The time of your life - is it yours or someone else's?

Have you noticed how some people in your life are persistently late?

Why does this happen? This happens because people are operating a strategy which is mostly unconscious to them. They are a little stressed, receive regular speeding fines, lose friends or even miss friends completely.

How we use and prioritise time is very interesting and illogical.

Are you “in” or “through” time?

Some people are “in time” which means they’re “in the moment” and much less aware of planning their time. The other type of time experience is “through time”. These people generally see time as outside of themselves which gives them an advantage in planning for deadlines. We really need a blend of these two ways of experiencing time.

Managing your attention

Think about time in terms of “where do I want to put my attention” rather than to think in terms of “managing time”. You can’t really manage time – you can get agitated with it, stressed about it, curse it and live as a slave to it. So if you really want to get the most from your day think about what you really want to put your attention on. Where are you going to focus? That is a choice. Even when you are being directed by others it is still possible to make your time count.

Get free of “chewing gum on your shoe” people

 When I worked in a very time tight environment I still found regular chunks of time to complain and whinge to my colleagues about “the ridiculous delivery dates, the unreasonable customers and the lack of time I had!” Getting away from this kind of negative and time draining activity is vital if you want your contribution to be the best. Do you really want to stay on an extra hour because you allowed someone to blow your time with their trivia? Imagine that – it’s not even your trivia. Second hand trivia!

Learning to say no gracefully is a great skill to develop

When you decide to do something give it all your attention. Decide what you are saying yes to… and what you are saying no to.  Develop the art of saying no gracefully – you’ll never regret it!
If you really can’t or don’t want to give your full attention to something it shouldn’t be on your to do list at all. If you are given a task that you have no choice about (the boss or customer says “do it”) – then accept it and give it your best attention. If something has to give - speak up, delegate or work late. Be proactive and make a deliberate choice.

Resistance is useless

Effective, focussed people get things done with minimum fuss or complaining. When there is a genuine problem or conflict they know immediately and can differentiate that from normal pressure.
Another aspect of time management is the resistance factor. We don’t want to do something because there is fear attached to it. It’s a good idea to ask the question – what am I really avoiding here? If something is creating a feeling of resistance in you (that feeling you get in your stomach that makes you go and search out some trivia), that’s the place your attention should probably be. Learning to be straight with yourself is the best way to getting the most out of life.

Tap into your natural ability to use time well   

 
ly become aware of when and where you use time best. What are the circumstances that produce the best in you? Think about the things that help you most. Are there people who can help you? Are you better off delegating tasks you hate (which means you won’t be efficient in them)? What creates the most momentum? Where is time really getting wasted? Think too about the 80/20 principle. 80% of your productive output comes from 20% of your effort. This principle holds reliably true in many situations.
What is your best time of the week for efficient use of time, how can you expand that?
Oh god is that the time, why didn’t somebody tell me… ? Sorry got to go now. Actually I’ll just water those plants… GO… NOW. Leave the plants…