#72. Avoid These 3 Time Management Mistakes
Episode Shownotes:
In today's episode, I share three common time management mistakes that busy SLPs, OTs, PTs, and other professionals often make. Listen here or join the discussion in the SLP Support Group to connect with other therapists who are committed to improving their work-life balance. Tune in to gain fresh perspectives and practical advice on integrating work and personal life planning, clarifying priorities, and addressing mindset for better time management.
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Episode Transcript*:
Welcome to Work-Life Balance for Speech Pathologists. I’m Theresa Harp, an SLP and productivity coach, and this podcast is all about how to build a successful career as an SLP and still have time for yourself and the people and things you love. So if you’re ready to ditch stress and burnout for a more balanced and fulfilling life, then you are in the right place. Let’s dive in.
TRANSCRIPT
[00:00:00] Hello, SLP Support Group. How is everyone doing? Happy Halloween. It is Halloween. It's the last day of September. No, it's not. It's the last day of October. I see September's calendar in the background and it distracted me. And here comes Tug to say hello, as I knew he would. He loves to come in when he hears me talking.
Alright, so I just got back from the first of two Halloween parades today. I had my little guy's Halloween parade this morning. He's dressed as Maverick from Top Gun, and I've got a Halloween party that I'll be helping out with this afternoon, and then my older girls have their Halloween parade, and then trick or treating, and you know, just lots of stuff going on.
Fun stuff, fun stuff. That's kind of what my day is looking like. [00:01:00] If you are watching live, say hello. If you are watching the replay, comment #replay. And today's topic is a pretty juicy one. It is a little bit of tough love and also some, I think, uh, fresh perspectives on, about time management and I'm going to be breaking down the three mistakes, three of the mistakes that you are making when it comes to time management as a busy SLP, OT, PT, Etc.
Okay. I want you as you're watching, as you're listening, if you are watching here in the SLP Support Group, because sometimes I also share these on the podcast. If you're watching here in the SLP Support Group, comment as you are listening and watching, which, if any of these mistakes are you making? Share below in the comments.
And if [00:02:00] you're listening to this on the podcast, Work Life Balance for Speech Pathologists. Hi. And come join us. If you're not in the SLP Support Group, click the button, the link in the show notes. It's a free group, for SLPs, PTs, OTs who are working on improving their work life balance.
We would love to have you in there. All right. So without further ado, let's get into it. I'm going to see if the dog's going to leave me alone. If I ignore him for a minute, I think he will. There he goes. All right. So three mistakes. The first mistake that I see, and I have, by the way, been guilty, guilty. I have made all of these mistakes and sometimes still have to work through them.
The first mistake I see so often, and I don't only see it amongst. colleagues and, and professionals. But I also see this mistake being [00:03:00] made by productivity experts, um, coaches who are teaching things like, uh, business coaches or planning. I see this mistake often, and it drives me crazy. And the mistake is that we are not considering work and life at the same time.
when we are planning out our day, planning out our week, managing our time. So typically what I have seen in the coaching industry, in the business development, small business world is coaches will teach how to plan for your business. So for those of you who are watching or listening and have a private practice, you may have encountered this where You come up with a business plan, and you've got maybe business goals that you're working towards, and you have sort of tunnel vision on what you're working on within your business.
[00:04:00] The problem with that is that nobody only works in their business. 24 seven. We have this whole other, many other roles in our lives. And if we operate under the mentality that we're just talking about business right now, or just talking about our work as SLPs right now, and I'm not thinking about all the things I have to do and plan for, for myself personally, for my kids or my family, my household.
If we fail to consider those pieces, Then we're going to fall short. And let me give you an example of my experience with this, how this has shown up for me. One way. Okay. Took me a very long time to figure this out. And so I'm hoping that by sharing this with you, you'll figure it out sooner and you'll be that much further along.
So my husband, many of you might know, my husband is [00:05:00] active duty military and he's also been in active reserves. He, every month, for as long as we've been married, had, and before that, has gone away for a weekend, a month, one weekend a month. And that's his obligation, or that used to be his obligation as, um, in the army, in the army as an officer.
So one week and a month he would be gone and I would be on my own with the kids. Sometimes it was when I had just my twins, um, Sometimes it was when I had all four, I had all four kids, like, for example, two weekends ago, this is what happened. And when I would be looking at the calendar, like planning, what am I working on?
