Feb

23

Where Does Time Go?

Filed Under Time management, Work life balance issues, Working smarter not harder | Leave a Comment

“Time is money!” And so the old adage goes. Given the state of our economy and the fact that so many people complain that there aren’t enough hours in a day, it’s safe to say that managing our time as well as our finances is pretty challenging these days.

Now, I will not sit here and pretend to be a financial wizard. One thing that has always worked for me though, is knowing how much money comes in, where it goes and what my financial priorities are. I find that to be a good starting point.

I treat time the same way. There are twenty-four hours in a day and, nothing I ever do or wish, will ever change that. The next logical question then is: “What do I have control over and what is the best investment of my time?”

When I work with clients who find time management to be a major challenge, the first thing I ask them to do is an inventory of where their time goes daily. Knowledge is power, after all.

Documenting your daily activities in detail, allows you to see clearly how you invest or spend your time and the effect your time choices have on the quality of your life and your sense of well being. When you look at, how your days go and how easily things can get out of hand, it’s easy to see why you may be on the verge of burn out.

Effective time management is close to impossible if we lack the conviction of our values and true priorities. That’s why the next step includes an honest look on what your true priorities are and how they compare with your daily choices. Most people are surprised to see how little their daily activities reflect their life priorities.

By gaining clarity on what we truly value and want to have in life, we become able to make the choices that make every hour of our day time well spent.

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