Or do you need to get real and take some serious action? If you wonder why time seems to slip away, you’re not as time efficient as you think.
Most people get through the day like they’re on a white-knuckle ride, trying to “do it all”.
Despite being ‘non-stop busy’, we’re perplexed when the end of the day rolls up and we didn’t get half the things accomplished that we had set out to do.
Why does this happen?
One reason (among others we’ll discuss in future posts) is a basic discrepancy in perception. That is, the difference between your perception of what you can – and can not – do in 24 hours versus reality.
Think about your daily load. No matter how much is on your plate you probably feel responsible for it all. And because you’re often able to cram so much into the course of a day you’ve proven yourself somewhat time efficient already.
The issue isn’t that there’s too much on your plate, it’s the unwavering belief that you’ll be able to finish it all by the time your head hits the pillow.
This is not sound or logical. You’re relying on hope.
That’s why it’s important to have a grip on your 24 hours and an experience-based knowledge of how much you can accomplish. If you’re unknowingly trying to do too much, you’ll never reach the finish line. And that’s soul-destroying after a while.
Though interestingly, many would rather suffer from feelings of disappointment and frustration than admit to failure!
Who wants to admit that they’re not superhuman and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound?
Time to GET REAL and get your perception of time more closely aligned to reality!
To begin, it’s important to improve your understanding of the flow of time. This is different for each person, so you’ll need to figure this out for yourself. Action the following:
Action 1: Change your mental picture of ‘Time’
- Despite images we see of clocks with wings and the like, time isn’t slipping, stretching, melting, flying away or going down a drain!
- Stop thinking you have a magic expanding hour, to do something. You don’t. There’s only so much that can fit in 60 minutes before there’s no room for anything else. Better to conjure up an image, like a drawer in a filing cabinet, that represents time in a finite containerised way.
Why?
Seeing your day as a series of fixed-space compartments will help you proactively fill those containers with your most important activity.
Action 2: Set Time Timers
- Start setting timers for varied segments. Get used to the feeling of the ‘limit’ of say 10, 30 and 60 minutes. You may think you know how long these timeframes are, but I’d wager you’ll surprise yourself.
…Like when you think you’ve been on-line 10 minutes…until you’re shocked out of your wits that an hour has just whizzed by!
Why?
It forces you to admit that time isn’t on your schedule. 10 minutes is 10 minutes, not 17 according to you.
Action 3: Face the Reality
- Log your daily activity for a week, spare no detail.
- At the end of the week review for patterns. Notice the areas where you’re already time efficient, and those areas less-so.
Why?
There’s nothing like the reality of seeing your 24 hours on paper.
First you’ll realise how much you’re accomplishing already, so you can stop beating yourself up for not building Rome in a day!
Secondly, you’ll see how to make realistic adjustments that will give you a fighting chance at a successful day.
Become time efficient. Stop leaving your day to chance!
What mental image of ‘time’ works for you? Please share your comments!
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For any queries, Contact Cory Cook.
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