Invest Your Time Here!

Photo courtesy of Stuart Miles/Freedigitalphotos.net

Time.  It is sometimes referred to as our most valuable commodity… and for good reasons.  Time is said to be the great equalizer among us.  No matter what your age, gender, race, nationality, religion, political views or socioeconomic status… our lives all revolve around a 24 hour day.  You can’t buy more of it and I’m fairly certain that no one is ever going to crack some sort of scientific code that will enable us to multiply it.  We have what we have, nothing more and nothing less. 

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What do you do with your time?  I love talking to busy people about time because I always find it interesting to discover what they are so busy doing.  Most busy people tell me they spend their time on such things as cleaning the house, working, watching television, surfing the net and managing a plethora of family extracurricular activities (sports, music lessons, choir, dance, etc.).  Yet, when these time investments are given closer consideration, most busy people admit that these activities are not very satisfying.  It’s like spinning your wheels as fast as they will go, yet not really ever getting anywhere, especially anywhere closer to feeling satisfied with your life.  The consequence of chronically living such a busy life is of course, chronic stress… which of course is a one way street to burnout.  

Are you one of these busy people?  If you are (or know someone who is) here is a simple, quick and easy way to help get your priorities back in alignment by making wise time investments.  Are you ready to get started?  Take out a sheet of paper and draw a large circle on it. Now, just design a simple pie chart that assigns how you spend your time to the pieces of your pie.  It is important to be honest with yourself.  If you spend three hours each night watching television and surfing the net, make sure you represent that time accurately.  Once you have completed this exercise, try to look at it objectively.  What do you notice?  

Now, take out another sheet of paper and draw a new circle.  Create another pie chart, yet this time, assign the pieces to represent how you would like to spend your time differently.  Are you neglecting your spouse?  How about quality time with your children or close friends?  What about exercise and sleep?  Reading?  Learning a new skill or hobby?  What about down time to relax?   What time investments will you have to give up in order to make room for these new priorities? 

One of the most notable changes in this example is that the lunch hour during work is invested in "me time" which includes things like reading, writing in a journal or making time for a quick phone call to a neglected friend or family member.  How is grandma doing anyway?  The previous evenings spent watching TV and surfing the net are now invested in daily dates with wife/husband, down time, exercise and even allocated time for nurturing a forgotten hobby or talent.  

I hope this experience helped you visualize your current time investments and how you might like to reconsider some of your priorities.  Treat your time as if it were pure gold.  Remember that once you spend your time, it’s spent.  Every hour you invest watching television or mindlessly surfing the net, is one less hour you have to invest in your relationships with those most important to you… including your relationship with yourself.  Ponder it and if you have time, share your thoughts and experiences with me.