subject: Time Management - Are You A Time User Or A Time Waster? [print this page] If you are just like me, you've frequently wished there were 48 hours in a day instead of just 24. There never seems to be enough time to get everything done that you would like. Because we simply have around 16 hours a day, not counting sleep time, it's essential how we use the time we have.
On the average, individuals waste about two hours a day. This is mainly from poor planning. If a person is unorganized, they waste time trying to look for things, they miss appointments, they simply do one thing at one time when they could be doing two.
Great time management is a major building block to success. Quite often, it is not just how much time we spend working but how efficiently we do the work. The key to successful time management is thorough planning and establishing priorities. Plan your day, your week, and your month ahead of time. Know when things have to be done. A fantastic method to "buy time" is to multi-task. Do much more than one thing at one time. There are several things that don't need focused mental effort. These are more easily combined.
"Failing to plan is planning to fail,"
-unknown
Despite the fact that I am a big pro football fan, I cannot rationalize sitting down and spending three hours watching a game. I need to be doing other things while I do it. Thank heavens for instant replay! I've found this is a great time to spend icing injuries or some other busy work. I can also record the games and watch them while exercising. I work out around 30 minutes each day so during the football season, I can watch a game during the week without wasting any time doing it.
When you run errands, try to do as many as you can on one trip. If you're self-employed, you can combine personal errands that are on the way to a business errand and have the mileage written off as a business expense.
I have been blessed to have been able to work at home for the previous ten years. It is been wonderful simply because I dislike wasting time commuting. If you must commute, you can make use of the time to listen to audio self-improvement tapes, audio books or something educational.
If you are a regular exerciser and belong to a gym, consider working out at home. If you lack the space and money for exercise equipment, try traditional body weight exercises. A little research on the Web can show you web sites devoted to this subject. Although I lifted weights for 20 years, I have converted to body weight exercises. I have found they feel much better and get the same, if not better, effects. Needless to say, if you go to the fitness center to socialize or network, that is okay. You're doing more than one thing at one time. You can go walking with your wife. This way you're getting exercise and husband / wife interaction at the same time.
Setting priorities allows you to get the most crucial things carried out. Keep your eye on the big picture. Don't let low priority things bump off the higher priority tasks from your schedule. If you've only got a lot of time, it is very important you spend your time doing the things that bring you the most benefit.
"Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least."
- Goethe
Time is so precious. If you would like to be successful in life, you have to be spending more time being productive and doing things that are moving you forward. Spending hours a day watching TV, playing computer games, or surfing the Internet isn't productive time usage. We all require downtime but you need to determine just how much is really needed. If you make use of your productive time efficiently then you'll have much more time to relax and do the fun things.