What am I, go, go away, go, sorry. What am I working on this week in my coaching business? What am I working on with my teaching? I would fail to [00:06:00] recognize That that weekend leading up to the week, I will be on my own with all four kids. And when I'm on my own with all four kids, it means Grocery shopping isn't getting done.
The laundry probably isn't getting done or not as, as efficiently as it would be. The house is probably a little bit more in disarray. I am on, I'm in mom mode all day. I don't, I'm not able to step away and, you know, answer some emails if I want to, or do some grading. I am really focused my energy and my time on my kids.
Which is all good and great, but if I don't plan for that, if I don't think about that in advance, what happened, what used to happen was I would start the week on Monday completely behind in my mind and like where I like to be, what behind means for me, I would start the week [00:07:00] behind. And not only would I start the week behind, but I would also start the week pretty tired, more tired than normal because I was doing more than normal.
And the impact that that would then have on my business, on my coaching, on my teaching would, it was evident. I would, I would feel it a lot on day one on Monday. And then as the day continued, I would, and as the week continued, I was still sort of trying to play catch up, still trying to catch up, catch up, catch up.
And so some of the things that I had originally maybe planned to do that week for work, we're not getting done because the house. things, the house responsibilities, didn't get done over the weekend. So now I'm trying to do double the work in less the amount of time and with less energy, with less available resources.
So, I finally realized that this was happening and once I did, I can plan accordingly. So what would I do [00:08:00] differently? I would plan ahead before the army weekend. See, what can I get done beforehand that will help me stay on top of the things that we need to stay up on top of in order to be, you know, running the household with six people in it.
What, uh, what help can I ask for? What, you know, what resources can I utilize? This weekend to support me and what am I gonna plan for for my work week? Knowing that I'm not gonna have as much energy as I typically would so my scheduling my planning for my work would vary depending upon my life, and that's what I want you to think about is how is your personal life whatever your responsibilities are whatever your To however you spend your time outside of work, what does that look like, and how does that impact your work life?
How does that impact your, [00:09:00] your planning and your responsibilities and your goals and whatever that means for you in your work as an SLP or a PT or OT, okay? And if this is something that you haven't considered before, or if this is something that's hard for you, or you really want to improve and work on this area of being able to sort of plan and manage your time with both work and personal life in mind.
I have a resource for you that I think will be really really helpful. It is a a very basic system that I created for myself when I was struggling with this. Many of you who have been here for a while may have heard me talk about the time buckets. I So I will link to that in the show notes of the podcast and I'll link to it here in the comments on Facebook in the SLP support group so that you can download that resource.
You can read through. I talk you through exactly how to do it. And I also, uh, will [00:10:00] link in that resource. It is linked to a podcast episode that talks about the. time buckets system. And if you're listening to the podcast, that is episode 18. So if you want to go back to the Work Life Balance for Speech Pathologists podcast and check out episode 18, that will tell you all about this system to help you manage your time in work and home life together.
Okay. So that's mistake number one. The second mistake is that you are not clear on your priorities. Now, priorities tend to be one of those things that we coach on, that I coach on with coaching clients a lot. A lot of us, especially, I'm generalizing here, but women, moms, people in the service industry, like all of us, right?
We are service providers, helpers. tend to feel like everything is a priority, or we have this [00:11:00] urge, many of us to prioritize everything because everything feels important. But the problem is when everything is a priority, then nothing is a priority. And there are many, many other reasons why we do this.
Lack of boundaries, people pleasing, all sorts of things that we can talk about. We've talked about before on the podcast, we can talk about that. over and over in many different ways. But for today, if we're talking about mistakes that you're making, think about how being unclear on your priorities impacts the way you spend your time.
How many of you who are listening or watching play what I call whack a mole, where you're not at work. This happens at home too, but you're at work and you are maybe trying, you have this idea of what you want to work on for the day. And then what happens? Well, somebody calls you on the phone and they need help with something, or you get a new email come in and you hear the ding on your [00:12:00] desktop.
And it's somebody who needs a report yesterday, or maybe someone comes into your office and interrupts you because they want to tell you a story about a car. client or a student on your caseload that you share, and now you're talking to them. And you're just sort of reacting, and you're playing whack a mole, right?
