An Idea To Start The New Year
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The average person has absolutely no control of their time. When it
comes to managing this area of their lives, people tend to be
abysmal. Some might be competent when it comes to their working
hours. However, when their personal lives are factored in, they
receive a failing score.
Have you ever met someone who is consistently late? For whatever
reason, they are always 5-15 minutes behind. Of course, they will be
courteous by calling to let you know that they are running behind.
Yet the bottom line is that they never met you at the agreed upon
time. What is interesting is to note how these same people live their
lives in general. It seems that someone with this problem tends to
have a life that is a mess also. They cannot manage any aspect of
it. Their basic operation is to run from one situation to the next.
Amazingly, even though they are constantly busy, they appear to get
very little done.
There is a fundamental philosophy that comes true regardless of what
people do to get around it. Basically, if you do not get control of
your time, there is no way that you will ever have control in your
life. Failure to manage our time puts us in the position of
duplicating the aforementioned scenario. We move from one activity to
another without making any apparent progress. Our time is spent in a
continual state of emergency while we place our focus on the urgent
instead of the important. True success comes from being able to
handle those activities which have a meaningful impact upon our
lives. Getting to this point accelerates all our efforts in
everything we do.
There are two simple practices one can implement immediately to
garner a bit more control. The first involves keeping your word. It
is essential that we begin to do those things we say that we are going
to do at the time that we agreed upon. The habit of letting ourselves
off the hook is too easy a trap to fall into. We must raise our
standard of conduct in this area. Regardless of what else is
occurring, treating each time commitment as a life or death situation
will aid in creating a new habit. If we are consistently late, it is
a sign that we need to more attentive to the commitments that we
make. It is a good idea to initially cut back on some of the
activities we consent to. This relieves us of some of the pressure
which results in us operating at a harried pace.
The second area that can be immediately changed is to be conscious of
any perfectionism complex that we might have. Many people with time
management issues have an need to do everything perfectly. They will
continue with an activity far beyond the acceptable level of
performance. This stems from having a low self worth. To compensate,
they attempt to make their results extraordinary. Unfortunately, this
creates a situation where things take longer than they should. Watch
someone operating under this premise and you will see a task take 3
times as long as it should. The easiest way is to remember that a
great deal of success is derived from the simple act of completing
something. Often, others expectations are a lot less then ours. Give
them what they require, but allow yourself to be less than perfect.
Gaining control of our time instantly improves every area of our
lives. The more that we can focus our attention on those things which
are truly important to us, the fuller our lives will become. Some of
the most successful people operate at a pace that is fast yet
unhurried. People who are hurried tend to make senseless mistakes.
Careful consideration to how you are spending your time and what you
are agreeing to will show those tasks which are important to you. A
little planning will go a long way to achieving your ultimate end.
Dennis Harting is the Head Coach at Your Rich Life. He is an
acclaimed speaker, trainer, and best-selling author. His
international best selling books include Your Easiest Million and The
Ultimate Procrastination Handbook. He also has had thousands of
articles published worldwide. His programs and more information can
be found at http://www.yourrichlifeinc.com.
