Old time management joke (and to paraphrase George Carlin):
To the person who has lost something: “Well, where did you have it last?”
The answer: “If I knew that, I would still have it!”
But, there is one thing, that if lost, you can never find again. And unlike your car keys, will not magically show up. What is it?
Time, of course.
Where Do You Lose Time?
We all get the same amount of time in each day. No one gets more, no one gets less. We are all equal in this regard. It is how we choose to spend our time that differs.
Yet, many people complain that they do not have enough time. In that case, it might be a good idea to see where your time is going.
So, where are you losing time? Or maybe, a better question, when are you wasting time?
You could do a time study and track your time. However, at a high level, let’s consider where you are losing your extra time…
- Letting Others Steal It – We place a premium on our time, yet we let others take it without much of a second thought. If you never say no or let others interrupt you without hesitation, then you will find yourself constantly wondering where your time went.
- Slacker Activities – We all get to choose how we spend out time, but some activities are more valuable than others. Do you spend too much time watching TV? Endlessly surfing the Internet? Playing video games? Gossiping? Consider how much you could get done if you reallocated this time.
- Life Friction – Life Friction is what I refer to as “self-inflicted time management.” Do you create extra work for yourself by forgetting things? By being late? Self-inflicted crises unnecessarily waste time.
- Wasting the In-between – Do you sit around in the extra moments you have during the day simply because you do not know what you need to get done? It amazes me when people waste the “in-between” moments in life. Want to see time being squandered? Go observe any doctor’s waiting room.
Let’s take some simple actions to not lose our time…
- Protect It – Defend your time from others like you would protect your money. After all, time is our life’s currency. Don’t give it away without thought.
- Stop Slacking – Develop the discipline to stop watching TV for hours on end or gossiping away the day. If you took the 2 hours a day that you watch TV and spent them on a new skill, you would have invested over 30 full days of time within one year. Impressive.
- Have a Plan – Avoid life friction by planning ahead. You will reduce multiple trips, last minute fire drills, and extra work. You might avoid going the grocery store 3x in one week.
- Know What You Need To Do – Too many people waste their time because they are not aware of what they need to get done. Keep a todo list and keep it visible. Knowing what you need to get done is half the battle. You will be surprised how much “extra stuff” you get done.
It’s Your Time
You cannot get more time in the day. No one can give you more either. So, don’t lose yours.
Make a conscious choice in how you use it. Because whether used or lost, it is gone.
And even if those car keys show up… your time is not coming back.
Where do you lose time?
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I often lose time in between my scheduled tasks. My breaks will be a little bit longer and overall, it might add up to an hour of lost time.
Offensively, we can take action to not waste time by making a daily schedule, executing it, and planning out projects ahead of time.
Defensively, we can save time by being efficient when we are performing a task in a time slot, eliminating distractions such as Facebook and Twitter, and working in a conducive environment.
But, occasionally, I do enjoy taking a full day off to watch TV.
Like what you are saying…
It is this “in-between” time that most people lose. (Or waste…)
Thanks for sharing!