Explains a lot, doesn’t it?
After all, cats are never in a rush.
Cats are never trying to do 10 things at once.
That’s partly because they’re probably asleep.
But it’s also because they use time management techniques that work.
How can we lowly humans learn from these time management masters?
That’s easy…
All we need to do is look closely at their behaviour, and apply the lessons to our own hectic lives.
Here’s how to do it.
This time management technique is all about knowing your priorities.
When you’re clear about what’s truly urgent, you can focus on that first.
In the cat world, that narrows things down quite a lot.
Essentially, the only really urgent thing is making sure dinner is on time.
Or preferably early.
So ask yourself: what’s the single most important thing you need to do today?
That’s what’s really urgent.
2. Shrink your To Do list
Your cat may have a few things on her daily To Do list.
But I doubt it.
In fact, she probably has so few items on there that she doesn’t even need a list.
Let’s see…
(1.) Snack
(2.) Nap
(3.) See (1) above.
Your life may be a little more complicated.
But this time management technique does have some merit.
Because shrinking your To Do list to a manageable size is surprisingly efficient.
You can now guarantee you’ll get everything on your list done.
Instead of trying to do 20 things by 2pm today, do the top 3 things on your list.
Tackle the rest for tomorrow.
3. Don’t get distracted
Cats would never call multi-tasking an effective time management technique.
It’s just too exhausting to focus on more than one thing at a time.
When you cut out distractions (like getting up from the sofa), you make sure you stay focused on your goal (like getting more sleep).
Which time-wasting distractions can you eliminate from your day?
4. Saying ‘no’ frees up more time
This can be tricky for humans, but cats make this time management technique look easy.
While we often struggle to refuse requests and demands, cats have no problem with it.
You hear them say ‘no’ all the time.
Just try getting a sleepy cat to do something.
She’ll open one eye, blink at you, and then go back to sleep.
If cats don’t feel like doing something, they simply don’t.
It’s a liberating approach.
In the human world, the first time you say ‘no’ is the hardest.
As your cat proves, this time management technique gets easier with practice.
It’s so much harder to get stuff done when you’re sleep deprived.
Cats know this.
That’s why they’re so well rested.
Naturally, if you’re not a cat, it’s harder to justify taking a quick 8 hour nap in the middle of a work day.
But you can compromise, by prioritizing getting enough rest.
6. Delegate
Cats automatically offload jobs they don’t have time to do themselves.
After all, they’ve already delegated the task of handling the cat food supply to you.
How can you do the same with some of your own commitments?
When you’ve got too much to do, you feel overwhelmed.
It’s too hard to know where to start.
So you do nothing.
But cats know that ending procrastination is one of the most vital time management tips out there.
And your cat gives you daily lessons in how to stop procrastinating.
Let’s say she’s prioritized getting down to the business of her morning nap.
She doesn’t find excuses to put off finding the perfect sunny spot on the floor.
She’ll simply stretch, look around and locate it.
Within seconds, she’s curled up into a happily purring ball on the floor…
Mission accomplished.
That’s a fact.
But many of these time management techniques will work pretty well for humans, too.
And better time management means you’ll not only be less stressed and happier.
You’ll also have more time to spend with your cat!
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