Ok so… we all know the saying “Time is money” but to be honest with you I sometimes wonder if Nigerians truly believe this saying. If we do then why do we treat time the way we do? Anyway, staying on topic… its true – the real value of our money is measured in time. Money has no real value! The value of the money you have in your bank account is really measured by the length of time you can sustain your current lifestyle. Is your wealth only good for 1 month, 1 year or 5 years? How long does it take you to make the money you have? What is the opportunity cost of an hour of your time gossiping and arguing as supposed to networking and creating opportunities?
Get the picture? Ok so let’s see how we can stop spending our time and start investing it wisely:
GOALS:
You’ve heard this one too “If you don’t know where you are going how do you know when you get there?” So here is the thing, if you start your day and have no expectations from the day then chances are you won’t be able to tell if you have been able to have a productive day at the end of it. Ensure your time has a purpose. Are you doing the right things at the right time? What is your plan for the day and how does this fit into the bigger picture? Anthony Robbins a very successful life coach to people of influence like Oprah Winfrey and Bill Clinton has a formula that has worked very well for me called ‘The Hour of Power’ http://training.tonyrobbins.com/hour-of-power/
PLAN
It’s great to have a goal or a vision but if you don’t have a plan on how to achieve it – it does not count for much. Do you have a report to write today? Make a plan on what needs to be done to be able to write that report. Want to close on a big business deal today? Make a plan! Think it through, consider the steps to be taken to achieve your goals and go after it. If you plan your day and you are more likely to get the results you want.
HABITS
Develop good habits. It’s not good enough to have a good day or a productive day. You need to make a lifestyle of it. Do you notice how successful people dedicate themselves wholly to the goals and targets they pursue? Do you know why? The feeling you get from achieving or succeeding releases a chemical in your body that makes you happy. That feeling gives you a high…the more you succeed the more you achieve that high and get addicted to the feeling. (Unfortunately, it’s the same for failure – the more you lose the more you get accustomed to the feeling too!) So today choose to develop habits that lead you towards the positive results you desire.
SKILLS
Any time you spend acquiring a skill or learning is the time that is never wasted. The acquisition of knowledge is something that can never be taken away from you. To learn something new is to create a higher version of yourself. Invest in you today and increase your value.
LIFESTYLE
With good time management, you should be able to organize and plan your time so that you are able to look after your health, loved ones, and passion better.
CONTROL
It’s true that life is unpredictable but the truth of the matter is that with better time management you are able to control your life and what happens to you better. You will be able to stop reacting to what happens to you and start being proactive about how you manage what happens to you in life. I recommend you read ‘Who moved my cheese?’ by Spencer Johnson for further insight into this.