Life with Sergeant Major Clock
The clock keeps ticking and here we are in April. It’s time to take a further look at how we manage time.
Last month we looked at nine myths that surround our use of time: Activity equals results; Delayed decisions improve their quality; Delegation saves time; Efficient people are most effective; Long hours equals hard work equals increased productivity; Only I can do it right; An open door equals more effective personal relationships; Time needs managing; and Hopelessness/procrastination.
This month I want to give some insights that will help us manage our time.
Someone has calculated that the average person spends time in the following ways:
3 years – in the classroom
8 years – recreation
6 years – eating
11 years – working
24 years – sleeping
5.5 years – dressing
6 years – walking
3 years – conversation
3 years – reading
5 years – religious activities
The above profile may not be an exact representation of your life but it does illustrate that we may not know how much time we are devoting to one area of our life, and how little we devote to another. Wisdom is needed in knowing how to allocate our time. It is helpful to do a two-week analysis of our time usage. This lets us evaluate our time allocations in relationship to our priorities, goals, and life purpose and helps us detect “time leaks”(areas where time is being misused). By analyzing our time use, we can make the adjustments necessary in order to show that the use of our time accurately reflects our values.
I have found three simple evaluators to help me in my evaluation of time use.
- The goodness filter: Who will benefit in what way from this activity? Does this activity prepare me for greater usefulness? Does it add value to our family, house, property, possessions or business? Does it reflect honour for people and their property?
- The responsibility filter: This filter helps me to define whom I am responsible for and what. Keeping my responsibilities at the forefront of my decision-making helps me separate what I need to do from what I like to do. What I like to do has a magnetic force that can pull me into the realm of irresponsibility. Similarly, I need to know who is responsible to me and for what. What care do they need? What career development is necessary? What coaching will assist them in maximizing their assets?
- The truth filter: This filter helps me separate between reality and fantasy. A worker was telling me all the reasons that he should be promoted to a managerial position. I asked a few awkward questions that he brushed aside. From his perspective he knew the job better than anyone else. He got the job and two months later wished he had never applied. He realized that the skill to do the work did not equal the skill to manage the work. Many people dream of owning their own business only to discover that they do not have the skill to manage, market or materialize their dream. Dreams need to be brought face to face with reality. As a child I watched pilots in training do mock “dog fights” in preparation for dispatch into the 2nd World War. I had a dream of being a pilot. Years later I was flying with my brother from Langley to Port McNeil. Our flight plan took us through the Vancouver Airport airspace. I was “helping” my brother with the navigation. I realized that to achieve his level of certification required time plus money. A light went on! My dream was just that – a dream that was not rooted in reality. I was not willing to invest the time or money to fulfill the dream. Dreams are distractions of the mind if they do not have a plan for their fulfillment. If they are rooted in reality you will make a decision to begin taking steps of action.
As time is our most valuable resource, I personally think it is important to ensure that I use it in a way that propels me forward in the relationships I want to pursue, the goals I want to achieve, and the purpose for which I feel called to fulfill.
Next issue we will look at how we can evaluate past performance and achievements to bring a perspective into the present.
