Most of you are likely familiar with the fairy tale “Goldilocks and the Three Bears.” In the story, Goldilocks knocks on the door of a house and, when no one answers, she lets herself in. There she finds three bowls of porridge on the table and samples each one. (Let us not be distracted by the illegal entry, the question of why porridge was on the table, or the unsanitary conditions of sampling said porridge. Rather, let’s return to the story.) Goldilocks finds the porridge in the first bowl too hot. In the second bowl it is too cold. But the temperature of the porridge in the third bowl is just right. Our young friend repeats her sampling with chairs and beds, where size and comfort are issues, as she searches for the specimen that she considers to be “just right.” It isn’t easy, but she perseveres.

Many of us struggle to find the perfect balance, that which is “just right”, in our time management. What worked in the beginning of this year likely doesn’t work today. Have you been trying different options to see what feels right? Do you feel that you have too little time, too much time, or just enough time? I also wonder if your work situation changed. The answers from those I have spoken with and their impact on time management have been quite interesting.

First up are those who used to go somewhere for work but now work from home. Shouldn’t they have more time available than before because they no longer have to commute? Most say not. Many are starting their day earlier, often forget or neglect to pause for lunch, and then work far beyond the time they used to because there’s no mass exodus reminding them that it’s time to go home. It’s also more difficult to turn off and disconnect from the job. The comments I’ve been hearing is that they have less time — too little time.

Next are the people — lucky or unlucky depending on their and your point of view — who continue to report to their workplace. Office workers talk about how the atmosphere has changed in dramatic ways. There is likely only a small percentage of staff on site, masks are worn, and they practice social distancing. There are many new procedures, and there may be some accompanying anxiety. But they also report that their hours are basically consistent with what they used to be. For them, time requirements remain similar to what they had been before. If their time was fairly well managed before, then it continues to be so now.

Then there are those whose employment has been reduced by varying degrees. The daily structure that had been in place has dissolved. There are many challenges to this, and I speak here from experience. Initially this time was very productive. Friends who had even a temporary reprieve from work have said the same thing. It was great to finally have the time to accomplish many of the tasks we had been avoiding for one reason or another. But as time progressed, that attitude changed. The momentum flailed. The thought “I ought to do [insert task here]” was followed up with “or I can do it tomorrow, or the next day.” The pressure was off. I wondered if this too was true for people in the other work categories listed above and found that it was. Procrastination seemed to be universal. Motivation hard to come by. More effort required to begin what needed to be done.

Time management is something that every busy multi-tasker is familiar with. It’s difficult to successfully juggle family, work and other responsibilities. The struggle to fit everything into the daily schedule is real. But what these past months have taught me is that time management is equally onerous and just as crucial when you have too much time available. How do you avoid becoming overly idle? What has proven beneficial to me is restoring some structure to my life. My calendar now includes monthly blocks of time for workshop preparation and weekly blocks to create newsletters. There is time most days for work-related tasks, exercise (because I desperately need that nudge!) and self-care (which for me are things such as deep breathing, self healing, and meditation). Every day ends with a period of reflection that focuses on what I accomplished, how I found joy, and where I might have done better. Not everything is planned with precision. Flexibility remains, and there is still downtime to relax and enjoy life. But implementing a return of structure has proven to be the incentive and motivation that I required. It keeps me focused on the day and the week ahead. It has helped restore much needed balance to my life.

What works for me may not work for you. If you have a method or a story that you would like to share please send me an email. It would be nice to provide tips in a follow-up newsletter.

If you don’t yet have the proper balance in your life, take advice from Goldilocks and persevere until you find your “just right.”