kick our time diets then everything that gets on the calendar needs to be assessed for its nutritional value. The guiding question becomes, Does this sustain me or restrain me?

When you’re clear on what activates your joy, time management becomes a means to self-expression, not self-policing. And “making time” becomes an act of service so that you can be your best for those around you. @DanielleLaPorte (Click to Tweet!)

You’re the boss. Make time for what nourishes you—what matters most.

One Love,

Danielle

Danielle LaPorte is an invited member of Oprah’s SuperSoul 100, a group who, in Oprah Winfrey’s words, “is uniquely connecting the world together with a spiritual energy that matters.” She is author of White Hot Truth: Clarity for keeping it real on your spiritual path—from one seeker to another. The Fire Starter Sessions, and The Desire Map: A Guide To Creating Goals With Soul—the book that has been translated into 8 languages, evolved into a yearly day planner system, a top 10 iTunes app, and an international workshop program with licensed facilitators in 15 countries. Named one of the “Top 100 Websites for Women” by Forbes, millions of visitors go to DanielleLaPorte.com every month for her daily #Truthbombs and what’s been called “the best place online for kickass spirituality.” A speaker, a poet, a painter, and a former business strategist and Washington-DC think tank exec, Entrepreneur Magazine calls Danielle, “equal parts poet and entrepreneurial badass…edgy, contrarian…loving and inspired.” Her charities of choice are Eve Ensler’s VDay: a global movement to end violence against women and girls, and charity: water, setting out to bring safe drinking water to everyone in the world. She lives in Vancouver, BC with her favourite philosopher, her son. You can find her @daniellelaporte and just about everywhere on social media.