Top Time Mindset Tips to THRIVE!

What is a “time mindset”?

A time mindset is basically what you think about how much time you have, how you use it, whether you believe you’re always early or late about things.

Your mindset is what goes on internally that keeps you doing things the way you do.

As a mindset coach, I have found that a small shift in how you see things can have a MASSIVE difference in your life.

For example, if you find yourself always missing deadlines, rushing to get to appointments, late to meetings, etc… this can be switched by choosing to believe that you already have more than enough time to get everything done and be early for appointments.

This article will cover the top 3 challenges to your time mindset and provide some practical tools to use to shift gears into a mindset where you have an abundance of time for everything that matters to you!

Because I totally believe we can do everything we want and need to do with minimal suffering and struggle… it just takes a bit of a mindset shift to make the change!

As a high-achiever, you may relate to this struggle of doing, working, learning, growing and achieving... but sometimes at the expense of yourself, your relationships, your health, your wealth and your overall fulfillment with life.

 So let’s jump into it, shall we?!

So how is your relationship with time working out?

• Do you rush all the time?
• Are you always late?
• Do you have back-to- back meetings all day?
• Do you feel like the world is always spinning??
• Do you feel like everyone else has a say over your time, except you?

OR

• Do you feel present in all that you do?
• Do you have time and energy for everything that matters to you??
• Do you have space in your life to breathe?
• To dream?
• To create?
• To THRIVE???

Someone asked me yesterday what my relationship was with time...

My answer: My relationship with time is strong and powerful!

I know that how we choose to spend our time creates our life so I manage it carefully, including time for work, time for rest, time for relationships, time for self-care, chores and all the other things so I THRIVE!

This reminded me that I haven't always felt this way....

 It’s taken years of deliberate shifting gears from overworking and obligation mixed with perfectionist tendencies to now being fully present, connected, authentic and grounded (most of the time).

The key for me was learning to slow down, to be comfortable sitting silence for meditation or rest and mindfully enjoying every moment.

So now when I do feel “off” and like there isn’t enough time, I can return to these top tips to transform my time mindset and they work every time!

But first, I’d like to describe some common time challenges that can keep you stuck feeling like you have a lack of time, too much to do and not enough energy to do everything you need to and want to do!

Challenge #1: Massive To-Do Lists

So a major challenge for leaders, especially those of you who are high-achievers with big visions to make a massive difference in your work & life… is a massive to-do list!

Whether this is due to a high-profile leadership role, a high-tempo job with tons of personnel plus your own work to manage, or running your own business…

You likely have lots on your list of must-do’s and want-to-do’s.

And this can create a limited time mindset where you end up feeling overwhelmed, scattered and always short on time.

But don't worry, I've got you covered with the tips on how to turn this around below :) 

Challenge #2 - I don’t have enough time to do everything on my to-do list, how will giving me more things to do help?

Honestly, the shift to make here is more of a mental shift than one of more things to do.

By changing up how you’re thinking by getting clear on your priorities and working with affirmations, you will end up finding your life shifting.

Changing your Time Mindset is an internal shift, not an action-oriented one.

Challenge #3: Stuck in survive mode all the time…

So many people I know, socially and through my coaching biz, are almost always living from what I call Survive Mode.

This is where you are barely hanging on, feeling burnt out (yellow zone in the Thrive Matrix image below) and rushing or late all the time but don’t know any other way to approach things.

Over the years, I have developed my own way of dealing with these challenges of massive to-do lists, not enough time to do everything and being stuck in survive mode.

 Some of these tips about shifting your Time Mindset will help you boost your THRIVE levels too... can't wait to share them! 

So.... how do you change your time mindset?

If you’re ready to shift out of a limited Time Mindset to one where you have more than enough time to do everything you want, to show up on time (or even early!) to appointments, feel on top of deadlines and like you’re in THRIVE Mode instead of Survive Mode…

Here are my 4 top Time Mindset tips to try out today!

Time Mindset Tip #1: Affirmations

Affirmations are statements about something that you want to “install” into your brain and subconscious mind.

A few I’ve used over the years whenever I feel my Time Mindset could use a boost, that I think you might enjoy are:

• I have more than enough time to do everything on my to-do list.
• I love showing up early for my appointments.
• I am inspired, fully present and excited about life!

You can make up your own just by putting a statement together that describes how you want to feel or act. Then repeat it to yourself daily, write it down in your journal or put it on your desk on a post-it note to help you remember.

The more often you repeat the affirmation to yourself, the more of a shift you’ll see.