You're sort of popping up, this mole pops up, boop, take care of that. Okay, then you sit down and try to focus, then, oh, another one comes up, boop, and you're trying to handle that, and you're reacting. And in those moments, you are not honoring your priorities. So even if, even if you are sitting here thinking, no, Trisha, I know exactly what my priorities are.
Then I would ask you this, how often do you prioritize those priorities? How often do you honor them? How often do you stick with them? Now I'm not saying that we have to do this all the time and that priorities will never change and if these are your top three priorities then you shouldn't do anything else.
That's not at all what [00:13:00] I'm saying, but I'm offering that we as women, as SLPs, as business owners, we need to know what things are most important. And one of the resources that I use with my coaching clients, and I'm going to link to this one as well in the comments and in the show notes on the podcast is the values and needs exercise.
This is a simple, simple. Um, exercise that you can do that's going to help you get very clear on what your core values are and what your core needs are. And in my opinion, these two things are so important. They are almost like the, The guiding star, the north star in what you spend your time on, in how you spend your time.
Values and needs will link directly to priorities. So if you can get clear on your values and [00:14:00] needs, you can use that information to help you establish your priorities and also help you identify things that maybe you're spending your time on that are not priorities, and that you have the power to.
Eliminate, or delegate, or shift, downgrade, so to speak, the amount of time that you're spending on them. Okay? Think about that. And then I also want you to think about how do you, if you're not clear on your values and needs, if you're not, um, if you're, if you haven't done this work, this side sort of work before, how do you determine what your priorities are?
I think a lot of us understand the concept of priorities, but we struggle to get very clear on what they are. Some of us. And I want you to answer that question for yourself. How do I determine the priorities? How do I determine my priorities for the day? How do I determine my priorities for this part of my day or this part of my day?
Think about what, whatever makes sense for you and your brain. [00:15:00] I think two of the biggest ways that I have seen clients when they first, when we first start working together, how ways that they have, um, established their priorities are by deadline. and by consequence. So what is the consequence of not completing this task or doing it late?
So they think about those two things. When is it due and what's going to happen if it doesn't get done? And they use that information to determine their priorities. There is nothing wrong with considering both of those factors when considering your priorities. However, if those are the only two things that you are considering, then you are missing the mark tremendously.
You are not then prioritizing yourself. You're not prioritizing all the parts of you that need the help. attention and time and support, you [00:16:00] are overlooking the non important or unimportant, non urgent things like if you're growing a private practice, like networking, marketing, um, maybe in your work, if you're not in a private practice, but you work in different settings as an SLP, maybe it's something like continuing education, which you're then scrambling at the last minute to get it done, right?
It's going to look different for every person. But if the only way that you determine your priorities right now is by deadline and what's going to happen if it doesn't get done, you're going to constantly be playing whack a mole constantly. So click on the link, download the values and needs resource and get very clear on what matters most to you.
And book a call. Book a call with me. Book a consult. We'll talk, talk it through. I can help you establish what your priorities are. Even if you don't ever coach one on one with me, you will walk away, you'll know exactly what is most important, and you'll have a much deeper, clearer [00:17:00] understanding of why you are struggling with managing your time, and why you're struggling with establishing and maintaining your version of work life balance.
All right, so that's number two. You're not clear on your priorities. I've got one final mistake that you are making, and this is, this is the hill that I will die on, right? This is the thing that I just keep saying, and I'm going to keep saying it in lots of times in many different ways. You're, and if you aren't sick of hearing me say it yet, then maybe you will be soon, but I just want to make sure that everyone is hearing this.
The third mistake that you are making when it comes to time management is that you are ignoring mindset. You are ignoring or overlooking mindset. Now, if you hate that word, mindset, or if you're sick of hearing that word, if you feel like it's, it's, it's, overused and, and, uh, you know, you're just sort of like, [00:18:00] no, Teresa.
Or if you're sort of thinking like, okay, where are we going? Are we going to be a little woo woo here? Maybe we are going to be a little woo, but here's what I mean. Mindset, what I'm talking about right now, I'm talking about your thoughts. I'm talking about the inner monologue that you have in your brain.
Those thoughts that pop in from time to time or constantly. Rapidly, we have so many of them, thousands, tens of thousands a day, so many thoughts. And if we are ignoring what those thoughts are, I could give you all the time management strategies in the world, but you will not learn how to effectively manage your time.
