Success University Success Plan - Week 23
Sammy Wachira
Plan! We hope you are having a great week and are ready for this
week's journey.
This week Jim and Chris talk about inventorying, budgeting and
scheduling the use of your time based on your priority and values.
When reviewing this week's lesson, I'm reminded of my all-time
favorite movie, Groundhog Day. I've noticed over the years when I
mention Groundhog Day, I get a variety of reactions. Some saw the
movie and thought it was either cute or maybe even silly; many comment
that they enjoyed it, but I've also found several (about a dozen)
kindred souls out there, who share my utmost appreciation for this
movie.
Although I find the movie funny and clever, I most appreciate the
over-riding premise. The story of a self-centered and self-serving
person, who tries to take advantage of a glitch in time (he repeats
the same day over and over again), by getting what he thinks will
satisfy himself primarily through manipulation and pretending to be
somebody he isn't.
In the short-term he seems to succeed, the gaining of the temporal
without the gaining of the more meaningful, eventually leaves him in
complete despair. It is through coming to the end of himself and then
making a decision to both work on himself and to begin serving others,
versus merely taking from others - that he not only finds happiness
and fulfillment, he also attracts and achieves all his goals
(including the girl and love).
The turning point in the movie is when the main character (Bill
Murray) is sharing his despair and circumstances with the lady he has
fallen in love with (Andie MacDowell), telling her he has to relive
the same day over and over again. And no matter what happens today,
that tomorrow she will not remember any of their conversation or time
together and will think he is a jerk again (which he is). Then her
question is "Is it such a curse to be able to replay each day over and
over again - think of all the opportunities and things you could do?"
The light begins to break through and from that point on, Bill
Murray's character begins the process of personal development and
helping other people. He learns to play the piano, learns to ice
sculpt, reads the great literary classics, learns medical techniques
to help a dying man, becomes a captivating reporter that attracts a
whole city to gather around his Groundhog's Day report, and yes, he
does get the girl (and she gets him). But, it was only while in the
pursuit of his own personal development and service to others.
We don't get to relive each day over and over in the literal sense of
the word, but in fact every day is a new opportunity to take
yesterday's mistakes, shortcomings, as well as victories and then
create a new today. Initially, Bill's character had 24 hours a day
that he saw only as an opportunity for self-gratification and to just
get through the day. But the new enlightened character now saw those
same 24 hours as an opportunity to become a person of great skill and
knowledge, as well as an opportunity to truly make a difference in the
everyday lives of others.
No matter how implausible the concept of reliving the same day over
and over is, the power we posses to become someone great and to make a
daily difference is not just a fantasy or feel good idea, it is one of
the most real concepts and principles we have the opportunity to
embrace, and is the heart of the time management battle. What are we
investing our time in? What will it make of us and how will it affect
others?
Click the link below and follow the instructions to download and then
save the workbook document on your computer.
Workbook as MS Word document
Workbook as Adobe Acrobat document
Make it a powerful and meaningful week!
Kyle
P.S. If you haven't ever seen Groundhog Day or it's been a while, rent
the movie and let me know what you think.
Jim Rohn's Sixth Pillar of Success: Time Management, Part Two -
Creating a Proactive Schedule
Hello, Jim Rohn here and welcome to week two of Pillar Six - Time
Management. I hope in the past week you were able to begin clarifying
what your core priorities and values are and the exact reasons why you
want to be diligent in managing your time.
Here is what we are covering this month under the topic of Time Management:
1. Developing a Philosophy of Time Management - Establishing your
priorities and values. As important as the "how's" are, the "why's"
are first and foremost. Because here's what's interesting, the "why's"
are the force that pull us towards our dreams and that in turn
determines the "how's". So first we will take a look at the philosophy
of time management, and then how to determine our priorities based on
the values that we believe in and hold in the highest place. We
discussed these things in last week's edition.
2. Creating a Proactive Schedule - Allocating time based on your
unique priorities and values. Once you know why you are managing your
time and know the priorities and values you strive for, then it is
important to understand where you currently spend your time and how to
strategically budget for maximum performance. You see, something will
always master and something will always serve. Either you run the day
or it runs you. So this week we will look deeper into this aspect of
time management.
3. Breaking Through Barriers - Eliminating time wasters and overcoming
procrastination. Many folks know what to do, but it is often the
things we shouldn't spend our time on that get us off track. And
here's what we need to be watchful of:
don't mistake movement for achievement. It's easy to get faked out by
being busy, but the key question is: Busy doing what? Next week we
will look at how to overcome procrastination and eliminate time
wasters.
4. How to Gain More Time - We'll talk about time management pointers
on how to add 1-2 hours a day through delegating, skill improvement,
multi-tasking and improved focus. These are things that anyone can do
to add more time to their day.
Yes, there are only 24 hours in each day, but we can maximize those
hours by working "smarter" rather than longer, and employing other
skills along with our time management. We will look at these ideas in
two weeks.
This week I want to get down to some basic nuts and bolts of time
management. I want to discuss how to proactively schedule your time
and allocate it based on your priorities and values.
Once you have determined what your priorities are and what your values
are - essentially what is most important to you
- you will want to get right down to looking at where you actually
spend your time.
