Making The Most Of Your Time
The Modern Pre-occupation with time
Time is a concept that has pre-occupied some of the greatest minds throughout history. It is also a concept that confounds millions of people in the 21st Century. Statements such as I'm busy", "I don't have time to," "When I get the time," are all hallmarks of modern conversation, organizations have mantras of "more with less", yet with all the preoccupation, a solid understanding of "Time Management" remains elusive and limited.
Time is a Resource
Like everything else humans consume, time is a resource, it is finite, it perishable, it can be instantly exhausted and yet it has an enticing illusion of permanence. We spend time on all sorts of minor matters in the belief that one day we will be able to attend to the major matters. We put off the trip of a lifetime only to find our lifetime behind us, we postpone getting fit only to find that fitness is beyond us, we plan to start saving only to find employment behind us.
Take the Long Term View
The single greatest contributor to poor time management is an inability to take a long term view and then translate this view into every action, every day. When we truly understand that time is finite and perishable we start to question how we spend it. And when we start to take a long term view of time we start to consider what we would like to achieve in the time available to us. This is the first step towards developing highly effective Time Management skills.
Effectiveness is the Linchpin
Effectiveness is the most important part of great Time Management, effectiveness is concerned with performing activities that will produce the greatest results. Some people are very efficient (they get a lot done), however it is a lot of the wrong things, they are very ineffective because they do things that do not contribute greatly to the results they are looking for.
What activity can I do NOW that in the long term will make this the best use of my time.
Asking this question of every activity you do in every minute of your life will produce results that will sky rocket you to long term success.
There is Time for Everything
Some people confuse this mindset with demanding that we all be workaholics, using every available minute for work. On the contrary, time must be dedicated to all the different aspects of our life, when at work, ‘what is the most valuable activity right now’, when relaxing, ‘what is the most valuable activity right now’, when exercising, ‘what is the most valuable activity right now’. The most valuable activity right now that will produce the long term results that you are looking for.
Success Exercise
First, review the activities you have done today, then ask yourself, if today had been my last day at work before going on holiday for 1 month, what activities would I have still done today
Second, ask yourself ‘if tomorrow was my last day at work before going on holiday for 1 month, what activities would I do’.
Third, write out the list of activities from step 2 above and see how many you can achieve tomorrow.
Time is a concept that has pre-occupied some of the greatest minds throughout history. It is also a concept that confounds millions of people in the 21st Century. Statements such as I'm busy", "I don't have time to," "When I get the time," are all hallmarks of modern conversation, organizations have mantras of "more with less", yet with all the preoccupation, a solid understanding of "Time Management" remains elusive and limited.
Time is a Resource
Like everything else humans consume, time is a resource, it is finite, it perishable, it can be instantly exhausted and yet it has an enticing illusion of permanence. We spend time on all sorts of minor matters in the belief that one day we will be able to attend to the major matters. We put off the trip of a lifetime only to find our lifetime behind us, we postpone getting fit only to find that fitness is beyond us, we plan to start saving only to find employment behind us.
Take the Long Term View
The single greatest contributor to poor time management is an inability to take a long term view and then translate this view into every action, every day. When we truly understand that time is finite and perishable we start to question how we spend it. And when we start to take a long term view of time we start to consider what we would like to achieve in the time available to us. This is the first step towards developing highly effective Time Management skills.
Effectiveness is the Linchpin
Effectiveness is the most important part of great Time Management, effectiveness is concerned with performing activities that will produce the greatest results. Some people are very efficient (they get a lot done), however it is a lot of the wrong things, they are very ineffective because they do things that do not contribute greatly to the results they are looking for.
What activity can I do NOW that in the long term will make this the best use of my time.
Asking this question of every activity you do in every minute of your life will produce results that will sky rocket you to long term success.
There is Time for Everything
Some people confuse this mindset with demanding that we all be workaholics, using every available minute for work. On the contrary, time must be dedicated to all the different aspects of our life, when at work, ‘what is the most valuable activity right now’, when relaxing, ‘what is the most valuable activity right now’, when exercising, ‘what is the most valuable activity right now’. The most valuable activity right now that will produce the long term results that you are looking for.
Success Exercise
First, review the activities you have done today, then ask yourself, if today had been my last day at work before going on holiday for 1 month, what activities would I have still done today
Second, ask yourself ‘if tomorrow was my last day at work before going on holiday for 1 month, what activities would I do’.
Third, write out the list of activities from step 2 above and see how many you can achieve tomorrow.