by Robert Bruton

Created on: October 01, 2009   Last Updated: October 04, 2009

Busy people often use the excuse "I don't have time". What you are really saying is I don't know how to manage my time. Not many people really do. If your perception of time is you have none, you're right.

So I pose a question to ask yourself. During the course of your day did you take a bathroom break? Everyone will answer yes. Can we agree that this is not a scheduled event? Can we also agree you take several bathroom breaks in a day? The point is not to stop going to the rest room to find more time. You can find snippets of time when you look.

Here is a litmus test to try and find more time in your day. Take a daily planner and for one week write down hour-to-hour what you did. Example: 8 to 9 made coffee, talked with co-workers, set up for day and answered two phone calls. Give yourself an honest evaluation. Be honest! If you goof off put it. Take this information and evaluate how much time was spent doing arbitrary or mundane things. If you look honestly and hard enough you will find mountains of time. It's simply a matter of organization. If you don't use a day planner, start!

You don't have to live a robot lifestyle to be organized. But planning out activities and work will help you find time for more important endeavors, kids and family. You may even find time for yourself. That is not a bad thing either.

Too many people get caught in the spiral of "I don't have time". Fast paced lives, demanding jobs and a deluge of life on top of life. Sends anyone's head spinning out of control, when all you need to do is slow down long enough to organize. Nine times out of ten a simple shift in your organizational skills will free up time. Use the example above and give yourself an open and honest week. You will find time.

If you continue to have difficulties seek out someone who has excellent organizational skills. Don't simply give up if you can't find balance. Often times we can't see the forest for the tree's because our lives seem so busy. When it's somewhat organized chaos and not really organized at all. Get up, get kids fed and ready for school, drop kids off, work, pick up kids from day care, home and cook dinner, clean dinner dishes, check homework, get kids bathed, bedtime and now me. God bless single parents.

It would appear that in this drawn out-day, you could find zero time for anything. You will have to look between the lines as it were. How do you organize this day? Simple planning of meals, teaching kids to do more things on their own, it will take work but it can be done. Don't give up is the point. This would appear to have no end in sight, work, kids, and home and on and on. Think it out. A solution can be had for the most difficult of situations.

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