So How Do I Stop Obsessing And Get Back On Track?

So How Do I Stop Obsessing And Get Back On Track?

Your first step in overcoming obsession is to realize you have a problem. Without admitting that you have lost your sense of perspective, there is no hope of ever recovering it. Understanding what your obsession is doing to yourself and those around you can serve as the motivation to make changes and begin the road back to using time management in a positive way.

In order to get yourself back on track, take the following actions:

A. Step Back and Attempt To See Yourself Through The Eyes of Others

This can be very hard to do, but it will make a huge difference in how quickly you regain your equilibrium. Look at how you’ve been applying time management basics for the last week, month, or six months, however long you suspect that a problem has been forming. Pretend someone other than yourself was taking those same actions or approaches. Do they make sense? Were they productive or counter- productive over time? Did they lead to a sense of fulfillment or only create more issues to deal with? Some of what you see may come as a shock. That’s okay, because at this point in time a little shock is a good thing.

B. Get a Grip on the Multitasking

While there are certainly times when doing two or more things simultaneously is in the best interests of using your time wisely, that is not always the case. Identify some instances when you had to redo tasks because they were not done as well as they should have been. Were you attempting to juggle too many tasks at the time, resulting in the inferior outcome? If so, now consider how much time you would have saved by prioritizing those tasks rather than multitasking. You are likely to find that handling one task, then moving on to the second one would have actually used only a little more time than the multitasking, and quite a bit less than having to go back and redo one or both tasks.

C. Stop The Guilt

Remind yourself that you do a good job and that you do get things done properly and on time. That means you deserve the chance to shift gears and read a book, have a walk, or go for a swim. Your time is not being wasted when you engage in these kinds of activities, or any others that allow you to blow the cobwebs out of your head and reinvigorate your body and mind.

You are simply preparing yourself to manage your time effectively tomorrow as you take care of necessary tasks at the right time and in the right order. There is no reason to feel guilty about lingering over dinner, watching television or having a nap, as long as your tasks are on schedule or even completed for the day. Just remember that when tomorrow comes, you will be refreshed and ready to take on anything the day should bring.

Just as it is hard to get into the swing of developing productive time management attitudes and practices, it is likely to take some time to divest yourself of any bad habits that have crept in over time. Don’t expect to make a complete recovery in a day or two. But just as when you are first learning how to manage your time well, reward yourself when you are able to move a little closer to a balanced perspective and minimize your obsessive behavior a little more.