subject: Understanding the Value of Time Leads to HIgh Productivity [print this page] Understanding the Value of Time Leads to HIgh Productivity
It's hard to believe, but we have the same amount of time in our day as the President of the United States, the Governor of our State, and the top achiever and producer of any Fortune 500 company. No matter who we are and what our job is, we have to accept that time given is a level playing field...we all start with the same 24 hours in a day and we end with the same 24 hours spent.So what prevents us from having a great sense of satisfaction at the end of a day? Not using our time wisely ultimately leads to a great sense of frustration. What are the habits that we could change that would empower us to achieve our goals, and go to sleep at night with a feeling of "Wow, this day was awesome, a job well done!" Here are some things I think we need to take a hard look at:1.Do we understand and fully embrace what's important? Is that what we start with each day? So instead of exercising or preparing a good breakfast to share with a spouse or family, do we rush right into checking mail and watching internet news? It's simple things like this that can begin to splinter our day in terms of whether or not we are moving forward with the things that will be most beneficial to us in the long run - a simple habit to create, and a little harder to break. But it's worth the effort to change.2.Are we chronic over-schedulers; in other words, do we have the courage to say no to things we don't really have a passion for, things that fit us into someone else's agenda? I'm not saying to become narcissistic and only do things that serve ourselves, but we need to be very careful what we agree to become involved in. Be realistic about what your schedule can really handle and always strive for a good balance. To think we can do it all is a classic case of serious denial.3.Get a bigger picture. It's what I call "playing the movie." In other words, look at your current activities and pretend to see where it will lead in 5, 10 or even 20 years. For example, if you continue to neglect exercise and healthy eating, what will that look like years down the road? If you continue to put more on your To-Do list than can be humanly completed, what will that look like? What will be the return on your time investment?Our future is determined by how wisely we invest the currency of our lives - our time.How are you spending yours?
