If you really want to achieve most of your goals and become what you are capable of becoming, you have to get your time under control.
A sense of control over your time should reduce your stress level and increase your overall well-being.
One of the first things you must do is to clarify your priorities.
It is impossible to do it all.
I know because I tried and I failed miserably.
In the past, I planned to accomplish too many goals and objectives at the same time only to become frustrated.
Recently, I focus on 3 or 4 important goals only, and I do everything I can to follow through.
To choose or not to choose! This is today’s question.
Will you be a victim of the over-abundance of possibilities or will you choose to focus on what is most important for YOU?
Do you have the ability to set clear goals for yourself ?
Have you develop the ability to get yourself organized and work on your most critical tasks, every minute of every day?
Do you have a way or a system to measure it?
Your choices and decisions have combined to create your entire life to this moment.
To change or improve your life in any way, you have to make new choices and new decisions that are more in alignment with who you really are and what you really want.
Do you know who you are?
Do you know what you want?
Have you CHOSEN what you really care about?
Have you written it down?
Do you review it DAILY?
Begin with a list.
These lists drive my wife crazy…because she knows that I will stop at nothing to get them done.
And sometimes, there is a price to pay…
The fact is that we can’t manage time; we can only manage ourselves.
That is why time management requires self-discipline and self-control.
Time management requires that you make the best choices and decisions necessary to enhance the quality of your life and work.
Then you follow through with your decisions.
Make a list of everything you would like to be, do, or have in the months and years ahead.
Analyze your list and select those items that can have the greatest possible consequences in your life.
Oh before I forget… DID I MENTION YOU HAVE TO REVIEW YOUR LIST OF GOALS AND OBJECTIVES DAILY. (regularly)
Hey I know it’s not very sexy, but guess what, IT WORKS !!!
When I was about 14 years old, an older person once told me that most of us learn at least one thing every day.
Being 14 and somewhat skeptical, it took me a while to fully grasp what he said.
I realized later that it was absolutely true. In fact, we can learn much more than one thing every day, we can learn and re-learn many things every single day.
There are two conditions;
The first one is: we must have the right attitude towards change and learning.
The second one is: we must pay attention.
Yes but it takes so much time to learn…I hear some of you say.
And my answer is: What about the time we waste by refusing to learn?
I wonder which one is more costly.
You CAN do anything you put your mind to.
The phrase I CAN’T is what limits you from doing everything you want to do.
“How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because someday in your life you will have been all of these.”
Do you realize that your self-image a key determinant to your quality of life? You usually perform on the outside in a matter consistent with the picture you have of yourself on the inside.
I started using the visualization technique a couple of years ago. At first, I was very skeptical, but as I kept visualizing and working towards my goal, things started to happen at an accelerated pace. In consequence, I started accomplishing my goals faster than I used to because of this technique.
As I became more successful with a few projects, it gave me the confidence to start bigger ones. It became like a self-fulfilling prophecy.
A few examples… going to the gym for me was the most boring activity I could imagine. Now I couldn’t imagine more than a few days without exercising. Saving money when I was younger was so hard for me to do. Now it has become a systematic habit for many years.
I could give you so many examples in many areas of my life where things seemingly impossible became a reality over time.
Practice visualizing yourself as you want to be, not as you may have been in the past. You can actually change your self-image permanently by repeatedly visualizing yourself as someone who is able to get things done.
Remember that it takes about twenty-one days of practice and repetition to form a new habit pattern. It has taken you your entire lifetime to become the person you are today, with the time management habits you have at this moment. It takes time and commitment to change. But once you do, it increases your self-image and self-confidence tremendously.
When developing the habits of time management, start in just one area where poor time management is holding you back. Don’t try to change everything at once. It will discourage you if you do. Change just one habit where you know that improvement could be very helpful to you.
Begin your new time management habit strongly. Never allow an exception once you have decided that you are going to become excellent with a specific behavior.
I was talking with someone recently and she was asking me why I was spending soooo much time exercising at my age.
At my age??? I’m only 47.
