A friend informed me last year, to my near-horror, that I was too ‘old school’ when I told her I needed to write things down in a diary, and like to keep a ‘To Do’ Checklist. She keeps up-to-date with the latest tech news, and has tried and tested every Time Management app, planning tool, and productivity management system that one can think of. 

For a while, I wanted the same type of structure in my life,  but I soon realised that it just wasn’t for me. In fact, I was even busier with trying to manage these systems, and I found myself scrolling through tasks and cancelling notifications more than I liked. 

It became pretty unsatisfying.

Do time management systems work?  

Even though some people thrive on these systems, the experience made me reflect on the idea of order, and what we consider it to be in today’s culture. It might still be about organisation and better use of our time, but maybe we can also expand on that, and consider order to be something which gives us more room to live out our core values better. 

What was I looking for when I attempted to streamline my way of working? It seemed to be more about efficiency, and being tech-savvy. I realised that I needed to re-think order. It wasn’t solely about organisation but actually looking at where my heart is each day, and what I was investing my attention in. 

This certainly was not something that I was necessarily getting from any app or checklist.

Where is my heart every day? 

Since we are now in the season of Lent, it's the perfect time to think about a return to those core values, and to think about how deeply-rooted they really are. 

My family and friends are really important to me. But if I'm being honest, often my work or my creature comforts steal the time I know is rightfully theirs. So often they don't get my attention and thoughtfulness as they should. The phone call to see if that small worry was resolved, or simply a text that tells them I'm here for them when they need me matters a lot to them. 

Making these conscious decisions and choices that reflect what I value, or try to value, can bring a greater sense of peace and harmony to my life. It means learning to say no to lots of good things that may not help me be the person I want to be. Who doesn’t love an extra glass of wine? Or maybe it’s the binge on the Netflix series. 

The “new” me? 

The good news is that this effort to overcome myself can really feel like a renewal. The “new” me steps forward.  Planning is no longer the apex of it all, rather it is choosing. 

For sure planning helps me to get the important stuff done. But I still have to choose what gets onto the shortlist of things to get done and what doesn't. Avoidance doesn't solve anything, it's an illusion, like playing a continuous game of hide and seek - it's exhausting.  

If I am being honest, the biggest challenge for me is distraction! 

The American computer science professor and writer, Cal Newport, frequently talks about our current ‘age of distraction’, and how the ability to focus and to perform ‘deep work’ will become an invaluable skill in our economy. We deal with so many distractions, notifications, short news headlines, quick glances at our phones...that it can become difficult to order our priorities, and even to realise when downtime is needed. 

Our attention can be given to several things at once, but it might become harder to truly process these things individually, when needed – especially in the workplace. In a way, this might lead to a loss of freedom, or that general feeling of being frazzled and overworked.

True priorities

The increased interest in decluttering and living a minimalist lifestyle certainly has its merits, but are we becoming too preoccupied with minimalism as a brand? 

Are we feeling good about getting rid of ‘stuff’, where the very notion of simplicity becomes almost simplistic itself?

We know that life isn’t that clear-cut. Rather than letting a minimal way of life become a passing trend or a commodity, it is worth trying to use it to focus on our own inner peace and true priorities. 

Maybe the questions we ought to be asking ourselves this Lent is  - 

What am I creating more space for?