Sandi Kaplan, MS, RD, Associate Director, Clinical Development & Support:

“I don’t have time.” That’s the number one reason people give for not making lifestyle changes. Many times I’ve heard myself say, “I don’t have time to pack my lunch” or “I don’t have time to exercise today.”

Perhaps you’ve also blamed a lack of time for not working towards your health goals.

However, many of the busiest people seem to find time to exercise, to prepare healthy meals, and to eat dinner with their families.

How do they do this? Well, they’re good at time management.

It’s a common belief that either people can manage their time effectively or they can’t. The truth is that time management is a skill that anyone can master. To sharpen your time management skills, first find out how you actually spend your time. Keep a time record for two weekdays and one weekend day. Record everything you do at the level of detail that is helpful for you.

My time record looks something like this:

• 10:30 pm-6:00 am: Sleep
• 6:00 am-7:30 am: Get myself and kids dressed, get kids breakfast, eat my breakfast, get kids backpacks ready
• 7:30 am-8:15 am: Drive kids to school and myself to work

Next, take a look at your time record and see if you notice any patterns that perhaps you didn’t even know you had. It can be helpful to ask yourself a few key questions as you review your record:

• Are you spending time on things that align with your core values?
• Are you wasting time?
• Are you working on things that support your goals?

Finally, choose and implement some timesaving strategies. Here are some of my favorites:

• Delegate – I noticed that I spend too much time in the morning doing things for my kids that they can easily do themselves. I now eat breakfast in a more relaxed way because my kids are getting their own backpacks ready.
• Say ‘No’/Set limits on your time – When someone asks me to add another task or activity to my day, I often tell them I will get back to them. This gives me time to determine if the activity aligns with my core values or is pulling me away from things I really want or need to be doing.
• Piggyback activities – If a girlfriend asks to meet for lunch, I ask if we can meet for a walk instead. I have limited time to exercise so I piggyback my exercise onto some social activities.
• Ask for help – A friend and I help each other with grocery shopping. We provide each other with a list so we each only go to the store every other week.
• Reward yourself – Do you stay up late surfing the internet? Do you check email to avoid completing a particular task? Plan to give yourself a weekly reward if you can reclaim that precious time by reducing those time wasters.

As you get better at managing your time, you’ll find time to do more fun, nurturing activities. So take back your time and enjoy it!