Time Management Tips

It’s clear that life has tons of distractions. We are in the middle of a Recession, a Presidential Campaign, and the normal struggles of life. At the same time, we are all making a fanatical attempt to juggle our time. Time management continually affects individuals on a daily basis. Have you ever really thought about why you just can’t get it all done?

The Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary defines time as “the measured or measurable period during which an action, process, or condition exists or continues…a nonspatial continuum that is measured in terms of events which succeed one another from past through present to future.” In other words, time is already measured for you in seconds, minutes, hours, months, years, etc. Like the definition above, we also relate time to the past, present, and future. Have you ever thought about where time really exists?

• Where does the past exist?
• Where does the present exist?
• Where does the future exist?

Let’s look a little closer to home for the answers. I’m sure whatever you’re thinking is a little different from what I’m about to reveal. Both the past and the future exist in your mind. Think about it, 50,000 of our 60,000 daily thoughts are the same ones we had yesterday because we are too busy focusing on the past. Likewise, when you think about the future it all exists in your mind until it takes place. Which leads me to the present. Have you figured out where the present exists yet? Well, the truth is…it doesn’t. The present is simply a moment that happens so fast, it can be placed in the past before you blink.

Now that you have an understanding of how time is already measured for you, the present is simply a moment that doesn’t exist, and that the past and future both exist in your mind; I’m ready to expose what you’re truly managing. If you’re still thinking time, guess again. Your time is managed by your thoughts; therefore, you’re managing your thoughts. We all make decisions based on how we think.

• TIP #1 – We all play several roles in life. You may be a parent, a coach, a teacher, a consultant, and a spouse. Ask yourself, what roles do I play? Write them down.
• TIP #2 – Assign priorities to each role.
• TIP #3 – Now determine how to spend your time based on the roles and priorities in your life.

All in all, time management is an illusion. Since the present is moving so fast, you have to manage the future and the past in your mind. Managing the present is simple if you prioritize your time based on the roles in your life.

FINAL THOUGHT: The true sequential flow of time is NOT the past, the present, and the future. It’s actually, the future, the present, and then the past. Think about it, your goals are set for the future, you goals are attained in a moment of time (the present), and after that moment your goals are simply a memory of the past.