You may not believe it at all at first, but over time your subconscious will shift and you’ll begin to believe it is possible. Then your brain will take the information and start to integrate it into your behaviours.

If you haven’t tried this before, it can be super amazing how things can shift. Whenever I’ve worked with affirmations, I don’t notice any immediate changes but end up seeing differences in my life after a few weeks or months as the installed new belief starts to manifest in my life. Give it a try!

Time Mindset Tip #2: Meditation & unwind time

Ok, this tip is one that probably makes the BIGGEST change but is sometimes the hardest to actually do!

I know that personally, when I’m trying to do a lot, feeling pressure and overwhelm, the last thing I tend to want to do is to take time out to meditate or unwind.

This can be a trap though, so beware of that kind of thinking!

Instead, try being pro-active and setting up time to meditate and unwind each day. If you stay in adrenaline mode, constantly driving, doing, and go-go-going… you can get trapped.

If you are feeling like you’re uninspired, things are hard and no matter how much or how hard you are working, then this can be the thing that will shift gears for you.

Even though it can sometimes feel like the LAST thing you have time for, actually taking the time out to meditate, go for a walk and unplug can often be the change that you need to become re-inspired, excited, recharged and ready to jump back in.

The science behind this is that when you shift gears and get into a different brainwave state, you are able to recharge. Without it, you end up running on empty.

There is a quote that sums this up perfectly…

Meditate every day for 20 minutes, unless you don’t have enough time… then you should meditate for 60 minutes!

Time Mindset Tip #3: Inside-out scheduling approach

To build on the concept of taking the time to unwind, recharge and reset your brain, I have developed a new approach to scheduling that I call Inside-Out Scheduling.

The idea here is to prioritize the things that will fill up your energy tanks. While this is not directly related to time, it does impact how much energy you have. And so when you show up with more energy, fully present and inspired, you become a ROCKSTAR at being productive, creative and impactful!

So this is the rocket fuel to help you get more done within each bucket of time that you have.

By making sure you are full of energy, prioritizing the things that matter to you most and then letting all the must-do’s and to-do’s fill in the rest of the space available.

This all revolves around taking care of you first!

And has the outcome of more time because you feel better and are more productive than ever!

*****Check it out by downloading the free guide here!

Time Mindset Tip #4: Daily big rocks - 3 only

 And my last tip for mastering your Time Mindset is to be intention and minimal in what you choose to focus on each day.

Instead of looking at a list of 20+ things that need to get done, focusing on your email inbox and people coming into your office for something they need, this approach focuses on the top 3 things that you need to do.

By picking the top 3 things you will do the next day, it focuses your energy and time onto the highest priority or highest return activities.

 Then do those first! 

Simple and massively effective! 

And you may even want to block out your calendar, stay out of emails and close your office door to be able to focus on the key tasks without interruptions. 

Then, once you've made progress or completed a task, or two, or three... only then do you get into the other "smaller rocks" like telephone calls, emails, chatting with colleagues, etc. 

This gives you flexibility to do #allthethings in your day but because you prioritize the BIG ROCKS first, things can much more easily flow and fall into place. 

I have been using this approach for years and it works! Occasionally I put 5 things on my list but most of the time I still only get 3 of them done.

Sometimes they are bigger projects or other times they are small items but I must get them done because of a deadline.

Regardless of size of time they will take, by focusing on the top 3 that will leave you winning at the end of the day, will help you feel as if you have MORE time because you are being efficient on where you’re spending it.

Don’t worry, there will still be time for other things that pop up in the day or extra time and space in your day for creativity.

So try 3 BIG ROCKS each day and see how that shifts your Time Mindset to one of abundance and space!

That concludes our Time Mindset chat today! 

Which tip are you going to try to apply today?

Download the free Inside-Out Scheduling Guide to get started!

I believe when we look at it as managing our energy first, the time part falls into place with ease!

• What is your relationship with time?
• How strong and high-vibe is your energy on a daily basis?
• Are you thriving, high vibe and loving life?

If not, you can be!

Try looking at how you can manage your energy and allow your time to serve you instead of strangling you.

And if you'd like help in creating your own Leadership Lifestyle of Mastery using the Exhale & THRIVE approach, check out my programs and book a time to chat :) 

Manage your MINDSET, not just your TIME!

Much love,

Sarah Francescutti, MBA, CEC

Your Leadership Mindset & Business Strategy Coach

PS - Don't forget to download your free Inside-Out Scheduling guide to help you shift out of survive mode, rushing and overwhelmed to THRIVING by turning your approach to TIME and your SCHEDULE... Inside-Out!