It has been taught that happiness comes from spending one dollar less than what you have, and misery comes from spending one dollar more than what you have. When you overspend with money, you go into debt and have to pay interest.
It is the same with time. I would suggest that happiness also comes from spending one minute less than what you have and misery comes from attempting to spend one minute more than what you have.
Want to learn the secret my clients pay me the big bucks to put into practice? Here it is:
There are only sixty minutes in an hour. There are only twenty-four hours in a day.
This simplistic statement is something we know academically, yet fight against in practice. Most try to fight the Truth of Time every day. Some fight it every hour.
These people become time bankrupt, because they are constantly overspending time and playing a catch-up game.
Yet others have learned to be at peace with the Truth of Time. They have come to accept it as the immovable truth that it is, and actually feel they are time wealthy. These people have put systems in place that allow them to smoothly manage unexpected emergencies.
Allow me to share a few systems to help you be at peace with the Truth of Time:
1. Use a calendar- This may seem a ridiculously obvious suggestion. The truth is that my Certified Time Coaches see far too many people that have no calendar prior to completing a Boot Camp. These people attempt to schedule tasks and appointments in their mind. This results in missed appointments, stress, confusion, and over-scheduling. Not using a calendar is a bit like trying to use a credit card for your time.
2. Use only one calendar- While many people use no calendar, many other people also use multiple calendars to try to schedule their day. Examples of multiple calendars include a work calendar, a personal calendar, a family calendar, a digital planner, a paper planner, and so on. Those who use multiple calendars spread themselves in many directions. By sticking to just one calendar, you will be able to accurately assess how much time you truly have in your week.
3. Under spend time- Make sure that all of your appointments are not back to back. Give yourself breathing room of 15 or 30 minutes; sometimes even an hour. If you find yourself unable to leave these gaps in your schedule, then push things off. Procrastinate as much as possible the things that are not necessary in the moment. Doing this will leave you the room to handle the unexpected.
Ultimately, being at peace with the truth of time is a matter of you being truthful with yourself. While you are likely capable of doing anything you put your mind to doing, you are not capable of doing it all at once.
