Are you putting your time to good use?
The message I try to promote with this blog is very simple: put your time to good use. I think people really need to be reminded of a fundamental truth: life eventually comes to an end. This is something we often forget until something bad occurs to us or to people we care about, something that makes us realize how fragile life can be and how unimportant the things that worry us for the majority of our time really are.
One of the quotes I like the most is this one by Apple co-founder Steve Jobs:
"Your time is limited, so don`t waste it living someone else`s life".
I like it because it summarizes two key concepts:
1) your time is limited
2) if you don`t take control of your life, you`re going to live someone else`s life.
The second point is crucial. We must realize that without a conscious effort to align our life with our passions and goals, we`ll be living a meaningless life.
After realizing that the most important choices of the first part of my life where made in response to the expectations of others, I felt like I had been robbed of my time. Now I`m trying to change this, one step at the time.
What I realized in the process is that nobody said we are here to put a dent in the universe. You don`t need to be the next big thing to be happy: just do what makes you happy.
If you answered no, here what you should do.
I hope you are already living life your way. If not, you need to make sure you`re going to take control of it.
You want to design a whole new life, based upon something that makes you feel good. You`ll need to make clear how you`ll make a living out of it, start setting goals and then organize your day-to-day to life accordingly.
Ask yourself:
1) What is my passion? What am I good at? (analysis)
2) Is there a way I can make a living out of it? (mission statement)
3) What results do I realistically expect at the end of year 1, were I to start this project? (goals setting)
4) What kind of tasks do I need to get done on a daily basis to achieve my year 1 goals? (organization)
You may have noticed that the second question is the hardest. It could literally take you months to find an answer to that question, and a lot imagination too. But there are no shortcuts. And the only alternative is returning to your ordinary life.
If you make it to the fourth question, though, its just a matter of time and you`ll be really living life your way. From there on, time management techniques can be a lot helpful. Search this blog for time management articles or take a look at the Get organized! handbook for that.
And remember: periodically review what you`ve done, the results you achieved, and make sure your mission is still consistent with your nature and passions. Make adjustments if needed.
Coming soon: free Get organized! handbook.
Im writing a little handbook about how to manage time on a day-to-day basis.
300+ pages volumes are fine for those who want to refine their time management techniques, but their impact on casual people is limited.
What I`m going to do instead is to publish an agile document, something you can read in 10 minutes max, start putting into practice immediately and hand out to your relatives and friends who know nothing about time management yet.