Time Management Blog

Do you ever “run out” of time? How is that possible? We literally have ALL the time there is. We have the same “time” as every other person on this planet. We all get 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

In fact, we cannot do anything about time. Time is Time, we cannot change it. What we really mean when we “run out” of time is that we chose to use that time involved in another activity. Doesn’t quite sound the same, does it? What we are discussing here then has nothing to do with the amount of time involved, and everything to do with how we manage our use of time.

Let me give you an example. As I write this, I am reminded of my own goal of working out everyday when I get home. There are several things I want to attend to once home, and all too often I forfeit working out for other activity that I feel I would otherwise “run out” of time and not get to.

How we allocate our time ultimately reflects what we personally value. If I truly value getting in shape, then this fact will be reflected in my actions. When I skip the work out, I am really saying that getting in shape is not that important to me. If it is, then I must block out that time and be committed to my goal.

This same logic applies to family, friends, personal or business projects, helping others, etc. Any areas of your life is blocked in and categorized by degree of priority. That choice is made everyday.

Too much to do?

Let me make a suggestion. Do this.

On a piece of paper, list the following:

- Personal

- Family

- Business

- Physical fitness

- Community / Social

- Spiritual

These are the main aspects of your life. Personal are things you do for yourself. Spiritual can be anything that means just that to you. For some it’s a hike in the woods.

Now rate each section on a scale of 1 to 10 according to how satisfied you feel about that area of your life, 1 being the least and 10 the most satisfied.

Look at your numbers. Can you see where you might need to make adjustments?

For the next few days, be aware of what activities you are involved in each hour. You might even jot down a few notes. In the evening, quietly sit for a moment and connect with how you feel about that day. Review your notes, noticing what areas of your life were honored and how you feel about each activity. Off course, not all main areas will get recognition each day -it’s about overall equilibrium. See where you can make some changes.

All aspects are important. Sacrificing one for the other will ultimately be unsatisfying, no matter how successful you may be in any other areas. The time is there; it will not change. Remember, we cannot do anything about time itself. Let’s get better at managing our use of this given time to reach balance and ultimately feel more fulfilled with our accomplishments.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Stumble it!