Time has always been an elusive concept, but that hasn’t stopped us from trying to capture, measure and control it. One way of looking at time is that it is a dimension of the universe in which events occur in sequence. Another viewpoint is that time is neither an event nor a thing and cannot be measured or travelled but an intellectual structure within which we sequence and compare events.
Whether time is a fundamental physical dimension or a subjective sensation, as humans we often battle with not having enough of it. We read books and take courses to find the secret of creating more time.
First, we can’t create time. We think we can do something to make more time. We can’t. There will be no more time tomorrow. There still will be 24 hours or 1,440 minutes. Furthermore, we can’t “save” time. We can’t rollover minutes of today to use tomorrow.
The truth is that time is life. We all have the same amount of minutes and hours, so what we do with them, how we use them, is our life. What we call time management is more about life leadership. You can’t manage time, but you can lead your life. Life leadership is not about prioritizing your schedule; it’s about scheduling your priorities.
When we use our time in a balanced way, addressing all the priorities in our lives instead of just work, play, or family, we are much happier. The challenge is knowing our priorities and managing them more effectively.
Seven Tips for Making the Most of the Time of Your Life
Develop a life mission statement. What is your life’s purpose? Who are you?
Develop personal goals. Look at all the roles you play in your life. What can you do to further your mission within each role?
Conquer procrastination. What gets in the way? Fear, perfectionism, disorganization, people pleasing?
Strive for continual improvement. Don’t work towards being perfect; work towards making progress.
Live in the moment. Accept what is and work with it. Worries about the future or regrets about the past won’t help you in the now.
Allow for flexibility. When the unexpected happens, be flexible enough to decide what is the best course of action. What is the best use of my time right now?
Take time for yourself. Make sure you nourish your mind, soul and body. This is your life. Be in it.
Are you making the best use of the time of your life?
“Time is what we want most, but what we use worst” William Penn