This comes down to two basic processes. First, we want to take a look
at where our time is currently being spent--an "inventory" if you
like. You see, it is wisdom to start from wherever we are and with
whatever we've got. Then secondly, we want to begin setting our
schedule from this point forward, according to our priorities. This
could be called "budgeting."
A financial model may be best for us to review so as to help us
understand how to go about this. Most of us are familiar with taking a
look at our finances. The first thing we do is track where our current
spending is. Then we write and begin adhering to a budget. This is
extremely effective if you are disciplined enough to do it, and it
works quite well when we are looking at our time management. The
process is so very simple, yet very powerful.
Time Inventory
Have you ever truly looked at where you are spending your time? I mean
virtually minute by minute? This is the first order of business
because I am sure you will be surprised.
A time inventory is done by taking a small journal, calendar or
notebook and writing down everything that you do during the day. This
can be done for three or four days but really shows itself to be most
effective when you can do it for a week or two, since there are many
things that we only do one time per week.
Begin to track what you spend your time on. Write down everything. If
you spend ten minutes on the phone, write it down. If you sleep for
eight hours write it down. If you eat lunch for 45 minutes, write it
down. If you commute 35 minutes each way, write it down. If you watch
television for
3 hours, write it down.
Certainly even one day will begin to reveal some of your patterns.
Even a basic day may show that you sleep for eight hours, eat for two
and half hours, work for eight hours, drive for one and a half hours,
talk on the phone for three hours, and watch television for three and
a half hours, among other things of course! What you will begin to
realize is that you are spending the right amount of time on some
things and it appropriately fits your priorities. Other things you may
realize you are neglecting. And certainly you will see that there are
things you are spending an inordinate amount of time on that are
opposed to your priorities.
After a few days or so of doing this, sit down and total up your
"spending." What does it look like? Where did it all go? Are you happy
with how you spent it? These things will become clear, because if you
track it moment by moment, the numbers will not lie. Because here's
what's important to understand, time is more valuable than money. You
can get more money, but you can't get more time. Once it's spent, it's
gone. And assessing our time expenditures is the first step, because
it will show us that often our memory of how we spent our time can
often be a little "foggy." Because it's powerful when we understand,
grasp and apply the principle of wisely budgeting our time.
Now we move into time budgeting.
Just as a person may realize that they have been spending $250 a month
eating out when they really only want to spend $100 month, you can
begin to set a "time budget" for yourself.
Now, I would suggest that budgeting be done once or twice a week but
some of you may need to do so every day, especially at the beginning
of this process.
Let's assume, for a moment, that you work a typical Monday through
Friday workweek. You may want to sit down on Sunday evening and spend
a half hour going through your schedule for the upcoming week. Use
this time to group your activities together as much as you can to
maximize your time.
For example, you may want to assign one hour a day to answering phone
calls or emails. Often times our days are interrupted and we work
inefficiently because as we work on something, the phone rings and we
answer it, and then we have to try and pick our task back up (often
right in the
middle) and go back to work. This is very inefficient. It is better to
set times when you can make and return your calls.
Perhaps you need to schedule four half hour slots a day.
This is where knowing your own business comes into play, but the
principle is to schedule your tasks so that you do them when it is
best for you and for your management of time.
You may budget five forty-five minute lunches during the week. Well,
if by Friday you have spent your "budget" on lunches perhaps you will
have to skip one to keep yourself on budget. Just as you would stop
spending money when you reach your financial budget, this same
principle will help you with your time.
Now apply this to all of your activities throughout the week. Again,
you may have to do this every morning for your day, and that is okay.
Tailor it to whatever works best for you.
The key is to set these time budgets according to your priorities. By
putting actual time frames into your calendar, you are setting your
priorities before you to carry out your activities, instead of just
doing whatever urgent matter is at hand.
This takes discipline because you will see that you have three hours
scheduled for some important project and something else will be
screaming for your attention. Often it will seem to either be more
"urgent" or more fun. Either way, you will need to have the inner
fortitude to say no and follow your time budget. So the key here is to
not allow the "winds" of the urgent to blow you off course and prevent
you from accomplishing your established priorities. Use your
schedule--or time budget-- as a rudder to guide you through your day
and help you reach your goals.
The idea here is to be proactive in the use of your time.
Too many people take what comes to them rather than proactively
pursuing what they decided their priorities were. Budgeting your time
will help you immensely in achieving the success that you desire!
In the next section, Chris is going to give you some thoughts on a
powerful time management equation as well as give you some questions
for reflection and actions points to follow through on.
Until next week, let's do something remarkable!
Jim Rohn
Hi there, Chris Widener here. When I think of accomplishment and
success, I think of people who manage their time well.
They are people who do what it takes to achieve their dreams. All
accomplishment is the fruit of what we do, and what we do is how we
decide to spend our time.
In researching my own life as well as the lives of highly successful
people, I identified what made most people successful was that they
followed a simple time management equation. Basically, they do the
right things in the short term, over and over again, so that when the
long-term comes, those short-term actions have brought them to
success. To explain this a little further, here is a short article I
wrote called, "A Little Equation that Creates Big Results."
