Managing Self in Time

Time management is an interesting notion. It implies that we can own or control it. Time itself is part of the three- dimension glue and I don't believe that we can actually "do" anything to it, much less manage it. What we can manage is ourselves in time - our awareness of what we're doing and how we are being within the construct of time.

Time provides us with a constant, an ingenious tool in relativity, that helps us be in relationship with each other synchronistically. For example, we can meet for dinner at 7 p.m., and we will show up and enjoy each other for some time.

Much has been written about the concept of time management. I think of time as a river that always flows. We can go with it, or against it, glide through time, or be pulled kicking and screaming by it. We can't stop it. It's all according to our "today's" perception of it. Time management is an idea we use so that we are aware that we are passing it deliberately or efficiently.

We have the ability to influence our experience of time and what we do with ourselves within the time construct. What we put our attention on increases, and so it is with our perception of how we use time. It's all about focus. We continually make choices consciously, or not. We live in an abundant realm of possibilities, so much so that we must choose our experiences consciously in order to live deliberately.

Focusing our attention is the key to effective time management. Since we cannot focus on everything, we must be selective about that which we will spend our time. This means that we must prioritize. Once we have decided what is most important, we use tools to keep our attention upon that which is important. That is time management.

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"If you want to make good use of your time,
you've got to know what's most important and
then give it all you've got." ~ Lee Iacocca ~
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Simple, but not so easy. Entire industries have emerged to provide time management tools. These tools have become the cornerstones of time management because we use them to keep our attention focused on using time deliberately and they continue to become more sophisticated as technology develops. We've used calendars, models, lists, workbooks, day planners, computers, and now, Palm Pilots.

The best tool for you is the one that fits your lifestyle, is easy for you to use, and keeps your attention focused. If time management is important to you, you must be willing to prioritize it's execution by consistently using the tool of your choice.

A non-traditional trick I've enjoyed is using an object as a reminder, something that is not usually there. The role of this object is to remind you every time you see it, "I'm here to remind you to use your time to......" It must be an object, or deliberate condition that grabs your attention, such as:

> Wear your watch on the opposite arm
> Tie a bright ribbon on your purse or briefcase handle
> Carry a favorite photo in your pocket, or tape it to your
auto's dash
> Use your screen saver for a reminder message
> Carry a large stone/crystal in your pocket
> Tape a sign on the computer or mirror.

Be sure to change your reminder object every couple of weeks because you'll naturally become desensitized to it and its message. It's what you do with time that you are really striving to manage, and what you are doing with time right now is absolutely perfect. We can take our career, personal life, or recreation to the next level by applying the principles of time management.

Need help focussing? Coaching is an excellent tool to use to maintain consistent focus. Consistent focus gets you what you want faster.
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"Don't let the fear of the time it will take to
accomplish something stand in the way of your
doing it. The time will pass anyway; we might
just as well put that passing time to the best
possible use." ~ Earl Nightingale ~
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