Updated from original publication on October 21, 2015, as part of the series called 31 Days of Methods In Madness. To read all the articles in the series click here.
What is our greatest resource? What is our most significant commodity of finite value? Would you agree that it’s Time? As my husband likes to say, time is money – he must think he’s Benjamin Franklin 🙂
Seriously, though, time is an asset we all possess, but it’s not an asset we can save up for a rainy day; it doesn’t gain interest and increase.
We want to use the time we have wisely – invest in worthwhile activities. Let’s examine 4 steps to effective time management.
1. Be Organized
Organization is key with any good investment. We want to think ahead and plan how we are going to use our time. Planning can eliminate certain stressors.
Defining precisely how we’ll spend our time, we decrease wasted energy in trying to get a task accomplished.
Not every activity will bring the same return. And by taking the time to prioritize what is of highest value in our lives, we’ll use our time more efficiently.
It’s helpful to remember that most worthwhile pursuits require the deliberate investment of considerable amounts of time.
2. Be Proactive
Using our time efficiently means not procrastinating.
It also means avoiding time thieves such as the excessive use of social media.
The simpler we keep our lives, the more we’ll be able to spend on what matters the most to us in accord with our personal values.
3. Abandon Perfectionism
Keeping life simple extends to abandoning the pursuit of perfection. Pursuing perfection is an endless chase without a valuable return.
Perfectionism impacts our health adversely; health impacts our abilities and time in all areas of life.
4. Be Balanced
It seems work is a mandatory use of time; however, we don’t want to forget recreation, personal time or sleep. Balance is key.
Unfortunately, some people feel that sleep is a waste of time. Sleep affects our cognitive functions, as such it is a sound use of our time.
Sleep deprivation impedes learning, and concentration, it contributes to work-related accidents just to name a few which in the long run, translates into an inefficient us of time.
Developing good habits and values help us to place valid priorities in life and to make the best use of our time throughout every minute of every day.
Think of the life values that deserve priority in life: Love & Family.
If we choose to invest our time in accumulating monetary wealth or advancing our career, to the detriment of Love & Family the return on our investment is likely going to be unhappiness!
P.S. What Method Do You Use To Organize Your Time?
