Do you ever wonder how some people can accomplish so much with their time?
They establish and run huge companies, are seemingly involved in charitable ventures, political lobbying and oh by the way they have a home life too!
There is a reason why Benjamin Franklin said, "If you want something done, ask a busy person."
Yet the truth is that we all have the same number of hours in our day!
"Don't say you don't have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michaelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein." H Jackson Brown Jr.
Time is a resource that we never get back.
What lessons can we learn from those ultra busy people that could help us be more productive? I am no Richard Branson, but I have enjoyed some success in my life. Here are some of the lessons I would share.
Understand what is important to you!
- If you don't have a clear idea about what you REALLY want, then it will be difficult to assign the right level of priority to your time.
- If you want to be great at your chosen profession you need to understand what that looks like and put a plan in place to get there.
- If you want to be super involved in your kids lives, then equally you need to have a plan that allows you to achieve that.
- You need to be realistic because very often competing priorities will result in failure in both goals! Choices are hard, they involve compromise and delivering tough messages ... but you need to do it.
- Once you understand your priorities then your choice of where to focus your energy becomes easier ... I did NOT say easy. You have multiple competing demands on your time and not all of it is within your control, so you need to manage that! (Remember ... you are responsible for you ... not your parents, your friends, your boss or even the government!)
- Almost everyone struggles with this. Why should I pay someone else to do something I could do myself? You don't need to ... unless you want that time for something more important.
- If having someone else clean your house meant more time with your kids is it worth it?
- If having someone clear your driveway, do the yard work, paint the house etc. meant more time to study for promotion, work at a hobby, invest in your relationships etc then what is that worth?
- For many years I used a concierge service in Ottawa (Balance in Style) that handled many, many tasks small and large that would otherwise have taken my time. Most times they do it better than I could, and it allowed me to focus my time on what I viewed as "higher return" items!
- An up to date "To Do" LIst;
- Religious use of your calendar;
- Prioritise your tasks;
- Set goals.
- Change yourself
- Invest in yourself
- Believe in yourself
- Stretch yourself
- When something is important to us we make time for it.
- Just by "jumping in the deep end" we force ourselves to figure out how to fit this new commitment into our life.