I couldn’t believe the comment I was hearing. So I thought I would tell everyone why I invest so much time exercising.
Yes, I say it is an investment because I can get a reward for my efforts.
My reward?
The more I exercise, the more energy I have left for my other obligations and responsibilities.
The hour that I invest everyday doing different kinds of physical activities is actually paid back to me the same day in the form of additional energy. When I invest 1 hour a day exercising and it gives me 1 to 3 hours of additional energy. Wouldn’t you agree it is a good return for my investment in time. And this is only the immediate reward. Exercising regularly is supposed to provide additional benefits to our overall health and well being.
Some people say they don’t have time to exercise, I disagree. Even when we are extremely busy, it is possible to walk from one place to another, we can take the stairs instead of the elevator, we can do sit-ups or push-ups or even yoga positions in some quiet areas indoors or outdoors. Cleaning our house, mowing the lawn and washing the car are good physical activities.
Instead of seeing these chores as a burden, we should start looking at them as practical physical activities. We would kill two birds with one stone. On the walls at my Gym,they wrote a message saying that putting back our dumbells at their place after using them IS exercising. Usually, when we say that we don’t feel like doing something, it is because we are too tired or we find it too boring. When we are very motivated to do something, we figure out a way to do it.
The most difficult part is to make it a daily habit. If you stick with it for 4 to 6 weeks, you should be able to turn it into a regular habit just like flossing or brushing your teeth.
Did you ever try to predict the consequences of doing or not doing something? The potential consequences of any task or activity will determine what is really important to you. Your attitude towards time has an enormous impact on your behavior and your choices. People who have long-term views about their lives always seem to make much better decisions about their time and activities than people who give very little thought to the future.
In the movie “Scent Of a Woman” Al Pacino gave a powerful speech and at one point he said:
“Every time in my life, I always knew what to do, but I didn’t do it.”
“Do you know why?”
“Because it was too damned hard”
By definition, something that is important has long-term potential consequences. Something that is unimportant has few or no long-term potential consequences. Before starting on anything, you should always ask yourself,
“What are the potential consequences of doing or not doing this task?”
The clearer you are about your future intentions, the greater influence that clarity will have on what you do in the moment. If there is a task or activity with large potential positive consequences, make it a top priority and get started on it immediately.
Thinking continually about the potential consequences of your choices, decisions and behaviors is one of the very best ways to determine your true priorities in your personal life. Clarifying your priorities will take some of your time NOW but it could save of lot of time in the future.
We have control over our choices!
We don’t have control over the consequences of our choices!
It is not what happens to us that counts. It is how we react to what happens to us, especially when we have unexpected problems of any kind. This is the philosophy of the Stoics from Ancient Greece.
What can we do to assure ourselves that our attitude will be the very best, under all circumstances?
Personally, what I find the most difficult when something bad happens to me is; how long will it take to get myself out of this mess? What I try to think when this happens:I was able to get out of trouble before and I should be able to get out of it this time too. With more life experience, of course.
I try to focus on the future and this gives me hope of better days ahead. It gives me the courage to go through what I have to go through. I have to admit it is not always easy, but most of the time, it’s possible.
Whatever challenges you face, focus on the future rather than on the past. Instead of worrying about who did what and who is to blame, focus on where you want to be and what you want to do. Get a clear mental image of your future, and then take whatever action you can to begin moving in that direction. Get your mind, your thoughts, and your mental images on the future.
I have so many examples of events that looked so bad at first glance, and then eventually I was able to see the good coming out from it. Sometimes it took me years to realize it.
Whenever you’re faced with a difficulty, focus on the solution rather than on the problem. Think and talk about the ideal solution to the obstacle, rather than wasting time brooding on the problem. Solutions are positive, whereas problems are negative. The instant that you begin thinking in terms of solutions, you become a positive and constructive human being.
Believe that something good is hidden within each difficulty or challenge. The bigger the gift you have coming, the bigger the problem you will receive. The wonderful thing is that if you look for the gift, you will always find it.
