We see the innocence of time in our children and grandchildren.
To them, a year is forever, measured by the time between Christmas and birthdays, or promotions from one grade to the next at the end of the school year. For them, life is filled with imagination and wonder. The world is an enormous playground, a place to be explored and enjoyed in perpetuity while learning who they are and dreaming who and what they will be when they grow up. If we close our eyes and tune out the noise of the world, we can go back, if only for a few moments, remembering how it felt.
Sunrise. Sunset.
In the blink of an eye they are adolescents, navigating their way through the teenage years, on a quest to carve out their individual identity while at the same time trying to fit in with their peers. Time is measured by rites of passage. Sports. Dating. Driving. Graduating and getting out into the big world, living on their own with no one to tell them what to do ever again. (I used to think that, too.)
Sunrise. Sunset.
Young adulthood brings its challenges one day at a time. Finding work. Struggling to find themselves, starting a career, falling in love and starting a family.
Sunrise. Sunset.
Time’s significance continues to evolve as we journey through different stages of life, shaping our experiences, relationships, and aspirations. We begin to think in terms of obligations. Some dreams had to be abandoned or at least postponed along the way. Time is still on our side, but it’s time we start using it more efficiently if we want to achieve our hopes and dreams.
Time management skills not only make you more productive, they allow you to take control of your life. They provide you more free time to do the things you enjoy. Play with the kids. Get in a round of golf. Go fishing. You aren’t chained to your desk because you got your work done on time.
Time is like water. Once it flows away, it never comes back. If you wonder where the time went, just remember that wherever your focus goes, so goes your time. One day. One hour. One seemingly insignificant minute at a time, affecting our productivity, our relationships, and our personal development.
1 – Everything in life is a tradeoff.
You trade your time in exchange for results. Those results can be either good or bad, depending upon how you use your time.
2 – Time, like money, is a finite resource.
The main difference is that if you lose money, there is always a chance you can learn from the experience and gain it back. Time, once it is gone, is gone forever. The best you can hope for is to take the lessons learned and apply it as you go forward, not making the same mistakes again.
The Cost of Procrastination cannot be overstated. Paralysis by analysis, waiting for everything to be just right, waiting for the approval of someone or everyone leaves you permanently stranded at the starting line.
Time mismanagement, while just as costly, is perhaps more forgivable by virtue of the fact that you were at least making some effort. But that is the difference between working hard and working smart.
3 – Don’t mistake activity for productivity, or achievement. Work smart.
Years ago, I was a pilot in the employ of a successful businessman, Jack Graham. Mr. Graham had businesses in various locations throughout the country, and frequently travelled. He relied upon key individuals to see to the daily details of the individual businesses while he was away.
On one such occasion, he left the sales manager in charge of his automobile dealership which was located on a busy street in a small Illinois town while he was attending to business at his marina in Florida.
Upon his return to Illinois a week later, Mr. Graham called his sales manager into his office. “How’d we do this past week?” he asked.
“Oh, Mr. Graham,” the sales manager said, “I am so proud! Everyone worked so hard while you were gone!”
“I’m glad to hear that, “Mr. Graham said. “Did we make any money?”
“Well … business was slow,” the sales manager admitted, “but, like I said, everyone worked really, really hard.”
Mr. Graham stood, reached into his pocket, and pulled out a roll of cash. He peeled off a few bills and handed them to the sales manager. “I want you to go downtown to the sporting goods store and by a canoe paddle.”
“A canoe paddle! What for?”
“I want you to go downtown to the sporting goods store and buy a canoe paddle,” Mr. Graham repeated.
The sales manager knew better than to argue with the boss. He went to the store and came back half an hour later with the paddle. “Come with me,” Graham said. “And bring the paddle.”
| The two men walked together to a large flower bed at the entrance to the dealership lot. Graham pointed to it and said, “Get in.” |
“Wha…?” the salesman almost asked one question too many, then caught himself. He got in the flower bed, trying and failing to keep his pants and shoes clean as he sat in the petunias.
Mr. Graham looked over his bifocals. “Start paddling.”
Reluctantly, the manager began paddling slowly, embarrassed that all the people driving by would see him. No doubt it would be the topic of conversation at the downtown diner and the barbershop.
He was hot and sweating, and he was dirty. More than that, he was humiliated. But his boss didn’t care about any of that. “Row harder,” Graham commanded.
Finally, the sales manager could remain silent no longer. “But I’m not getting anywhere!” he shouted.
“No,” Mr. Graham agreed as he removed his glasses and pointed them at his employee, “but you sure are working hard!”
4 – Use your time wisely if you are to be productive. Identify and pursue what truly matters. Work smart.
As we progress into middle age we begin to reflect on the passage of time more than we did before. We begin to realize and assess the missed opportunities that have come and gone. We wonder if there is still time to do the things we dreamed of not so long ago. We look at others and wonder how they managed to accomplish so much more … This is the point when a midlife crisis can appear as we reevaluate and reconsider
our priorities.
