Maybe it’s because I am getting older but the adage ‘Time is Money’ seems to be more relevant today then ever. I was reminiscing with my wife the other day about how that in bygone days we were without mobile phones, computers and all of the ‘time saving devices’ seem to have made our lives more complicated. I seem to spend more time answering e mails and my mobile phone than I would like.
Don’t get me wrong, I am all for technological advances and love social media. It’s pretty amazing to think that we used to write each other a handwritten letter, put a stamp on it and 24-72 hours later we got the letter. These days you can be on ‘WhatsApp’ or a multitude of other Apps and your phone is constantly pinging. I even get to see where people are today on holiday, what they had for dinner and the state of their health or whatever else they share on social media. It is like most things in life, you can either use it for good or bad. It’s a matter of the choices we make. I have had some friends recently go on a self-inflicted ‘fast’ from Facebook and some other forms of social media just to give their lives more sanity. I respect that and think a technology ‘detox’ would do us all good once in a while.
Okay, so back to ‘time is money’ and time management. Why is it that some people get more done in a day than some people do in a week or a month? We all have been given the same 24 hours per day but it is what we do with it that counts. Tomorrow is a promissory note, yesterday is a cancelled cheque and today is the only thing that is for sure! So, how do you get more out of life than someone else? Prioritising is the key.
I have found the best way to get organised and get tasks accomplished is to sit down before I go to bed and look at my ‘To Do’ List. Then I prioritise the urgent things with an A, not urgent as a B, I will get around to it sometime as a C. I then number the A’s, B’s, etc in the order of their importance (A1, A2, B1) and I work on that one thing until I get it done. I just keep moving down the list in the order of its importance. If I do a get a phone call or some interruption (it happens to all of us) I get back to that ONE project in order to ‘keep the main thing the main thing’.
Ever wonder why that if you want something done you ask a busy person instead of someone who doesn’t have as much going on? That is because the person who is busier is better organised, more committed, more focused and a DOER!
We all have a choice with our 24 hours a day to either make excuses or make progress. Time is one of those things you can never get back and that is why it is one of the most important things to conquer and gain control over. Whether it is time I spend with my family and friends or business, I cherish and guard my time in order to maximise my life.
At the end of our lives we will no doubt look back on what we were able to accomplish in every area of our lives. How will people remember you with what you did with your time? As a wise investor or wasting time?
After all time is money and how you invest your time does determine your future!