Time Challenges during These Challenging Times

Wouldn't it be nice if we could actually save time...you know gather-up the time we waste and actually put it into a bottle for our future use?  In many aspects of life disparities exist that dramatically differentiate us. For instance, there are the:

• rich & poor
• educated & uneducated
• handsome & less handsome
• healthy & infirmed

The great equalizer is time - we all have the same 24 hours each day and what we make of it matters to our family, friends, employer and of course to ourselves.  One of the most poignant talks I ever experienced regarding the value of good time management was titled The Last Lecture: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams by associate professor Randy Pausch of Carnegie Mellon University, who delivered an abridged version of his last lecture on an October 2007 Oprah show.  One of many things that struck me was about time; he said “Being successful doesn’t make you manage your time well. Managing your time well makes you successful.”  This statement carries significant weight because Randy was delivering his last lecture after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He died shortly thereafter in July of 2008 but provided us with a profound reminder that life is precious and we need to use our time, as long or short a span as it is, wisely and deliberately.

On that ominous note here are some important tips to consider that may help you use your time better.

Avoid time thieves:

• Choosing Urgent over Important
• Not defining or mis-assigned values
• Unclear goals / expectations
• Misplaced loyalties
• The allure of maintaining the status quo
• Procrastinating / being lazy

Consider these time expanding tips:

• Clarify your intentions for each day by taking a long-term view
• Before you leave work, prepare for the next day
• Arrange your work space according to usage rates
• Touch each paper/file/email only once. Handle it immediately (do it, delegate it or dump it)
• Manage your phone calls

Thanks to Lyn Wiltse of PDSA Consulting, Kirkland, WA who presented these tips during a recent training class that I participated in.  Good luck to you (and me) at putting these tips to work! Remember to use today wisely because it’s gone tomorrow.