Two tests present themselves at this point. The first is do we set worthy priorities? And the second is do we take appropriate and consistent action?
It’s not a matter of luck, keeping busy, or “hard work”. Winners are better at planning and managing their time.
They are disciplined to work their plan and guard their time like it is gold.
They do not allow distractions or the expectations of other people to derail them. All of which enables them to use their time productively – to work smart.
What is the difference between today and tomorrow?
5 – Today is right here. Right now. We can use it.
Tomorrow does not exist. Tomorrow never comes.
It’s all about what you’re doing right now and has nothing to do with what you say you will do tomorrow,
or “when things settle down,” or “when I can find the time.” Guess what? Time is elusive. It’s not going to come to you. You have to make time. You create it by diving into the “must do” projects and getting them out of the way. You do it by saying “no” to things that don’t matter and to people who think you should drop everything to do what they want this minute.
If it’s going to happen at all, it has to happen today.
You won’t get it all done in one day. That’s why every day, especially today, is important. If it’s important to you, you will make the time. If it’s not, you will make an excuse.
If it cannot possibly be done today, then prepare today. Make at least some progress. Find a way to make every day a victory. Get the must-do’s out of the way. Study. Train. Sharpen your skills. Gather the tools you will need.
Make the best use of your time by doing what has to be done. Do more than your competition. Do what others won’t. Do what others believe can’t be done. Do whatever it takes. This is how winners use their time.
Take advantage of opportunities to use spare moments of time to train yourself. While others play, we train. While others sleep, get up an hour early and we train. While others coast, basking in their past achievements, we work. While others procrastinate, we are busy defining our moments. This is the ultimate test, and it will determine victory or defeat.
It’s so easy to take it easy. To become a couch potato. To spend time watching television, or surfing the internet. What could you achieve if you cut your Facebook time down by 75 %? What would you really miss? Arguing with strangers? What if you cut your tv viewing time by half? What if you were to define your moments by doing what needs to be done when you don’t really feel like doing it? Doing it when it isn’t convenient?
6 – You are either moving toward the prize or you are moving away from it.
You are either using your time or you are wasting it. You are either doing it, or you are not doing it. What are you doing right now? Which way are you moving?
What are the top 1% doing right now? That is what you and I should be doing.
7 – Time wasted can never be recycled. Use it or lose it. Once it is gone, it is gone forever.
Ask yourself this: How many people succeeded at anything by waiting until everything was “just right” before they got started?
Same question for people who waited for all their friends, family, and peers to give their blessing and encouragement?
Every day that goes by, another 86,400 seconds are spent agonizing rather than living. You can destroy today by worrying about tomorrow.
What is holding you back from investing your time and effort into doing what you are called to do? What sacrifices are you making? Hint: Ultimately, it all boils down to time.
What are the most important things you want to accomplish before you die?
8 – What’s on your bucket list?
If you never do them, how will you feel about yourself when you are sitting on the porch, in your rocking chair, and it is too late?
You won’t regret the things you did nearly as much as you will regret the things you didn’t do.
Use your time, enjoy your health while you can. And it’s not about working all the time, either. It’s just as important … it’s MORE important to spend time with your children and grandchildren.
9 – How long can you wait?
At what point will there simply not be enough time?
The way things are now is not the way things will always be. Everything is temporary. Nothing lasts forever.
Time brings change. Learn to adapt, survive, and thrive.
The future is coming at us at the rate of one second per second.
None of us know our future. Not even five minutes from now.
Now IS the future!
Just look at how fast your children or grandchildren are growing.
Sunrise, Sunset.
I said it before: Yesterday is gone, and we can never get it back. Don’t ruin your present or throw away your future by wasting your time wishing you had a better past.
With regard to the future, we can’t always see what is coming. We don’t know what is just around the corner. All the more reason to make the most of the present. All we really have is now.
Your decisions create tradeoffs. When you say yes to one thing, you are saying no to everything else. Unless you are one of those people who say yes to everything, and then you can’t get anything done. Yes is a time bandit.
There just isn’t enough time to do everything.
You can have or do almost anything. You can NOT have or do everything. You have to choose. How you spend your time will determine virtually everything about your life. You have to establish priorities, boundaries, and limits. You must be realistic, or you’ll be chasing unrealistic goals all your life, going from one unrealized dream to another without accomplishing anything.
There is no reason not to dream big but learn what it will take in terms of time, effort, and expense in order to succeed, then make your decision.
What criteria will you use to make your choices?
Avoid becoming overwhelmed. Don’t say yes to everything, even to yourself. Set priorities. Then do one thing at a time. Don’t fool yourself into believing that multi-tasking is the answer.
It can be overwhelming, especially as we grow into our retirement “Golden Years”. We don’t know how many grains remain in the hourglass, but we know they are getting fewer and fewer. There is still time. As long as there is a breath still in you, there is time. You can still decide what you want to become and make it happen, or you can let outside influences determine what you do with your time.
Life = time.