There are hundreds of time management programs with thousands of time management tips, but all of them are a waste if you don’t discipline yourself to make good choices. There are a number of time management tools, however they are all a waste of time if you don’t make good choices.
The choice and accountability with what you do with your time is yours and yours alone. It’s truly a gift.
Most of us have heard that you can’t really manage time at all. We all have the same time regardless of who we are. Whether you are a King, a Celebrity, Doctor or Taxi Driver you all have the same time. The choices you make with your time is what matters.
Your Choices
When someone tells me they had no time for something I had asked them to do, I will often correct them (especially my children) and say something like, “You made different choices with your time. The reality is you didn’t feel what I needed was as important as what you chose to do instead.”
Time doesn’t disappear, it continues to tick every second, every minute and every hour of our lives. The choice and accountability with what you do with your time is yours and yours alone. It’s truly a gift.
The most successful people I know made great choices with their time, that was the difference maker. Those who have been less successful have made poor choices. And while I understand there is good luck and bad luck, they are still choices. But regardless of luck, the odds are in your favor if you consistently make good choices with your time.
So what’s my number one tip to time management?
Your Priorities
It’s pretty simple. Ask yourself with every task you engage in, “Is this the most important thing I can be doing right now?”
If it isn’t, then what is? Once you discover what it is, then do it! It’s that simple. Just do it!
As humans most of us are naturally drawn towards doing those things that are easiest – the path of least resistance. That is why asking this question is critical. By asking “is this the best thing I can be doing right now,” we are more likely to eat the ugliest frog first. We are likely to do the most important and difficult things first and procrastinate less.
Personally, this time management tip has had a greater effect on me than any other tip I have practiced. It has changed my life, seriously!
It’s simple yes, but very powerful. I keep a post-it note by my monitor to remind myself what’s more important every time I am working on something.
There will be times that the best thing you can be doing right at that moment is spending time with your family. Other times it will be exercise, work or dinner. By asking yourself this question regularly you can ensure yourself that you are using your time the best way you possibly can.
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Source: teamworkandleadership.com