Flow: Beyond Time Management

[Sara Hand]

Much of what is written about work life balance focuses on the element of time and how it is managed. For some I agree, time management is the place to start. However with many of the clients I work with, through many years of practice they have learned to manage their time. They have learned to incorporate many time saving devices and seem to fill most moments. However they still often feel overwhelmed and ineffective. They can honestly say there are just not enough hours in the day. Something has to change. They know that it’s got to be them, but are unsure of where to start.

There are actually several things that are as finite as the time we each have. That is our attention or ability to focus and our energy levels. To order our lives by only one of these variables would be like doing a suduko puzzle by only working one column and row…setting ourselves up for frustration and probable failure.

Flow is about considering all three components. It is about understanding that different seasons of our lives require different amounts of resources. As well as learning to know myself well enough to know how my energy is recharged. Do I need quiet time or to be around people to recharge? Am I better in the morning, the afternoon or the evening for focused tasks?

When teaching work life balance, it is all about identifying the “flow” for your life. It starts with looking at the things that are most important to you. These keys will help you establish the necessary values to fill in the blocks and solve your puzzle.