Patricia L. Brooks Seminars, LLC
 

Follow Patricia Online:
   
 

Brooks Goldmann Publishing
 

Toastmasters International

Scottsdale Society of Women Writers

Arizona Authors Association
 

Book Info
 

Osher Lifelong
Learning Institute

(Originally printed in Biltmore Lifestyles)

Make time your ally instead of your enemy. Put time on your side! Do less and work smarter—reduce work, instead of expanding it. The key to working smarter is to take time to think and plan ahead. CEO’s are paid a lot of money to “think” not to do.

Organize and prioritize has not gone away, but it now includes identifying the tasks that can be ignored. By evaluating your time and eliminating time wasters, you can create a truly time-on-your-side list of activities. Turn wasted time into good time. My personal favorite is not making the bed!

Procrastination is the enemy within. Delaying gratification and doing the distasteful tasks, tasks that are hard to do and difficult puts time on your side. Defining and reaching your goals makes the passing time “your time.” We all deserve 15 minutes of “down time” each morning for reflection. I actually enjoy talking to myself!

Parkinson’s Law—Work Expands to Fill the Time Available for Its Accomplishments

Your Time! Where does the time go? The same place it always has and always will, around and around. Time is elusive and fleeting. We all have the same 24 hours, the same 60 minutes. There is no satisfaction in trying to do too much. In doing so, we are only trying to justify our value and end up devaluing ourselves and what we can do well because we get nothing done.

Pareto’s Law—80% of Your Time Is Spent on 20% of Your Results

Keep a record for one week of everything you do, and I mean everything. Ask yourself HONESTLY how much time you spent on each item. What were the time wasters? What can you not do and life will go on as usual? What can you not do and no one will notice? Do you have compulsive behaviors that can be eliminated? Dust is a natural part of life!

Remember the words of Alan Lakin, Taking Control of Your Time. Use six categories:

• Habit
• Demands of others
• Escapism
• Spur of the moment
• Default
• Conscious decisions (the best method)

The Better Decisions Are Not Necessarily the Result of Waiting for More Facts.

Habit decisions can save a great deal of time, but review periodically. Intuition is a valuable tool, trust your instincts. Insanity is repeating the same negative behavior, admit when you need to change. A decision to default only gets you off the hook. Make decisions without always having a deadline. Stress is a paradox, there is good stress and bad and the good stress, when given time, can give us more motivation and creativity.

Make Them Your Goals on Your Timeline! The goals are the steps that take you to the objective, which is your destination, but you need an action plan, a strategy for each goal. These are what I call the “what and the how,” a goal and objective without a strategy is incomplete. More likely than not, your failure last year to complete an objective was because you did not have a fully defined strategy to meet that objective. It takes time to write goals, objectives and strategies, but it takes even more time to adjust your path when you are playing catch-up on wasted time.

When setting goals, keep the following in mind:

What do you want to achieve? What are your goals?

Short, Intermediate and Long term goal categories are suggested below to cut the “pie of life” into six pieces. The use of six or eight, an even number sets the tone for balance in your life. Nobody cuts a pie in 5 pieces!

• Career or work
• Mental and Personal Growth
• Physical and Health
• Spiritual and Peace
• Family and Personal
• Financial and Investment/Retirement

Why Is There Never Enough Time to Do It Right and Always Enough Time to Do It Over?

Make the right list; give value to your list items. Proper planning is paramount to your success and is a critical part of the process when you are learning to work smarter. Prioritize each category, be specific when writing, be sure they are your goals and that they are attainable on your timeline, be realistic and visualize your success. Quantify by “crunching numbers” when you can or at least Qualify your goals with a complete description of what you see yourself achieving. You decide if you want to work from the inside out or vice versa. I prefer to start with the big picture and work down to what I will do each day.

Is What I Am Doing or About to Do Getting Me Closer to My Objective?

Time is a personal thing. It is viewed differently by all of us. Some of us may need and want to work on viewing time differently to eliminate some of the stress and pressure that we feel when in a PERCEIVED time crunch. Remember that we all have the same amount of time and that a “time crunch” really does not exist because time just is and is not pushed and pulled.

In your reflection time begin journalizing, if you are not already doing so, and ask these ten questions:

1. What are my subconscious feelings about time?
2. How wisely do I manage my time?
3. How can I focus on my goals when life is running me?
4. What can I delay?
5. Why do I have a hard time delegating?
6. Do I communicate effectively what I can do?
7. Do I truly understand the expectation people have of me?
8. Why do I feel guilty when I say no?
9. Do I procrastinate?
10. Why has time management not worked for me in the past?

Do not Confuse Urgency with Importance.

Time as a Resource! Time is money. Time is valuable. Time is unique for all of us; it is a fixed asset and a quality product that is equal to all. It is passing by at a steady rate and is not faster or slower at any one time. We cannot manage it or manipulate it, but we can value it and make it work for us. Time is a personal decision that can be put on our side with the right attitude, with respect for time and with good time-use decisions.

Good luck! Happy reflection and get ready to enjoy your extra time!