Manage your time really means to keep your life under control. We all have 168 hours a week. Why do some get some many vital things done and others just work on their email and other not very important things.
William Penn, founder of Pennsylvania, once said, “Time is what we want most, but what we use worst.”And with the plethora of time management tools and books on the market today, it’s hard to disagree with that statement.
It probably does not matter what system you use to manage your time and control your life. I prefer the Day-Timer for planning my days and for controlling my life. I like my Blackberry too but the main tool that really makes me effecient and effective is my Day-Timer.
Regardless of what system you use to manage your time, successful time management comes down to a few things.
1. Buy yourself a planner
2. Before starting each day, fill in the To Do list with the things you did not do too well yesterday and go fix them, then list the things you need to do that are your responsibility including your spouse, partner or friend, your children, your development needs, your financial health, your physical health and on and on. Some of these things might well be in your email.
3. Put a priority code next to each item. They are either urgent, vital or important. When you have any free time you go to this list and work away at eliminating it before the day ends. Doing email every two minutes might seem like your are busy but I assure you that it will not solve the big issues in your life. Being busy and being effective are two different things.
The system is simple and anyone can do it. With self-discipline almost anything can be accomplished.
Work on everything that you don’t want to have regrets about one day. You control your future or you don’t control it.
When you don’t have enough money to retire or you fall and break your hip or lose your health because you could not find the time to workout, then you will have major regrets.
Baby Boomers right now report that the two things they have regrets about are not saving enough for retirement and not taking care of their health and many report that they wish they had used more sunscreen so they would not look 10 years older than they are.
Don’t wait until January 1st to start….Order your Day-Timer today and get your act together….Have a good weekend…Lee
PS: Just had my first public leadership, management and service excellence workshop in Dallas at the Four Seasons Resort. It was very successful with high ratings from the attendees. One person wrote that it was “Life Changing.” The next one is in NYC in September and we just scheduled three more for 2012 in Dallas, Chicago and NYC. The link for the seminar brochure is: www.wcbfmd.com. or go to my website at: www.LeeCockerell.com The Four Seasons Resort did a fabulous job of taking care of us. They really know what service excellence is all about.