I’ve written often about making time for the important things in your life and shifting from an “I don’t have the time” mindset to an “I didn’t make the time” one – not only because it’s a good way to look at the situation, but also because it’s true. We are all busy with the obligations from work, our personal lives, and more. But, if we want to get something done, we have to put it on our calendar. We have to make the time for it.
I recently read something I loved on this subject in a piece by Jessica Abel. Here are excerpts, lightly edited, from her piece:
She first explained the “pay yourself first” concept you may have heard from financial planners.
The underlying concept is, if you don’t start saving for your big goals—your retirement, the house you want to buy, the big investment crucial to the future of your business—out of every dollar you bring in, now, today, there’s no magical point as which it becomes easier to save. Your spending will expand to fill (and overfill) your available resources…Save something, no matter how little, for you…every single time you get paid.
She then shared her brilliant application of this concept to time management.
The same goes for your time. If you don’t save a bit of your time for you, now, out of every week, there is no moment in the future when you’ll magically be done with everything and have loads of free time…How often have you told yourself, “I’ll get to work on (insert name of priority here), but first I just need to finish these last three 3 emails…oops, forgot I need to go pick up my cleaning…oh and I’ve got to text Kat back…” and there goes your time window.
The bottom line: use your time as wisely as you use your money. (And if you are not currently using your money wisely, consider adopting the “pay yourself first” model.)
How are you managing time to be sure you are making time for what’s important? Please join the conversation with your comment…
Best regards,
David