Well another week has flown by which brings us to the next step in the journey… time management.
Here is a popular saying: “If you want something done get a busy person to do it.”
How can that be? Surely the busy people would have the least amount of time? And they probably do – however busy people know how to manage their time the best which is why they will be able to prioritise another thing quite easily.
Fact: We all get the same amount of time allocated to us each week.
Fact: That time is 168 hours no matter who you are.
How do you use your 168 hours – do you ensure that you are always putting the things in your life that are most important first?
Interesting question – what are the most important things and how should we prioritise them? Well in no particular order some of the things that are “Important and Not Urgent” that most of us do not take the necessary time for are:
1/ Enough sleep
2/ Regular exercise
3/ Eating a balanced and nutritious food plan
4/ Spending quality time with family
5/ Reading/watching or listening to material that improves your knowledge
6/ Relaxation and recreational time
If you spend 90% of your 168 hours looking after these things then you will find that you are not only effective, productive and energetic but you will also be better equipped to handle the normal stresses that life throws at you.
Should you choose to live in the ‘stress zone’ where time controls you rather than you control it then you will never find time for the important things that will give you contentment and happiness.
Worst still that you would let other people around you who are in crisis take your time from you and away from what is important to you. Letting people know when you are available for them and when you are not is a very easy way to manage your time in relation to others.
An easy way to measure if you are managing your time well is to always ask yourself a couple of easy questions:
1/ Is what I am doing right now taking me closer to, or further away from my goals?
2/ Is what I am stressing about right now really that important? In other words, 6 months from now will I care about this? If the answer is ‘no’ then it really is not that big a deal.
These thoughts and questions have been extremely helpful to me personally and I trust that they will also assist you in getting your time and life how you want it.
Jo
