How many of us talk about time management, or lack of time to get it all done?
I’d venture to say it’s pretty much all of us. In fact, it’s probably the number one excuse I hear from people who don’t work out or cook supportive meals.
Number two, of course, is money. For some, I do believe it’s a legitimate reason, but for the majority I find it to be an excuse as well. But that’s a rant for another day ;-) I’ll stick to the time management issue for now.
I thought I’d share a little bit of my take on the subject.
When you look at time, do you look at it as time spent or time invested?
It may seem like semantics, but it’s not.
When you spend (time/money/resources) ON something, your mindset is generally more focused on lack, limitation, or waste. When you invest (time/money/resources) IN something, your mindset is generally more focused on abundance, growth, getting/making things better.
It’s an interesting perspective, and one I believe we could all benefit from.
Time Management vs Time Investment
I mean, if I had to choose between spending my time getting in a workout or checking off boxes that have things not important to me, the workout is going to give me a much better return (for my goals), right?
Of course, that doesn’t mean you should only spend time on the things you want to do or bring you the most return. After all, the dishes need to be done and the trash has to be taken out.
Although, when you think about those tasks, they do have a specific return – dishes you can eat on and no stinky garbage in the house! #winning
So in actuality, it all comes down to goals and priorities. I heard a long time ago, that you can always tell what your priorities are by examining your calendar and your checkbook.
Have a look for yourself. Would you be willing to share your calendar and bank statements with others? Would you be proud or embarrassed to show where you spend your time and money? Where are YOUR priorities?
Let’s dig a little deeper into this time management thing.
First of all, you can’t manage time. We all have the same 24 hours in the day. What you can manage is ACTIVITY (got that one from the late, great Earl Nightingale).
What Nightingale meant is you have to schedule your activities, and then stick to your schedule – something that has become harder and harder these days with all the modern-day distractions (social media, hundreds of TV channels, cat videos on YouTube, memes, etc.), not to mention many kids today are WAY over-scheduled (causing all kinds of issues too broad for this article) and are therefore causing parents to be over-scheduled, and sacrificing their health & well-being. (Again, more fodder for another time)
Simple Fact: If you want to get/stay healthy & fit, you’ve got to lead a lifestyle conducive to producing that result.
Working out regularly and eating supportively is critical. If you don’t make room in your schedule (invest your time) then you can forget about accomplishing your goals. Quite frankly, they’re not goals at that point, just worthless wishes (i.e. repetitive New Years resolutions)
If you’re just “so busy” you “can’t do it all” then maybe you need to rethink what “it all” is.
- What are your goals – your most important goals?
- Are you spending your days working towards them, or are there hours/days lost on things that just aren’t important?
- Would being more organized help you do things faster?
- Can you put a better system in place (or one at all) to review your goals, plan your objectives, and schedule your tasks?
- Can you cut some things out (trade late-night TV for sleep), delegate some things (use a food service for healthy lunches), and limit time spent on some things (pick set times and use a timer for Facebook)?
I’ve said it repeatedly, time is our most precious commodity. Once it’s gone, it’s gone. There’s no getting days back, and there are only 24 hours (16 if you’re getting proper sleep) in your day to get things done.
EVERYTHING IS A CHOICE! You choose your schedule.
So, are you spending time or investing it? If you’re investing it, are you getting the return you’re looking for?
You wouldn’t hang on to a bad stock with no hope for a profit. Don’t keep a schedule that sucks your life away and makes you wish you would have done things differently.
