Make time your ally

Mind your mind – and you’ll have plenty of time. Mind your mind – and you’ll have plenty of time.

Time is equality; it is the one commodity in this world that every earthling has the same amount of. Each one of us has 24 hours in the day and 8760 hours in a year. The question is: “How do you invest it?” You don’t need to learn to manage our time, but you need to learn how to manage yourself. As Stephen Covey said: “Where you’re headed is more important than how fast you are going.” By learning how to manage your time, you might get things done faster, but what is the use of going faster if it turns out that you are going in the wrong direction? The key is to use your time effi ciently and eliminate time wasters from your day. Your attitudes and behaviours affect how you use your time. Time does not have to be your enemy. Each one of us can make it our ally by getting clear about our vision and our focus, by prioritizing our needs and desires, and ignoring the plethora of distractions that come our way every day. Here are 10 ways how time can become your ally:

1. Get clear on what’s most important to you and make a plan

Have a defi nite vision for yourself of what you want your life to look like six months from now, a year from now, fi ve years from now, etc. Then ask yourself, what actions do you need to start taking to make this happen? Planning is so critical when you want to accomplish something. Planning in advance provides direction before proceeding toward a goal. By planning and asking yourself whether or not something is truly urgent or important, (what will happen if it’s not handled immediately) you will eliminate a great deal of future fi re fi ghting.

2. Break the big tasks into smaller, more manageable ones

You might feel overwhelmed by the larger goals or tasks you set for yourself, the ones that seem so big you don’t know where to start. So you usually just don’t start them at all. Instead, break these things into small, bite-size chunks that you know you can manage. List the things you need to accomplish this month and then rank them in order of urgency, importance or both. Make sure the tasks and activities that are most important to you are at the top of the list. Then start to tackle each one individually. Set yourself up for success by starting small.

3. Set aside definite, uninterruptible blocks of time to accomplish these things

Move things from your “to-do” list to your calendar. If you don’t block out specific times and days for these activities, chances are they’ll remain on your list as a source of frustration, annoyance, and stress. Take them out of your head and off your list and plan to make them a part of your day.

4. Be realistic

We all think we can accomplish more things more quickly than we actually can most of the time. Unexpected obstacles show up and throw us and our schedules for a loop. Consider realistically how much time you think a task will take. Then double it. Seriously. If you get the job done in less time than your new estimate, that’s great - take a break and fi nd some way to reward or congratulate yourself. And remember to include time for the unexpected phone call or flat tire, which might otherwise completely throw off your day.

5. Don’t take on too much, be willing to eliminate

Biting off more than you can chew is a prime example of taking on too much. Not having strong, clearly communicated boundaries is another example. You do not need to volunteer to be on every project, organization, taskforce, association, etc.

Learn to say “NO” and ask yourself, “Is it getting me closer to my Major Definite Purpose?” Part of prioritizing means being willing to place the least important or urgent activities at the bottom of the list. Be willing to consider that these things may not get done today, this week, or ever. Are there any that you can give up completely without feeling you’ve compromised yourself or your standards?

6. Get help or support

Taking on the world all by yourself will not serve you or the people around you. You don’t have to do everything by yourself. Enlist the help of others to maximize your strengths and delegate your weaknesses. Trade your strengths with someone who excels in some of your weaker areas. Concentrate most of your energy on your natural talents and gifts and those things that come naturally to you. Delegate the rest; learn to delegate tasks others can do for you (even if it’s not up to your standards). Progress has nothing to do with perfectionism. Find a colleague, a partner, a coach, and create your own success team that can support you in doing what means most to you. And accept their help when offered. Think you can’t afford it You can’t afford not to.

7. Value your time

Others will not respect or value your time if you don’t send the message that your time is important. Watch your actions, behaviours and commitments: Are they communicating the right message? Watch out for the following time wasters: If you have a constant stream of well-intentioned colleagues, friends and/or family members interrupting your concentration and distracting your focus, stop them by communicating when it’s OK to interrupt and when it’s clearly not. We all love to have friends and enjoy our relationships, but by allowing yourself too much freedom in this area, you will wind up spending a large percentage of your “work” time socializing and will be pressing to meet deadlines.

Procrastination as well as perfectionism are both one of the biggest time killers. Waiting until the last minute or otherwise putting things off tends to create a crisis or problems that may not otherwise exist. In addition, by not doing something you’re procrastinating about, you also end up wasting considerable time worrying about how much you’re procrastinating. Just do it! And when it comes to perfectionism, remember that striving toward progress rather than perfection, you will free up a lot of your time and energy.

8. Be sure to include time for self-care

All work and no play makes you very, very dull. You can’t operate at your best without taking time out to recharge your batteries. Include time in your schedule for breaks, relaxation, hobbies, interests, and people you want to connect with.

9. Try the one-hour exercise.

For the tasks you continue to procrastinate about but really need/want to do, try this exercise: Set a timer for one hour and commit to doing that task for exactly that period of time. You will work uninterruptedly for that time, no answering or making phone calls, getting snacks, checking the mail, etc. At the end of the hour you can choose to stop working on that task for the day. At this point, one of three things will happen: You’ll have completed the task (congratulations!); you’ll be so into it that you’ll keep working until the task has been completed; or you’ll see that you need to devote more time to it, but you’ll now be an hour closer to its completion and will have a clearer idea of the time frame involved. With any of “these results,” you’ll end up with a feeling of success and accomplishment.

10. Realize your stories about time are just that – stories!

Get rid of beliefs that are holding you back from moving forward. If you continue to tell yourself “There just aren’t enough hours in the day,” “I never have enough time for the things I need to do,” “Time fl ies by faster and faster,” you will continue to attract and be attracted to all sorts of evidence to support these beliefs. Consider that these stories may not be completely true, you just live your life as though they are. More constructive and positive beliefs about time will produce more constructive and positive evidence.