This important time management tip saved my life…

May 8, 2019 / in General Information / by Jason Terry

How was that for a click bait title? Seriously though, I do want to share one of the most important time management tips I’ve ever heard.

This story starts with me, Jason Terry, about 4 years ago. I was a “busy martyr” in that my response to, “How are things going?” was always, “I’m super busy.” Mic loved to give me crap for saying, “I’m all over the city today.” Which was actually true, but it’s just part of the job.

I got to a point where I was complaining about how busy every… single… day was. My wife Trista got tired of hearing it. And Mic got tired of hearing it. They both got to the point where they said, “you have control of your calendar… do something about it. And stop complaining!”

And then Mic gave me some of the best advice he has ever given. He suggested that I block a half day every week for “Jason Time“. I could use it for whatever I needed. A walk around Shawnee Mission Park. Catching up on client work. Reading a book. Whatever.

So I did that.

I started blocking a half day every week. And at first, I felt really guilty for taking the time, because I usually had a client, friend or family member asking for a coffee meeting, a happy hour or help with their iPad settings (in that order.) And since I like to help, saying no… to protect Jason Time… was hard at first.

After a few weeks, the magic happened. I realized that the half day was giving me just enough breathing room to break the constant cycle of feeling so busy. I started looking forward to that half day. And I even got to the point that if I had an entire week that was too packed, I might even schedule two half days of Jason Time the next week.

Ultimately, the real magic for me was that the process of taking a half day once a week taught me how to give myself permission. Permission to make myself a priority for a change.

I joke about the click bait title that taking a half day once a week saved my life… but my stress levels were really high for months. I found myself depressed and exhausted. And after adopting this new time management habit, I became more balanced, happy, and even more productive. All because I had that half day to look forward to.

If any of this resonates with you, I encourage you to try something similar. You might not be able to carve out an entire four hour block every week, but you could definitely do a two hour block each week. Go for it!