For those of us who are counselors or counselor educators, it may feel like we are constantly juggling and, dare I say, multitasking during our days. As wellness experts, we know this is not healthy or productive. Even so, with so many possible distractions and so many things competing for our time and attention, sometimes we find ourselves being pulled (reluctantly) toward these counterproductive habits.
I’ve invested a significant amount of time over the past few months investigating my own use of time. In fact, for the first time in my life, I committed to pursuing a New Year’s resolution for 2019. I want to be more intentional with how I choose to spend the time I have each week. I don’t know about you, but I want to have greater ownership over my calendar rather than allowing my calendar to have ownership over me. I suspect that other counselors might also be struggling to find an ideal balance. So, here it is — a brief summary of some of the tools that are helping me increase my awareness around time.
1) I highly recommend a podcast called Hurry Slowly hosted by Jocelyn K. Glei. Listening regularly has been a great way for me to explore my own productivity habits related to time management, creativity, efficiency and balance. Glei describes the podcast in the following way: “Hurry Slowly explores how we make smarter decisions, feel more comfortable taking risks, and manage our attention more intelligently when we learn to take our time.” Counselor practitioners may particularly enjoy episodes by Jason Fried (“Whose schedule are you on?”), Cal Newport (“Using technology with intention”), Alex Pang (“Prioritizing rest and reflection”) and Fanny Auger (“Conversation isn’t about talking”). One of my personal favorites is Glei’s “Creativity vs. efficiency”.
2) I’ve also been using an online tool called Toggl. I have the app on my phone and downloaded on my MacBook. Toggl allows me (and reminds me) to track my time when I am working. For example, I had no idea how much time I was spending responding to email. Seeing the patterns allows me to make more intentional decisions about how to prioritize and block my time so that the time I am spending on tasks aligns with my work mission.
3) Laura Vanderkam is one of the leading experts on time tracking. She is the author of several books, including 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think and Off the Clock: Feel Less Busy While Getting More Done. She also has a Free Time Makeover Guide (a pdf is available on her website), which is an eight-step framework to help you reconsider how you spend your time.
****
In addition to these resources, or perhaps as a result of using them, I have also set some new norms for how I want to conduct the business of living my life. This has required quite a bit of self-reflection on my part, and technology has certainly impacted these results. Here is a list of a few of my new norms:
1) Plan for the next week on Fridays using (wait for it …) ANALOG tools. Typically, I was trying to make weekly plans on Sundays. There were several reasons this was not working for me, but two stand out. First, planning on Sunday meant that my work week was creeping into my weekend time. Second, it is much easier for me to plan for the following week when I’m still in work mode rather than weekend mode. I’ve been using a Clever Fox Planner to reach this goal. I still use Google Calendar for appointments, but my planner helps me prioritize and budget my time, while helping me stick to my focus for the week.
2) Once my schedule is set for the week, I try very hard not to make changes. I realized I was adapting too much to other people’s requests for meetings, phone calls, appointments, etc. I was rescheduling based on other people’s requests A LOT. Now that my schedule is set, I can better prioritize my time and feel an increased sense of control over my calendar, which allows me to spend my time in ways that align with my goals.
3) I’m still working on an earlier bedtime and wake-up time. This actually may be a lifelong growth edge for me. However, I have implemented a Screen Time curfew of 9 p.m. My iPhone settings have helped me stay committed to this practice.
I’d love to hear some of the strategies counselors are using to manage their own time, or feedback on any of the tools that you are trying to practice in your own life.
****
Adria S. Dunbar is an assistant professor in the Department of Educational Leadership, Policy and Human Development at North Carolina State University in Raleigh. She has more than 15 years of experience with both efficient and inefficient technology in school settings, private practice and counselor education. Contact her at adria.dunbar@ncsu.edu.
@TechCounselor’s Instagram is @techcounselor.
****
Opinions expressed and statements made in articles appearing on CT Online should not be assumed to represent the opinions of the editors or policies of the American Counseling Association.