Find More Hours In The Day, By Taking Control Of The Ones You
Already Have
I wish I had more time.
How often have you said that to someone?
Some say that time is much more important than wealth. Most
effective people think so and top business leaders mention this
in interviews and biographies. They know how to get more time in
a day, and they have mastered the art of utilizing time
effectively to do more productive things that contribute to
their advancement or success. So how do they do it? What is
different about their time management and ours?
We all have the same 24 hours in a day. Some people do seem to
have more time than others, but no one gets it any differently.
So what is the difference? What can we do to become like them?
Don't you deserve to find the time to get things done, have time
for your family and enjoy the freedom you desire? Time
management is about you being in control of your time instead of
letting it control you.
Anyone with a dust-covered day planner on the shelf, or a PDA
with nothing entered in the calendar knows that the concept of
"time management" can seem like a hollow promise. The harder we
try to get a handle on those passing minutes, the more minutes
that seem to pass by. Perhaps it is time for you to look at your
paradigm of time management. Are you really in control?
The less time you think you have, the more critical it is for
you to plan. You might say that you're so busy you don't even
have time to plan. If this is you, then you know where you need
to change. If you want to enjoy the harvest, so you must plant.
Can you imagine a farmer that doesn't put out any seed and then
expects a bountiful crop? The planning phase is very important
in organizing your thoughts to carry out the desired effects.
Your plan will be your road map for time management. Spend
enough time to ponder through the different approaches and
activities. Stephen Covey, in his new book The 8th Habit,
explains an excellent metaphor of "big rocks." Your important
tasks are the "big rocks" and all the other things are like
"sand." If you let the sand fill up your day, you will not be
able to fit in the big rocks, but if you instead schedule in the
big rocks, you'll have room for the sand as it easily fits in
between the big rocks.
Know what your big rocks are. The key to effective time
management is to honestly manage all of the things which need
you. Is spending time with your family important to you? Then it
is a big rock and should be in your schedule.
Time management skills require practice and balance. If you only
apply time management to work, you will still have the feeling
you lack control outside of work. Effective time management is
about striving to be effective and honest with yourself when
things don't work the way you planned. It is through this
adaptive learning process that we can achieve freedom and
balance in life.