One of the greatest lessons in time management is to realize the difference between spending time and investing time. The dictionary defines spend as to use up, exhaust, consume. If you spend, you have no return. On the other hand, when we invest we spend with expectation of some satisfaction, of obtaining an income or profit.
With respect to time, many people spend far more than they invest. Most of us spend inordinate amounts of time engaged in frivolous activities that do little or nothing to propel us toward our life or business goals. For some reason, we don't value time as we do money, electricity, food, or even paperclips. Most of us are trained not to waste paper. We turn off lights, so we don't waste electricity. Yet we continue to treat our time, the precious moments of our lives that can never be relived, as if we had an unlimited supply.
Time is like money. You can expect dividends if you wisely invest it and losses if you spend it carelessly. Time reflects who you are. It indicates what you think of yourself and others, and how focused you are in achieving the goals you have set for yourself. Orchestrate each day of your life to achieve a high level of performance and satisfaction personally and professionally:
- Align your activities with your personal goals and with the goals of your organization.
- While we need to support others and their priorities at times, don't lose sight of your own priorities and goals and ensure that you've allocated time to achieve your goals.
- Don't let the urgent overwhelm the important. Of course you can't ignore the urgent client issue, but also set aside time for the tasks that are important for achieving your objectives.
- Separate "must do today" from "should do today" items. Don't end your day until you've completed all of the "must do" items.
- Refrain from allowing others around you who may be poor planners from impacting your work. Don't let their lack of planning create your crisis.
