Create More Time in Your Day in 10 Easy Steps Part 1
Choral conducting is a very time intensive vocation. Sometimes it feels as if there aren’t enough hours in the day to accomplish everything we need to! Paperwork, emails, and other administrative tasks yearn for our attention.
How we use our time impacts our professional and emotional lives. Unfortunately we can’t add more hours to the day, but we can use our timely more wisely. Thankfully time management is a skill that we can work on and continually improve. As a result, we can feel less stressed and become more confident. Follow these quick tips to create more breathing room in your day.
When you go to sleep, keep your mobile phone, tablet, and laptop away from your bed. If your cell phone doubles as your alarm, put the phone across the room so you have to physically get up and turn it off. Not only will you get more sleep, but you’ll also be less likely to hit the snooze.
Only check email a few times a day. By only checking email a few times a day, you have more control over your priorities and are less subject to others’ agendas. While prompt responses are often appreciated, limiting our access to email can give us more time to spend on the things that value the most.
Put your phone on airplane mode when working on an important project. Even if your phone is on silent, it’s very easy to get distracted by text messages or other notifications. However, even on airplane mode, you can still look at your calendar or to do lists. It’s the best of both worlds! You’ll be able to finish that one project much more quickly.
Write it down. When we allow everything to bounce around in our heads, we can become overwhelmed or forget crucial information for rehearsals or concerts. That drains productivity and can lead to valuable time lost. However, when you write tasks down, you are far less likely to forget important tasks. It frees our heads for more creative projects.
Find a way to be inspired everyday. It is so easy to get weighed down by administrative duties, others’ expectations of us, expectations of ourselves, and a whole list of other things. Sometimes a spark of inspiration can spur us on to productivity and help a tough day become just a little bit brighter. Try listening to a recording of your favorite choir, listening to a podcast, or reading a chapter in a book about someone inspiring.
Stay tuned for Part 2! Did any of these tips resonate with you? How do you find inspiration amidst challenging circumstances? Comment below!
