The irony in trying to write this….is I actually don’t have the time to write it. I want to have time to write it, inevitably, it happened; mostly due to the ideas that start flowing out of my body like a cold sweat because of my internal anxiety.  Over the course of my life, I’ve discovered that if there’s one thing I need to do every single day – it isn’t showering and it damn near isn’t working out, but if I don’t exhibit some form of mental dexterity throughout the day – whether that’s my literal job at hand, or my life path in universe – I feel like I haven’t done my job as a person  I haven’t been peopleing.  Most of the time, it’s some form of reading and writing; either letting my innermost thoughts and wildest emotions run rampant through my veins, out my fingers and into binary code or ingesting tactile worlds that taste like wanderlust and leave me breathless. But I digress, because I don’t have time to go down that path.
Time is one of the most important and intangible things in the world; especially when you understand that the concept of time is a manmade construct, a measurement to feel more in touch with the ebb and flow of the external world and at peace with the universe inside you.  The past, the future – they’re both irrelevant, because we can only inhabit the present moment.  So when I talk about “Time Management”, I’m actually referring to managing the present moment. 
 The easiest question to then ask, is what are you choosing to be front, center and present for – and what areas of your life are you just waltzing through robotically, almost like you’re your own understudy?  Once you figure out what you truly want to be passionately pursuing, you proverbially trim off unnecessary ‘time-fat’ and all the sudden, you’re left with a hearty stake in yourself.
First, repeat after me: I cannot do everything and be everywhere; If I am everywhere, then I am nowhere, if I’m doing everything – I am not doing me.  Now, As a quick exercise, grab a piece of scratch paper (because it feels good to physically hold onto an idea), time yourself for 60 seconds, and quickly write down every small picture idea or thing you ideally could accomplish in a day; next, think a little bigger to what you want to do every week; now, a month – and finally, a year. You’ll notice common trends, and maybe a few standout things that you keep kicking yourself for not doing or that you’re proud you’re a part of.  
My trends start with writing, reading, fitness, learning about social media strategy, discovering new music, making jewelry and other new hobbies when I’m looking at my small picture – but the second I move to my year projection, I realize all of the larger, umbrella plans: saving up money to travel overseas (which means, working more), catalyzing my identity within the music industry (which also means, working more), having a bigger footprint in both my community and neighborhood (which means a more open schedule on weekends while being home more), not to mention amassing vast quantities of knowledge like new languages or progressive science classes that one needs to devote a lot of time to (meaning I’d need to insert maybe 10 more hours in my week).

Last, but certainly not least, there’s the special relationships in my life – including the one I have with myself, as well as my romantic relationship with my fiancé.  Combined, I lived by myself for a mostly glorious, sometimes tulmultuous, three years on and off and through it all I became my own best friend.  The first relationship you should prioritize in your life is the one you have with yourself; and you’ll soon find that the others fall in line.  By prioritizing yourself, you’ll meet other strong willed, like minded people who can’t be bothered with trivialities and truly invest in the people they’re around. 

So, on one hand – I want to do everything that has nothing to do with work; on the other, to get to where I want to be in life, it looks like work is where I need to center my presence.  It might be the two job thing….or three job thing when you consider I’m still the Director of Social Media for The DJ List.  I discovered that if I don’t write about 500 words a day, I legitimately feel like I’m going crazy – the same goes for getting a good dose of cardio in every other day; I’m simply a happier person for doing it.

I’ve wanted to write this post for a week, but honestly just haven’t found the time.  I’m sure it’s existed, somewhere between cuddling with my fiancé  and cuddling with the new kitten, I could’ve slipped into it before driving to Marina del Rey for work or coming home from downtown LA, maybe even jotted down some notes when I was writing copy for The DJ List or drafting up a press release for the Lucent Dossier experience, maybe I didn’t need to go to sleep so early the other night or sleep in so much, but it’s been a long hard road home since LIB and the recovery seems everlasting.  I even thought about not writing, because I didn’t have the time.  And then, I did want to write it, even though I still didn’t have the time.  Because 1,000 words later I’m happier, I see the world clearer, and I feel lighter – like I’ve been tumbled in the dryer with fabric softener.

The truth of the matter is, telling someone else how to manage their time better is like telling someone in California how to prepare for a blizzard.  It’s useful, until you have to do it. What I’ve actually discovered is that to manage your time efficiently you have to express your priorities through your actions.  Hopefully, you’ve learned a thing or two as well!  Now it’s your turn – what are your best tips on time management?