Culture Corner: The Value of Time
The Value of Time
Which statement applies to you:
I want to work on my organization I have too much on my plate It’s all important, I cannot prioritize
I never have enough hours in a day
No matter which statement you marked (let’s be honest, we’ve all made these statements a time or two) it all comes back to needing better time management. Here’s the thing about TIME – it doesn’t matter who you are, your title, your age or how much money you make – we all get the same 24 hours in a day, no more, no less.
The importance of managing our time more wisely is to help us make time to do the things we love, not to mention it can help us increase our productivity, make us more efficient and potentially help reduce stress. The catch is…you have to be intentional around how you manage your time, but once you create good habits, the sky’s the limit!
First, look at your day, do you manage it, or does your day manage you? Research shows the average person loses 3 hours a day to poor time management. If we’re honest with ourselves, we all lose a few minutes here or there and it typically stems from three
things:
- Procrastination
- Distraction
- Being Overwhelmed
The key to better understanding procrastination, distraction and being overwhelmed is they are all self-imposed. What that means to you and me is, we have the control to do something about them!
Here are a few ideas to help you buy back some time, when it comes to procrastination, make yourself put the thing you’ve been delaying, first on your list to do. As for distractions, turn off your text, email, or social media notifications. Nothing messes with your focus on a project or an individual discussion more than the “ding” from your device. Lastly, if you are overwhelmed by everything on your “to do” list, you are not alone. If you have twenty things listed, instead of working from that long list (you’re not going to get 20 things done in one day) prioritize the three things you MUST get done and put it in your calendar for the next day.
It’s the little things you do each day that can make a big difference, and when it comes to time management if we simply start budgeting our time like we budget our bank account you just might find a windfall. Here’s our challenge to you, grab a piece of paper, draw a 24-hourclock and account for everything that you do within those 24 hours. Ask yourself, what’s wasting my time, what’s promoting my growth and what’s missing from my day to day?
Take time today to take control and make your day count.
