By Allan Weisbard L.C.S.W. © 2007
Time is our most precious resource.
We never know how much we will have and no amount of money can buy more.
How we spend our time is how we spend our life.
- Keep a time log for a week; does it reflect your priorities of just the urgent tasks?
- Begin with the End in Mind. If you know where you are going it will be a lot easier to figure out how to get there.
- Learn to say Yes to your priorities by learning to say No. Developing assertiveness skills can save you untold hours and stress by saying No easily. If it is not a YES, it is a no.
- Even an elephant looks small in the distance – Don’t say yes to a commitment because it is far away. Soon it will be upon you and require more time. Will you have the time then?
- Know your biorhythms. Learn your peak times of day when you have increased concentration to do challenging and complex tasks. Don’t squander that time.
- Release yourself from the ‘curse of perfectionism.’ Do not halt your forward momentum struggling to get something perfect.
- Make Molehills out of Mountains. Reduce procrastination. Divide big tasks into smaller steps, set aside time and get started. Simply start – make 15 minute agreements with yourself. After 15 minutes performing the task, make a decision whether to keep going. Dreading the work is usually harder than doing it. Use the power of momentum to keep going.
- Break the urgency addiction – eliminate the false belief that you need to be under stress to function effectively.
- Make routine your servant by eliminating decisions and distractions that keep you from doing predictable tasks.
- Lead a balanced life by scheduling self-care, renewal, and fun along with work
