There are three statements that
people make about time that drive me crazy.
1. “I
don’t know where the time goes.”
2. “If
I just had more time.”
3. “I
try to manage my time.”
Let’s consider each of these
statements.
1. Time goes where time has always gone – into the past. The
truth is that all of us really do know where time goes but
when we make that statement, it means
that time is moving forward while we are standing still. It seems like my sons
turned 18 years old in less than 18 years. But when they did turn 18, I was not
surprised. They had been 17 years old for the previous 12 months! Anyone that
finds themselves making this statement about time will also find themselves
accomplishing less than they could in the time that they have.
2. We are not going to get any more time. Period. It is a
ridiculous statement and one worth deleting from our verbal repertoire. The
implication is that we would do something great or achieve greater success if
we had more time. The key to winning is figuring out how to best use the time
that we have. Seeking more time is a waste of time.
3. We cannot manage time. Time does not stand still – time is a
fixed reality – time belongs to God. The idea of time management sounds catchy
and cute but one cannot manage
time. We manage our lives and we use time in the process. I have learned to
consider time one of my most precious commodities. Before I owned any
securities – before I owned any real estate – before I had any financial
capacity – I realized that I was a wealthy person because I had a huge supply
of time. I would rather waste money than waste time. One can always get more
money - but we can never get more time.
So rather than bemoan how quickly time moves or wish for
more of it, the most productive
response to the fact of having time is to develop a strategic and effective use of
time. The way I recommend doing that is to make a chart that outlines
one week of one-hour blocks of time. The purpose of this chart is to fill in
the blocks that correspond with times that you do regularly scheduled
activities. (You can exclude the hours that you are normally sleeping.) After
you completely insert activities for everything you normally do, you will see
empty boxes that are unassigned. These are the time times that you can begin to
fill with activities that will help you reach your goals.
The only way to accomplish our goals is to invest sufficient
time in pursuing our goals.
Action
items:
1.
Estimate how many hours you spend per week doing
your various activities. What is the total?
2.
Create your time chart and compare the actual
hours to your original estimate.
3.
Identify how much time you are spending on
activities directly related to your goals.
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