Monday motivation with Derval O'Rourke: My top five tips for time management

Derval O'Rourke

At this point in my life, I can honestly say my number one priority is managing my time and being very aware of where I spend it. This week I will share my top five considerations on how I manage my time — and recipe-wise I have a delicious fakeaway pizza option for you.

I will hold my hands up and admit that my time management has become far more important since I’ve had kids. A simple example is If I stay up late I can’t catch up on sleep the next morning as the kids are up bright and early.

Each week I look at the ‘load’ I have on versus my ‘limit’ of what I can realistically achieve. Here are considerations that I use and they may be helpful to you too.

5 considerations for managing your time

1. Stop saying yes to everything: If you hate to disappoint people, this is an important one. Saying yes in the moment to avoid someone being slightly disappointed is much better than letting them down later when they are depending on you because you have taken on more than you can manage. Or it’s much better than saying yes and reluctantly doing something that you don’t have time for. Say no, then let it go.

2. Divide your time: Allocate your week making sure you give some of your time to each area that is important to you. There are certain areas that are a necessity but there is lots of time that you choose what you do with it. Personally, I need time each week with people that make me laugh and bring energy to me so I try to make sure I slot some time in for that.

3. Weigh it up: When considering committing your precious time to something, think about the pro’s and the con’s. Weigh these up. I go to a fitness class each week with a fabulous trainer (Kate Parfrey from the Squad) but committing to this means not being at home for bedtime. This is a simple example of weighing it up and deciding the pro’s out-weigh the con’s. I have never regretted any of those classes.

4. Get rid of the guilt: Hands up this is one area I struggle with, whenever I say no to something or someone I get an awful feeling of guilt. I have to work hard on remembering that I can’t be everywhere and that my ‘no’ comes from a very genuine place of being unable to commit to the ask. I know lots of people feel guilty saying no so lets work on getting rid of the guilt.

5. Keep a list: From Monday-Sunday, plan out your week with as much information as you already know. There will always be things that crop up, but by having a clear plan of your week, you will be better able to see if you can take on extra or not. Are you at capacity? I love keeping lists to keep me on track.

Here's an interesting analogy. So think of yourself like a car. If you put petrol in your car every week, the car would keep going. But a car needs more than just petrol to work. It needs water, oil, filter changes, washed, hoovering and freshening up. You can go for so long on just 'petrol' but long term you need other elements to help you feel well and fulfilled. Tackling where your time disappears to and how you feel after you spend time doing certain things is really important.

Exercise Tip: Running on the spot. For 30 seconds, run on the spot. Then for 20 seconds walk on the spot. Repeat for 10 reps. (This is a great one if you are working from home and need to wake the body up after sitting for a while.)

Wellness Tip: Plan your week ahead. As the week unfolds, try to stick to your plan. Reflect at the end of the week on how you did and see where you can make small improvements for the next week.

Meat pizza

recipe by:Derval O'Rourke

This quick and easy tortilla pizza is the ideal midweek meal

Servings

1

Preparation Time

 5 mins

Cooking Time

 20 mins

Total Time

 25 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 1 tortilla wrap

• 1 tsp olive oil

• 1 tsp finely chopped onion

• 150g minced lamb

• 1 tbsp tomato pesto

• 1 jalapeño pepper, finely chopped

• 1 tbsp natural yoghurt

• a small handful of mint leaves, chopped

• a small handful of rocket

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the tortilla wrap on the baking sheet.

2. Heat the oil in a medium pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 2 minutes.Add the mince and cook for 15 minutes or until cooked through.

3. Use the back of a spoon to spread the pesto over the tortilla wrap. Spread the cooked mince on the pizza. Scatter the jalapeño pepper over this and dot the pizza with natural yoghurt. Bake for up to 10 minutes.

4. Cut the cooked pizza into slices and place on a warmed serving plate. Scatter the mint over it. Top with the rocket and serve without delay.