TIME—The Invaluable Commodity
The NUMBER ONE commodity in my personal and professional life, the most influential commodity in my life, and the one thing I wish I had more of. Now you see my point of view on TIME and how important it is to me and I think most people would agree. But agreeing to the value of time and acting and practicing on maximizing it are two different things. Every day is an effort to not spend time on unnecessary things. You may be wondering how do you do this if you’re running a business, just started a new company, or working a high-pressure job where you’ll say “this is just part of the job”. Now I can only speak from my own perspective but when I began taking my time seriously my professional and personal life got better.
Understand the VALUE of Time
You will never get anywhere if you don’t spend the time to understand what this really means. We all have a start (birth) and an ending, or a fixed period of time here on this earth. When that becomes a reality you and you are aware of this you should begin to rank TIME up there with your wife, husband, kids, family in terms of importance. It should be a top priority for you but you shouldn’t let it control you, you control it.
Set your TIME Parameters
This is a constant evolving approach as your life changes but you have a to have a TIME PLAN. This means what is necessary and unnecessary to spend time on from a BIG picture approach. If you’re a real estate developer that focuses on retail properties and that is your business plan, your time should not be spent on reviewing and communicating about industrial properties or single-family lots. You have a cut quick and move on if it is not in your current parameters. Not an easy practice when your entrepreneurial spirit invites new opportunities.
Look for TIME CREATORS
Obviously not to be taken literally since there is no such thing as a TIME CREATOR. This is a tool, platform, technology, personnel position, new software, new car, relocating closer to work that allows you to be more efficient. By way of example social media allows my Company to mass-market in an efficient and direct manner. This has proven to be a BIG time-creator for us where in the past we would have to send hundreds of separate emails or phone calls.
To keep it real and honest, when I started typing this BLOG I realized my time can and should be spent on more pressing matters. So, I paused and came back to it. I realized that devoting my time on a BLOG in the midst of a early morning workday was not the best usage of my time. I was able to do that because I’m aware and conscious of my time consumption on every decision I make in business.
Maximizing your TIME is a painstaking task that requires constant effort and balance. Like any self-improving practice or approach, it is hard, and you have to be your biggest critic at all times.
Someone once said, we all get the same 24 hours in 1 day, its what you do with it.