Becoming Productive
As you continue in recovery, you are likely changing what you do with your time. Getting the most out of each day can help you feel satisfied and productive. Becoming more productive can be a difficult transition as you move from a life of drug and alcohol use and abuse to a healthier lifestyle. The good news is there are various strategies to help you use your time more wisely.
Time Management is an Oxymoron
Author John Maxwell wisely stated, “Time management is an oxymoron. Time is beyond our control, and the clock keeps ticking regardless of how we lead our lives. Priority management is the answer to maximizing the time we have.” (Maxwell, n.d.) How we use our time is a chief indicator of our values. We will make time for what we believe is important. Time management really becomes priority management.
Making Statements to Manage Time
Look the following statements and think through how they may help you better manage your priorities and time. Saying it better helps make it better. Mark the ones you can use to stay on track.
- I can prioritize important obligations and decisions.
- I’m learning how to be satisfied with good enough, average, and okay.
- I’m making efforts to act on important decisions or duties.
- I’m learning to focus, stay motivated, and persevere.
- I’m not accepting excuses for procrastination and wasted time.
- Even though it’s difficult, I’m becoming more organized.
- I’m learning to return things to their place.
- I am managing potential interruptions by other people.
- I’m keeping work, love, projects, and people in balance and harmony with each other.
- Sticking to my priorities keeps me from getting caught up in a crisis.
- Even when I’m bored and want something new, I can stick to a routine.
- I’m managing how much time I spend on my phone, TV, and other entertainment devices.
- I can recognize priorities and make important decisions without procrastinating.
- I’m confident that what I start, I can finish.
- I’m no longer doing as little as I can to get by.
- I’m practicing doing more than I need to in order to grow in confidence and inner strength.
Enjoying the Moment
Managing your time means managing your priorities. As you move through your recovery journey, you are no longer spending time using drugs or alcohol, trying to acquire or pay for them, or lying your way through the problem’s substance abuse created. It is not how many years you have left, but rather, what you do, and want to do, with the days ahead. For some people, this is the first time they have ever been able to use the precious gift of time wisely and intentionally. Enjoy every minute!
Recovery is a Journey. Enjoy the Ride!
SOURCE www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/j/john_c_maxwell.html. Retrieved May 2017.
