No Time To Waste

"Time is free, but it's priceless. You can't own it, but you can use it. You can't keep it, but you can spend it. Once you've lost it you can never get it back." Harvey Mackay

Time is precious; don't waste it. It is one of our most valuable and perishable possessions and is a limited resource.

We've all heard the phrase "Time is money." Take a moment to think of time as if it really was your money. If you had a million dollars in cash hidden somewhere in your house, you would probably check on it frequently to ensure it was still there and safe and protected from theft. Do you treat your time the same way? Are you protecting it from time stealers or time wasters? Don't let other people or things steal it. Guard it closely and spend it on the people and things that deserve it.

To determine where you are spending and investing your money, you could look at your checkbook. Similarly, you might look at your datebook to determine where you are spending and investing your time. This is an indicator of what you value most. Are you genuinely spending time on the things you value most? The one possession you have that is more important than money is time. Protect it. Recommit to investing your time on what really matters the most today.

It doesn't matter who you are or what you do. We all only get the same 24 hours a day. There is always something that competes for your attention. Friends, family, work, co-workers, social media, binge-watching tv. Everything takes up your time if we let it. Everything adds up. This doesn't leave you with much time to focus on your priorities and the things that really matter.

We are all busy. But are you really being productive? Are you devoting your time to the essential things? Or are you letting other people or other time-wasters steal it away from you? Stop letting other people steal your time. Stop allowing others to turn their priorities into yours. Stop spending time on the wrong things or the wrong people. Remember, there is a difference between productivity and activity.

Take a health-check assessment to these potential time stealers:

• Social media: It can take over your life. Monitor your time and limit it. One thing to pay special attention to is how often you look at your cell phone to check social media. Is your phone always in your hand or near you at all times? Do you check it during meals? How about when you are "supposed" to be sleeping? Instead, try setting a specific time and set a limit. In fact, let's take a moment to do the math to figure out just how much of your time may be consumed by social media. Here's an example: If you are spending approximately 30 minutes a day on social media. (And, that may not sound like that much time.) That's about 210 minutes a week, 900 minutes a month, and almost 11 thousand minutes a year. That would equal approximately 7-8 entire days of the time you are devoting, JUST to social media. A week of the time you've potentially wasted. I'm not saying it is a horrible waste of time to be on social media. Just be mindful of your time and whether or not it is worth your time. Be honest, are you spending less or more than 30 minutes a day? 
• TV time: Whether it is sports, movies, local network shows, or whatever, you should limit your consumption or possibly even the specific hours you spent. Is that particular time better used for something else? Instead, maybe download shows, record them, or stream them. Then you can watch them when it makes the most sense, not necessarily at the moment something happens to be on. Stop letting your TV control your schedule.
• The news: Sorry, this could have also fallen under tv time, but it is also a specific pet peeve of mine for various reasons. In my personal opinion, I think we should minimize watching the news on tv. In fact, I personally prefer to 'read' about it, so I can choose and determine its worth and check it once a day on my terms. When it is on tv, it just seems to repeat the same bad messages over and over. And, sometimes, we just leave it on for background noise which can be even worse. Unintentionally listening to it feeding our subconscious mind. This doesn't mean we should avoid the news or that we shouldn't know what is going on in the world. But simply means we should be informed but not submerged in it.
• Responding to interruptions or notifications as urgencies: Maybe we're answering a text, an email, or an alert when you should be focusing on something else. Set predefined times to check this. It takes longer to get back engaged in what you were initially doing when you take your focus off of it to answer a message that can likely wait. They say that it can take up to 20 minutes to re-engage in the original task we were working on when we are interrupted. If your notifications are set to be on all the time, this can be a significant interrupter. These are unplanned and unexpected and can keep you busy all day if you let them. Reevaluate your notifications: Are these things essential priorities or an emergency that you need to know the minute they happen? Or is it something that can wait?  And, ask yourself, do you really need all your notifications? News alerts, sports alerts, message alerts, social media alerts, texts, emails. Are they helping me achieve anything?" If not, turn those off. You'll be better off without them. Studies show that, on average, we receive 40-50 notifications a day on our phones. It is a natural habit that when we hear that notification go off, it triggers an almost immediate response from you. 
• Overcommitting or letting others control our time: When we over-commit, we spend unnecessary time trying to get out of a commitment. Or, we may spend time worrying about it. Learn it's okay to say no. This should be your default until you assess the importance. Don't be mean or rude; just be assertive with your personal needs and use of time. Possibly set up alternative pre-determined times to meet or call someone when it works for both parties. Value your time enough to accept invitations or time commitments to things that are beneficial or necessary or when it is appropriate.
• Not being organized or planning your time: I get it. Taking the time to plan also takes up time. But the more organized you are, the more efficient and productive you will be. Setting goals and tasks, prioritizing them, and then setting out to accomplish them. This will help ensure the best use of your time.

Many people talk about time management, but in reality, there is no such thing as time management. You don't really manage time. You manage the actions, activities, and events and how you choose to spend your time. Choose to spend time on the most important things first, and you will likely succeed. If you choose the trivial ones first, and this will delay your success.

Take back control of your time. Make the best of it. Make sure you spend it with the right people and on the right things. Invest time in yourself. Learning, improving, goal-setting, accomplishing the essential tasks, and being productive.

You cannot recycle wasted time. You may not know the value of your time until you look back on the lost time.

Make today great!

Curtis

"I do not want to waste any time. And if you are not working on important things, you are wasting time." - Dean Kamen