How To Eliminate Stress by Eliminating Responsibilities:
Use a Time Management Chart
by Sheri’ McConnell, MAOM

Know When It Is Time To Eliminate Responsibilities

Feeling stressed lately? Too many to-do’s on your to-do list? If you are doing too much for too many people—you must eliminate some of the stress in your life. Start by eliminating the responsibilities that do not directly contribute to the top three goals in your life. Many areas of your life will improve immediately. Lightening your load will benefit you by improving the quality of your health and your relationships. Reevaluate your responsibilities using a time management chart at least twice a year.

Start By Writing Down Your Goals

Before you can begin to eliminate responsibilities, you need to decide what your top three goals are. They do not need to be in order of importance. Mine are: 1) Nurture myself, 2) Spend quality time with my family, and 3) Grow my businesses.

Create Your Time Management Chart

Your chart will consist of three columns: a list of all your current responsibilities, the approximate number of hours each responsibility takes during a given month (estimate), and which of the three goals the responsibility is helping you to accomplish. (If any!) You will find that many of your current responsibilities are not helping you to accomplish one of the three goals. These are the easiest to eliminate or to delegate. Learning how to delegate is important because it allows you additional time you need to focus on your three goals. You can delegate a lot—my four-year-old folds the dish and face cloths in our house while her eight and nine-year-old sisters handle the rest of the laundry.

The Elimination Process

After reviewing my complete chart, I decided to step down from my local women’s group responsibilities and from my children’s PTA Board. I also decided to delegate more household responsibilities. Completing this chart every six months is a great idea because you will find that you have taken on many new responsibilities that are not contributing to your top three goals. Create your own time management chart and “take back” at least 10-15 hours of your life each month. You will be less stressed, more productive, and happier. I know I was!