You won't. And if you do for a little while, it won't last. And here's why. The thoughts that go through your mind play a [00:19:00] massive role in the decisions, the actions that you take. So, for example, if we're talking about the time management strategy of boundaries, of setting boundaries, okay, and I give you that strategy, And we have a great coaching session and you're ready to go out for the week and you're like, okay boundaries.
I'm working on boundaries. I'm just, I'm no longer going to answer my phone or work email after 4 p. m. That's my boundary. I've got this. Well, when you are on your own and the phone rings at 410 and you see the name pop up on the screen and realize it's your supervisor who needs something and now you're panicked.
Oh my gosh, why are they calling me? Did I forget something? What did I do? Or maybe it's a potential client. Maybe it's an unknown number and you're trying to [00:20:00] build your private practice and it's an unknown number and you're like, this could be a client. I've got to answer. What's going to happen? I don't want to let it go to voicemail.
Or maybe it is a family that you work with and you love this family. They're so committed. They're there. They bring their, they do the homework. They bring their child. They're on time. They don't cancel. And you love working with them. They do everything you ask. And they're calling, okay, I just, I'm just going to answer just this one call because the thoughts that go through your brain are the things that I just mentioned.
Oh my gosh, what did I forget? Oh my gosh, what if it's a client? Oh my gosh, what if then they go somewhere else? Oh, but it's this family, I really need to answer. Oh, they probably need me. I need to answer. Right? So whatever those thoughts are, those thoughts then determine what action you take. And if you're not aware of what those thoughts are.
I've given you the strategy, right? You know the strategy. It's boundary. But you're not doing it. You're not sticking [00:21:00] with it. You're not following it. Now let me be really, really clear. I am not saying that we are robots and we need to establish boundaries and never break them. That is not at all what I am saying.
I'm just demonstrating how the thoughts impact your ability to use a strategy. So we try to, at least for me, I used to try to use a strategy. Push the thoughts out of my brain, like just ignore that, just like pay no attention to the man behind the curtain sort of thing, and I would try to ignore it.
Because if I ignored them, then they would go away and I could, you know, I, if I didn't ignore them, if I tried to pay attention to those thoughts, who knows what, what would happen? I might get distracted or I might get, um, upset. I might feel something I don't want to feel. Now I'm thinking about something else that's upsetting and so on and so forth.
Right? So I would think that I could just block it out, but we can't just block it out. You [00:22:00] cannot. Just block it out. Not long term. And if you are ignoring those thoughts, you are then unaware of what your perspectives are about your time. You are unaware of how you can Shift your mindset. Or maybe what happens is if you ignore your thoughts, what happens is maybe you use the strategy, but you feel really shitty about it.
Pardon my French. Maybe you don't answer the phone after 410 and now you feel horrible. I'm a terrible SLP. They're going to think I don't care. They're going to think I'm just in it for the money. I don't know. Whatever, whatever that is for you. They're going to think I'm not committed. Right? And so maybe you held the boundary but you feel really crappy.
Well, what good is a strategy if it leaves you feeling crappy? If you don't want to feel [00:23:00] crappy, we have to look at the thoughts. We have to address the thoughts. And when you look at them, examine them, address them, that's how you can change them. And once you change them, not only are you consistently, more consistently using strategies, but you're feeling better about it.
You feel better. And in those times when you don't feel better, you know, okay, it's all right. I've got this. This will pass. I've been through this before. I know how to deal with this. I know how to manage it. I'm in charge of my brain. I'm in charge of what I'm thinking. So on and so forth. Okay. So to sort of recap the three mistakes one last time, number one, is keeping your work and home life separate when you're managing your time and planning.
Number two is not being clear or honoring your [00:24:00] priorities. And then number three is overlooking or ignoring your thoughts, your mindset. Okay. Tell me in the comments, which of these, if any, resonate with you. And if you are listening to this on the podcast, come on over into the SLP support group. This video, this Facebook live is here in the group.
You can see comments and share your feedback as well. And if any of this is stuff that you are struggling with and you want help, book a consult, book a free consult. Like I said, I'm happy to meet with you one on one, talk you through what's going on. And it's an opportunity for you to learn more about time management.
on a deeper level, on a way that's actually going to change the way you manage your time. And you can see if it's a good fit. If it's a good fit and you want to work together, great. If not, no big deal. You'll walk away knowing more than you knew when you [00:25:00] came in. All right, that's it for today. I will see y'all soon.
*Please note that this transcript was generated by AI and may contain errors.