We feel even worse when we start a new routine that helps us manage our time better for a while, until we start slipping back into old habits.

It’s frustrating when life feels like an endless juggle — there simply aren’t enough hours in the day!

The truth is, there’s a good reason these ‘tricks’, ‘hacks’ and ‘quick fixes’ for time management aren’t working. They usually focus on the symptoms of poor time management but they don’t address the cause.

The endless ‘to do’ list

Many of us feel like we’re constantly lost in a sea of ‘to do’ lists that never get done.

We may reach the end of each day wondering where the time has gone and why we haven’t achieved half the tasks we set out to do. Or feel as though all our friends seem to be so much better than us when it comes to staying on top of their time.

First of all, let’s give ourselves a break — we’re doing our best!

Achieving better time management isn’t the easy fix we’re often led to believe it is. And, being hard on ourselves won’t solve the problem, but it will make us feel worse.

All in the mind

• What’s the reason we’re struggling to manage our time?
• Why do we always procrastinate or prioritise easy and unimportant tasks?
• How can we achieve long-term change and feel confident in juggling our tasks with ease?

The reason that so many of us find it difficult to manage our time might surprise you.

Often we struggle due to core challenges that affect how we spend our time.

Many of us spend a lot of time on other people, on things we feel duty bound to do. We may prioritise quick and easy tasks but feel overwhelmed with the big meaty things we need to do.

A lot of us struggle to communicate our wants and needs, or find our indecisiveness means we waste a lot of time.

The result is that the big, noticeable stuff that really matters to us doesn’t get done — and this affects our self-belief and self-worth.

What we really need is a set of tools that will help us manage the bigger challenges (self-belief, decision-making, communication and stress management), instead of tackling time management in isolation.

What’s the long-term solution for better time management?

Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) is an increasingly popular remedy for helping people manage their time better.

It can help you better understand your relationship with time and how this affects the way you manage it.

NLP can also teach you techniques that will help you gain greater focus, prevent procrastination and get that thing done you’ve been putting off for too long!

It’s certainly not a ‘quick fix’. You’ll need to put in the work to learn techniques that will vastly improve your time management, and help support other areas of your life too. You’ll also need to seek out NLP courses that offer additional support and coaching to help you stay on track.

How to access NLP courses

Time management is just one of the areas that NLP can support. It’s also a fantastic tool for improving self-belief, communication, stress management and decision-making.

There are many NLP courses available — many can be completed online and only require you to commit to an hour or two per week. So if you struggle with your time, this is a manageable commitment that will pay off in a big way.

NLP at Work is running an online NLP course from 12th September 2023. It’s a weekly 90 minute session (morning and evening classes are available) with additional coaching and 1–2–1 support as part of the package.

They’re currently running an EARLY BIRD discounted package until the end of June — £597+VAT for the entire 12 week course!