Believe that whatever situation you are facing at the moment is exactly the right situation you need to ultimately be successful. This situation has been sent to you to help you learn something, to help you become better, to help you expand and grow.
But I hear you say: What if the problem can’t be solved?
The only answer I have for you is: What can’t be cured must be endured !
Otherwise, take some time to write out every detail of the problem, when you can figure out the real causes of the problem, it’s already half solved !
The 3 “P”s of my life are Passion, Patience and Persistence…
Passion for life is what gives me my purpose, drives me to learn, to discover, to be curious and keeps me working to master and improve my craft.
Patience and persistence are demonstrated when I turn the day-to day grind into something I really care about and don’t quit when life gets in the way, and guess what… it always does and always will.
What about you?
Did you do a reality check on your 3 “P”s recently?
How does one make time for anything nowadays? It ain’t easy.
If you plan to start a big project, it will take lots of time.
You will have to make sacrifices and somehow figure out a way to modify your daily itinerary.
Do you head out for work early every morning to pick up that cup of coffee from Tim Horton’s or Starbucks?
Sounds like you could save fifteen minutes here.
Do you go out for lunch with your friends everyday?
This one may have to go , too.
Your favorite program on TV?
Gone.
It sounds tough, but if there is one universal truth that go-getters with families and full-time jobs share, it is that all of them are pressured to scavenge time that seemingly doesn’t exist.
Me? What do I sacrifice?
80 % of Hollywood & Bollywood movies, TV watching, Internet surfing without a purpose, and many other activities because I’m curious and interested in so many things.
I have learned to say NO without feeling upset or guilty. in order to say YES to what truly matters.
I probably save at least 20 hours a week because of this old-fashion word “sacrifice”.
Sacrifice is just a boring word in our wealthy societies of instant gratification.
When was the last time that you heard a friend of yours use it?
For most of us, we make small sacrifices when we must choose some activities over others.
Remember; it is impossible to do it all.
But as the old saying goes, if you want something done, ask a busy person to do it!
This way, by being more productive, we end up having less to sacrifice.
What are you ready to sacrifice to get what you want?
What is your own personal sacrifice?
Personal indulgence?
What kind of price are you willing to pay in order to fulfill your dream?
Personally, I’m more productive and creative early in the morning.
Why?
I believe it is because there are fewer interruptions.
With less interruptions, I can focus completlely on the task at hand.
When our attention is divided between all the emails, the text messages, the smart phone, the office phone, colleagues asking questions and the unexpected visitors, we waste so much time.
One solution is to block uninterrupted time in our schedule.
One hour of undivided attention with the task will be worth many more hours with distractions and interruptions.
This is one of the ways to recover quality time with yourself and for yourself.
At the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris, the sport of canoe racing was added to the list of international competitions. The favorite team in the four-man canoe race was the United States team. One member of that team was a young man by the name of Bill Havens.
As the time for the Olympics neared, it became clear that Bill’s wife would give birth to their first child about the time that the U.S. team would be competing in the Paris games. In 1924 there were no jet airliners from Paris to the United States, only slow ocean going ships. And so Bill found himself in a dilemma. Should he go to Paris and risk not being at his wife’s side when their baby was born? Or should he withdraw from the team and remain with his family?
Bill’s wife insisted that he go to Paris. After all, competing in the Olympics was the culmination of a life long dream. But Bill felt conflicted and, after much soul searching, decided to withdraw from the competition and remain home, where he could support his wife when the child arrived. He considered being at her side his highest priority, even higher than going to Paris to fulfill his dream.
As it turned out, the United States four-man canoe team won the gold medal in Paris. And Bill’s wife was late in giving birth to their child. She was so late, in fact, that Bill could have competed in the event and returned home in time to be with her when she gave birth.
People said, “What a shame.” But Bill said he had no regrets. For the rest of his life, he believed he had made the better decision.
Bill Havens knew what was most important to him. Not everybody figures that out. And he acted on what he believed was best. Not everybody has the strength of character to say no to something he or she truly wants in order to say yes to something that truly matters. But for Bill, it was the only way to peace; the only way to no regrets.
