Time management is a MYTH! Stop trying to “MANAGE” your time. You can’t manage time — we all have 24 hours a day. Self-Management is the key to productivity. Instead of wishing you had “more time” and start wishing you had more DISCIPLINE.

How can you develop more discipline to manage yourself and your focus better?

Here are 3 Steps to Improving SELF (Not time) Management:

1. Block your time based on your attention span

If you can’t sit still for longer than 30 minutes, DON’T PLAN TO! If you love to block things for 3-4 hours, DO IT. Most people make the mistake of planning and time blocking based off of behaving as the BEST version of themself. The truth, is that if your planning doesn’t match your habits and behaviors, your plan will likely fail.

If you know me, you know that I can only sit still for 15-20 minutes. Guess how I block my tasks? You guessed it! Mainly in 15-20 minute increments.

I may have the attention span of a GOLDFISH, but at least I’m honest enough to admit it, and plan my day accordingly.

PLAN CONGRUENT WITH YOUR HABITS.

Every day I get the opportunity to, I take a 30 minute nap around 2 or 3pm (don’t judge me…I wake up at 5 am every day). Even when I don’t plan to take a nap, I typically do…. There’s no use lying to myself that I’m not going to do it, I WILL; therefore, I plan it into my day.

Don’t plan to wake up at 5am daily if you KNOW that you’ll only do it for a day or two. Find a way to make your schedule fit your habits. It’s way simpler than fixing your habit.

A small KITCHEN timer may become your best productivity friend. Block your time into 20-30 minute increments (even if you think it will take an hour). You’d be surprised how well “bottle-necking” your time will help train you to create lazer focus and knock out tasks quicker than imaged.

2. Stop waiting for “Motivation”

The secret to motivation is SIMPLE:

You don’t need it! — That’s right, you don’t need motivation… Instead,

LEARN TO TAKE ACTION REGARDLESS OF YOUR MOTIVATION.

I’ve found that if you take action regardless of motivation, motivation tends to find YOU.

How many times have you not wanted to go to the gym, but felt GREAT after getting there and starting?

How many times have you put off a project, only to feel amazing when you finally completed it?

DON’T WAIT FOR MOTIVATION. Take action anyways. Pick up the phone, get out of the house, start that project, MOVE… TAKE ACTION! Motivation will find YOU in the process

3. Pre-plan REWARDS

One of the 3 Secrets to Long-Term Change is REWARDS. Rewards are everything when teaching yourself a new behavior, or managing behavior.

How do we train a dog to behave how we’d like? REWARDS.

The easiest way to train yourself to follow your schedule, take action, and become a great SELF-MANAGER is to pre-plan rewards for getting things done. When you know that you have a massage planned at 6:30pm for making all your calls by 5pm, it’s suddenly a lot easier to pick up the phone. Whatever type of reward you need, PLAN it ahead of time, and CELEBRATE each time you follow-through.

4. Know that your DAY and your LIFE are the SAME THING:

You might never have enough “TIME”, but these 4 keys will help you manage your SELF better, so that you use your time more effectively.