Time
You know, of course, that there are only 24 hours in any day, and how you use them is totally up to you. However, it certainly may not feel like that is the case. It is very common to wish you had more time, and in most cases that wish can be granted by simply becoming more organized and following a few simple rules regarding the management of your time. Below, we have listed several things you can do to give yourself more time or to get more done in the time that you have.
Your time is yours, and U are given only so much of it. That fact is very important to remember when U are working fervently on an activity that is not part of your life plan. Think about what you are doing. Does it add to your life long plan and story? Many of us get caught up in “ruts”, and it may take a serious life event (such as the illness or death of someone close to us) for us to recognize that things need to change. At that time, because of the event, we may be open to big changes in our lives.
Have you ever sat down and thought about how you spend a weeks’ worth of your time (equal to 168 hours); from Monday to Friday and also Saturday and Sunday? The short and easy task of quantifying what you do can tell you a lot about what needs to change. LifeLongU™ has developed a time template in Excel™ format that can help you identify where your time goes. It allows you to walk through your week and allocate time spent in different categories, and it helps you by adding it all up and showing you how you are using it. This quick activity will show you how your time is being spent, and then it’s up to you to change the patterns. You can find it at https://lifelongu.com/life-balance/time-spent/.
For instance, say you come home from work and sit down, and watch a couple of hours of TV, because the day was long and you needed a break. If you do that every day during the work week, that is five days multiplied by two hours per day, for a total of 10 hours of used time. What could you have done with better use of that time. This little example becomes even more striking when you multiply it by 52 weeks per year, now you have 520 hours vested in watching TV. How else could this time be used?
It goes without saying that we all need a break to relax from time to time. But too much time spent on activities that do not help you grow into that person you see yourself becoming in your future can be viewed as wasted time. Now if you decided to walk on a treadmill or ride a stationary bike during this TV time, that would be different. What if you replaced some of that TV time and read several books on things that interest you like a hobby, biography or something on your career. What could you learn with better use of that time? Time spent together watching a great movie or TV series can be quality time with your loved ones as long as you feel it is time well spent. This is just one good example of an area where it is easy for us to get into a rut without realizing it and waste a lot of our time.
Your life, itself, is a special gift and the remaining time you have left, is also a special gift. If you learn to use it wisely, your life will benefit greatly by doing so. Make your time count!
Here is a short list of things that can lead to you having more TIME:
- ¨ Set several main goals for each day
- ¨ Prioritize those goals, and work on only the most important one until it is complete before starting the second-most important, and so on
- ¨ Pick one goal, work only on it until complete
- ¨ Check your email less often
- ¨ Learn to say no
- ¨ Delegate to others and let them help you
- ¨ Understanding how you currently spend time
- ¨ Automate as many things as you can
- ¨ Understand that there really is no more time and that having “more time” is really a matter of how to use the time you have in better ways
- ¨ Eliminate those things that waste your time
You can learn more ways to free up your TIME by reading these books:
¨ The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change by Stephen R Covey
¨ Time Management by Brian Tracy
¨ Time Management from the Inside Out, 2nd Edition: The Foolproof System for Taking Control for Your Schedule & Your Life by Julie Morgenstern
¨ 15 Secrets Successful People Know About Time Management: The Productivity Habits of 7 Billionaires, 13 Olympic Athletes, 29 Straight-A Students & 239 Entrepreneurs by Kevin Kruse
¨ Manage Your Day-to-Day: Build Your Routine, Find Your Focus, & Sharpen Your Creative Mind by 99U
To learn more about this and other pathways of self-improvement, download our Personal Development Pathways Volume I guide at www.LifeLongU.com
Gary Kiecker
LifeLongU™