There is an interesting sequel to the story of Bill Havens…
The child eventually born to Bill and his wife was a boy, whom they named Frank. Twenty-eight years later, in 1952, Bill received a cablegram from Frank. It was sent from Helsinki, Finland, where the 1952 Olympics were being held. The cablegram read: “Dad, I won. I’m bringing home the gold medal you lost while waiting for me to be born.”
Frank Havens had just won the gold medal for the United States in the canoe-racing event, a medal his father had dreamed of winning but never did. Like I said, no regrets.
Thomas Kinkade eloquently said, “When we learn to say a deep, passionate yes to the things that really matter, then peace begins to settle onto our lives like golden sunlight sifting to a forest floor.”
What would you have done?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Steve Goodier is an author and speaker. You can visit his website by going to
When you watch little babies babble to themselves and toddlers having conversations with their stuffed animals, you can see the wealth of creativity humans are born with.
Who sold us on the lie that only artists, poets and musicians are creative?
When we were kids, we all expressed our inner Picasso as effortlessly as we would breathe. We colored outside of the lines with so much pride until some grown-ups, with good intentions, would “train” us to do it “the right way”.
But as we aged, we stifled our creativity as the mortgages, deadlines, garbages, and the stuff of life took over our days.
What can you do to recapture your childlike creativity?
I woke up one morning and I experienced this enthusiasm for life.
I had this urge to live every day of my life like it’s the last one.
This is what I wrote…at 5:30 A.M. ( I read this a couple of days later and asked myself: Wouldn’t it be nice to feel like this all the time?)
There are so many places to visit, people to meet, books to read , books to write, movies to watch, sports to practice, dances to learn , museums to visit, conversations to have, businesses to build, gardens to cultivate, pictures to draw, wine to taste, meals to cook, children to play with, jokes to laugh at, cars to drive, planes to fly, dogs to walk, great cities to discover…
My biggest challenge is to choose what I want first and foremost.
My time is so limited and yet, when I compare myself with other species, I have so much.
I look at the ravens and the squirrels in my backyard, no sooner that I put the bread and seeds for them to eat, a bunch of them come and pick some pieces.
These creatures don’t waste any time and their lives are short and simple, yet very efficient.
What is the point of all this rambling?
It is that some of us, humans, have a tendency to complicate simple things when we should just enjoy the moment.
We have so many possible activities to indulge in when we really think about it, it is overwhelming.
Think of the type of teas and coffees to try, newspaper, magazines to read and web sites to discover.
It’s a world of unlimited possibilities.
Life is too short not to live to the fullest and not to do what we love to do.
Bored on a Sunday afternoon?
How dare you?
Think of Monday morning coming soon…
This should inspire you not to waste your precious personal time.
We have to live our passion in order to be completely happy.
Maslow wrote many years ago , “What a man must be, he must be in order to be happy”.
Personally I try to constantly spend more time to work on the things that really make me happy.
I enjoy working on projects that make me enthusiastic.
I spend quite a lot of time reading, writing, visiting art museums.
I take my time trying to understand the works of art, the painter or the sculptor’s intentions, their state of mind at the time of creation.
I like to exercise and to enjoy the outdoors activities in order to breathe some fresh air, to experience the fullness and wholeness of living.
I really enjoy travelling and discovering new countries and new cities, new cultures and new people.
Well, I’m passionately curious!
Ask yourself:
What are the limitations that are preventing you to live your dream’s life?
What do you really enjoy doing when you have free time?
How could you spend more time on what you really care about?
When I try to live each day like if it was my last, it gives me “an untroubled spirit” because of the satisfaction of having done the best that I could with the resources and the opportunities that were given to me.
When I try to look things in the face, it forces realism on me, it is not what happens to me, it is how I react to what happens to me.
Do you find it difficult to look at things for what they really are?
OR
Do you INSIST on seeing things AS YOU WANT to see them?
36525 days to live 