Leverage Your Time – Plan to Win

I hope you find the time to read this post! Find the time? Isn’t it crazy how many cliches we use when we talk about our single greatest non-replenishable asset? The fact of the matter is that before we can effectively utilize or manage our time, we must learn the value of it. I trust that this week and in the weeks to come you will begin to understand time differently than you ever have before.

Remember, we live our lives in four quadrants:

1. Important and Urgent
2. Important and Not Urgent
3. Not Important and Urgent
4. Not Important and Not Urgent

Utopia means that you live 100% of your life in Quadrant 2. If you live 80% of your life in Quadrant 2, you are considered a Jedi Time Master! You may be far from there now, but if you put a plan in place and set goals to increase your level of Quadrant 2 time (and decrease your level of Quadrant 3 and 4 time), just 5% per month, you will make great strides this year. Keep in mind, since we are humans and “things happen,” decreasing your Quadrant 1 time under 5% or 10% is an unlikely possibility.

How Much Time Do You Have?

Effective time management is essential to success. The most successful organizations in the 21st century require employees who are effective time managers, and know how to set and reach goals based on the organization’s vision and values. In today’s changing economy, those who are able to determine what is important, prioritize their activities and set and reach goals in their personal and organizational lives, will make the biggest impact.

Also, never forget this very important number: 168.

There are 168 precious hours in a week and once they’re gone, you aren’t going to get them back! One time a few years back, I decided that I would l create a spreadsheet with 168 cells and map out where I was spending my time. What I observed was nothing short of disturbing. Here’s why: I was trying to do about 400 hours of work in 168 hours and it was costing me dearly in many departments, sleep being one of them.

After I did the exercise, I had 100% awareness about what I needed to do to get better. I needed to improve in a number of areas in order to become more efficient with my time. This exercise not only helped me understand the value of my time, but it helped me to leverage it. I hope you find this to be helpful.

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