I once worked with a man who we’ll call Joe.
Before we met, during our pre-session phone calls, I could feel Joe’s anxiety about our work. In short: “What exactly are we going to do? I’ve tried getting organized digitally before, and here I still am. Is it even possible for me to feel in control of my time?”
Even I started getting a little nervous. If Joe had tried tons of methods before, would my system work? Was it possible for Joe?
At the start of our session, I was still a little nervous but just decided to focus on taking one step of my methodology at a time.
30 minutes later, I relaxed. I could see the lightbulbs going off in his head. Joe said, “man, this stuff seems so basic, but I just didn’t know to do it.” Because of this simplicity, Joe said he truly thought he could keep the system up to help him make time for what was important to him.
Personally, this experience felt awesome, gave me a confidence boost, and reminded me that simple, straight-forward solutions often beat out complicated ones.
But that’s not why I’m sharing this with you.
I share this because I think a lot of us feel the way pre-session Joe did.
“Is this living-in-chaos feeling just what being an adult means? Does it just get harder and more exhausting as I get more senior at work, have kids, help aging parents, buy a house, etc.? Would it even work if I slowed down for a beat to invest time and money into getting my time to a spot where I’m happier?”
And I want you to know that that living-in-chaos/confusion/last-minute-scrambles place is not how your life needs to feel.
It is possible to live a life where you have time for yourself, you feel in control of your time, and you’re generally-speaking happy with where you spend your time.
Yes, there’s a lot to get done and some weeks won’t run smoothly. But on the whole, you can feel in control of your time and enjoy how you use it. I know it’s possible — both for me, Joe, other clients, and you.
So, if you feel like you’re always scrambling and don’t have time for yourself, please do something to take control of your time — whether you work with me or someone else or read a time management book.
And if you’ve tried systems in the past that didn’t work for you, don’t give up — and I recommend trying a simpler system. Steer away from shiny new apps that promise to magically make you productive. Basic systems work and are much easier to stick with and maintain. Just keep trying — the benefits are worth it.
Without making a change, there will be no change — but with a change, you could feel a whole lot lighter, fun and less stressed out.
You’ll be thrilled you kept at it and reap the benefits for years to come.
That’s all. Just know it’s possible.