A Little Equation that Creates Big Results
The purpose of man is in action, not thought - Thomas Carlyle
Often people will ask me how I get so much done in my life.
They wonder at how I am able to accomplish so many things.
The answer is found not in what a great person I am, but in an
equation I defined a few years ago and remind myself of on almost a
daily basis. And when I live this equation out, it produces big
results. What people don't seem to grasp is that this equation will
work for anybody! Anyone can see results in their life if they will
live it out!
This little equation, when it is understood, and acted upon, is
perhaps the most powerful equation there is in regards to long-term
achievement and accomplishment. Yet, this is not a complex equation.
In fact, it is rather simple. So what is it?
Your short-term actions multiplied by time equals your long-term
accomplishments.
If you want to see change in your life--big results--the first thing
you must do is change your current actions.
Otherwise the old saying becomes a reality: "If you always do what
you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got!" But if
we change our actions, we will see different results!
Most people want to accomplish a lot in their lives. Yet very few
actually do. Why is this? It is because the things they believe will
equal their long-term accomplishments are wrong. Here are some of the
things that people believe will create great accomplishments for them:
Beliefs
Vision
Big dreams
Ideas
Ideals
Values
Desire
The truth is that while these things are very important, they are not
enough in and of themselves. These things should underlie and create a
foundation of all that we do, but we need to actually do something!
And this is where most people stop. We need to take action on our
dreams and beliefs every day. Here are some examples of how this
works.
Who loses weight? The one who knows all about the benefits of
exercise, or the one who walks 3 miles a day? Is your priority to lose
weight? Then schedule an hour each day to walk three miles.
Who retires early? The one who dreams of a house on the beach, or the
one who invests $300 a month? Is your priority to retire early? Then
budget to save $300 a month (or whatever you can) and do it.
Who writes books? The one who desires to become a best-selling author,
or the one who gets up early and writes for half an hour a day? Is
your priority to write a book?
Then schedule 30 minutes a day until you are done.
Who has the best marital relationship? The one who knows how much
spending time with their spouse can improve their relationship, or the
one who sits down and talks with their spouse every night? Is your
priority to have a great relationship? Then schedule the time you need
each week to reconnect and make it great.
Who makes the most sales? The one who believes they can become a great
salesperson, or the one who makes 10 sales calls a day? Is it your
priority to make more sales? Then schedule more time on the phones or
out in the field.
I think you get the point. When it all comes down to it, we must act
upon our priorities, vision, beliefs, and ideals or we won't see them
come to fruition. I see too many people who know what is right, but
don't ever do anything about it.
Imagine what a difference we could make in our own lives and the lives
of others if we would simply begin to act upon our beliefs!
When I get to the end of my life, I want to know that I have done all
that I can to make this world a better place and to enhance the lives
of those around me. I want to know that I gave it my best shot. And I
am sure that you do too. I remember reading an interview with an
author who has written numerous books that have sold tens of millions
of copies.
They asked him how he did it. His answer was that he got up every
morning before anyone else in his family and wrote, long hand, with a
pencil, for an hour. Then he quit and went about his day. But his
short-term actions piled up. 7 hours a week. 30 hours a month. 365
hours a year. After a while, he had lots of books!
Some final questions:
What long-term accomplishments do you want to see come to pass?
What short-term actions will you need to do over time to see them come to pass?
What will you do today to begin seeing your dreams come true?
What will you do this week to see them come true?
You can have an awesome future, filled with great achievements and
results if you begin today to take action and make it a reality!
One more time, so you can plug it in, memorize it, and live
it:
Your Short-Term Actions Multiplied by Time Equals Your Long-Term
Accomplishments.
Now, as you can see from this article, combined with what Jim taught
us about budgeting our time, what we want to do in order to bring
about the desired results in our lives is to budget into our schedules
the short-term tasks that will bring us long-term achievement - great
food for thought this week.
Questions for Reflection:
Q. Before you take an inventory of your time, in what areas do you
think you do well? In what areas do you think you spend too much time?
Q. What amounts of time do you think are appropriate for you in each
major area of life so that you can live from your priorities and
achieve what you desire?
Q. After you have inventoried your time for a day or two, how did you
rate? What areas surprised you in that you spent too much time? In
what areas did you spend too little time?
Q. As you think about writing a budget of time, when would work best
for you to write it? Sunday night? Monday morning?
Two times a week, or each day?
Action Points:
1. Take an inventory of your time for a day and take some time
analyzing it. How did it match your priorities?
2. Take an inventory for three days and take some time analyzing it.
How did it match your priorities?
3. Take an inventory of your time for a week and take some time
analyzing it. How did it match your priorities?
4. Decide when you will sit down and budget your time so as to
maximize that time for living out your priorities.
5. Commit each day, every day, to living out your short-term tasks
according to your priorities so that they eventually add up over time
and equal your desired long-term results.
Review of CD 16
Lessons from your parents - Lots of great lessons here.
Think through some of the best lessons you have learned from your parents!
Preview of CD 17
How did you bounce?
Game Plan for Action
See you next week,
Chris Widener
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