TIME
TICK, TOCK, TICK, TOCK, TICK, TOCK...
TIME- is one of the most precious commodities we have in this world. Unlike money, once it’s gone, there’s no getting it back!
Most people claim they never have enough time to get things done. Sadly, this is only an excuse to justify our ineptness!
Whether you’re the president of the United States, the CEO of a major corporation, or maybe the team leader of a shift, we all have the same amount of time to make it happen.
No matter how you slice it up, the amount of TIME we ALL have each day comes in three measures:
24- hours
1440- minutes
86,400- seconds
The fact is-- we don’t make the time to do what’s required to advance our purpose in life. There’s an old saying that I live by “excuses are the tools of the incompetent, and those who use them very seldom amount to anything.” By allowing excuses to mitigate your circumstances, you’ll end up with the consequences of your unattended actions--TM.
Out of necessity, each day we have daily functions that require our immediate attention. The average American will:
Sleeps 6-8 hours a day
Conduct personal care for 45 mins to an hour per day
Works 8 hours per day
Spends 1 hour 8 mins eating per day
Commute an average of 52 minutes per day
This accounts for 17-19 hours of a 24-hour day.
Outside of necessities, the average American has approximately 5 to 7 hours of downtime. During their downtime each day, the average American will:
Check their phone 47 times
Send or receive 60 text messages (30 mins @ 30 sec each)
Spend 2 hours and 24 minutes on social media
Watch 4 hours and 30 mins of tv
Unless you have a thriving business, which requires constant and consistent social media interaction, this is how you choose to spend your precious time.
A core tenant of my coaching philosophy and perhaps one of the most essential pieces of coaching advice I offer my clients is to “manage your time and don’t let time manage you!” As the saying goes, “people don’t plan to fail; they simply fail to plan.” A life without planning and forethought ultimately leads you to a life of chaos and uncertainty.
Time Management-
The goal here is to prioritize and organize your daily effects by planning out your time accordingly, so that it may benefit your life goals and career aspirations. Maintaining a schedule helps you to stay on track throughout the day. Like any well, thought-out plan, stick to it and build in timeframes for miscellaneous, unforeseen, or catch-up items.
Now, I believe in work/life balance, but I also believe in devoting a major portion of my free time with personal and professional development. I am adamant about feeding my mind, body, and spirit daily. I get up earlier than the average person to create more time to:
Feed my spirit by reading the bible and praying
Feed my mind by listening to motivational, educational and spiritual information
Feed my body with water, workout, and nutrients
These actions alone set the tone of my day by creating a faith-based environment that empowers me to believe I can accomplish anything I set my mind to achieve. Second, these actions allow me to build the strength and endurance to mentally & physically outlast, outperform, and compete at the highest level. Last, these actions are my solid foundation for faith without works is dead. (John 2: 17.)
Another way to achieve time-management goals is to replace an unproductive habit with one that will benefit you in the long run. I once read that the average person may read one book per year, but with today’s technology, you can listen to audible books during your commute. If you listen to 20-30 minutes of an audible book per day during your commute, you will have read the equivalent of 20-25 books per year! Or think of it this way, 15,000 miles per year in your car over a three-year period is roughly the equivalent of an associate degree! Lastly, I read or listen to a podcast while I am working out versus listening to music. Any opportunity I get to enrich my mind, I opt-in to do it versus listening to the same songs repeatedly.
Just remember, if you’re a company guy or gal, you are expendable! A company can let you go without hesitation. Being loyal to a company that may or may not be loyal to you is unwise. You should always take the TIME to work on personal and professional development in the form of a backup plan, residual income, or advancement regardless of your circumstances. You never know when it's TIME to go in a different direction!
Wonderful things will happen at the intersection of preparation and opportunity!
It's about TIME, nothing more, nothing less.
Coach Tony
Sources
https://www.broadbandsearch.net/blog/average-daily-time-on-social-media
https://www.statista.com/chart/15224/daily-tv-consumption-by-us-adults/