YOU CAN'T SAVE TIME
THERE IS PERHAPS NO AREA OF YOUR LIFE IN WHICH SELF-MANAGE YOUR TIME. TIME MANAGEMENT IS A CORE DISCIPLINE THAT LARGELY DETERMINES THE QUALITY OF YOUR LIFE. AS PETER DRUCKER SAID, "YOU CANNOT MANAGE TIME, YOU CAN ONLY MANAGE YOURSELF".
TIME MANAGEMENT IS REALLY LIFE MANAGEMENT, PERSONAL MANAGEMENT, MANAGEMENT OF YOURSELF RATHER THAN OF TIME OR CIRCUMSANCES.
TIME IS PERISHABLE, IT CANNOT BE SAVED. TIME IS TRUE IRREPLACEABLE, NOTHING ELSE WILL DO. TIME IS IRRESTRIEVABLE, ONCE IT IS GONE OR WASTED, YOU CAN NEVER GET IT BACK. FINALLY, TIME IS INDISPENSABLE, ESPECIALLY FOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF ANY KIND. ALL ACHIEVEMENT, ALL RESULTS, ALL SUCCESS REQUIRES TIME.
THE FACT IS THAT YOU CANNOT SAVE TIME, YOU CAN ONLY SPEND IT DIFFERENTLY. YOU CAN ONLY REALLOCATE YOUR TIME USAGE FROM AREAS OF LOW VALUE TO AREAS OF HIGH VALUE. HEREIN LIES THE KEY TO SUCCESS, AND THE REQUIREMENT FOR SELF-DISCIPLINE.
TIME MANAGEMENT IS THE ABILITY TO CHOOSE THE SEQUENCE OF EVENTS. BY EXERTING YOUR SELF-DISCIPLINE WITH REGARD TO TIME, YOU CAN CHOOSE WHAT TO DO FIRST, SECOND, AND NOT AT ALL. AND YOU ARE ALWAYS FREE TO CHOOSE.
YOU REQUIRE TREMENDOUS SELF-DISCIPLINE TO OVERCOME THE PROCRASINATION AND DELAY THAT HOLDS MOST PEOPLE BACK FROM GREAT SUCCESS. A NATIVE INDIAN ONCE TOLD ME THAT "PROCRASTINATION IS THE THIEF OF DREAMS".
THE PARETO PRINCIPLE, THE 80/20 RULE, SAYS THAT 20 PERCENT OF THE THINGS YOU DO ACCOUNT FOR 80 PERCENT OF THE VALUE WHAT YOU ACCOMPLISH. THIS MEANS THAT 80 PERCENT OF WHAT YOU DO IS WORTH 20 PERCENT OR LESS OF THE VALUE OF WHAT YOU ACCOMPLISH.
ACCESS THE TRUE VALUE
OF EVERYTHING YOU DO
SOME THINGS YOU DO ARE FIVE TIMES AND EVEN TEN TIMES MORE VALUABLE THAN OTHER THINGS, EVEN THOUGH THEY TAKE THE SAME NUMBER OF MINUTES AND HOURS. THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS YOU DO- THE TO 20 PERCENT - ARE USUALLY BIG, DIFFICULT, AND DAUNTING. IN CONTRAST, THE 80 PERCENT OF THINGS THAT YOU DO THAT MAKE OR NO DIFFERENCE TO YOUR LIFE ARE USUALLY FUN, EASY, AND ENJOYABLE,
YOU CAN TELL THE VALUE THAT SOMETHING HAS TO YOU BY THE AMOUNT OF YOUR TIME YOU INVEST IN IT. YOU ALWAYS PAY ATTENTION TO AND SPEND TIME ON WHAT YOU MOST VALUE, WHETHER IT IS YOUR FAMILY, YOUR HEALTH, YOUR SOCIAL OR SPORTS ACTIVIITIES, OR YOUR MONEY AND CAREER. IT IS ONLY BY LOOKING AT HOW YOU SPEND YOUR TIME THAT YOU (AND EVERYONE ELSE) KNOW WHAT IS REALLY IMPORTANT TO YOU.
SOME PEOPLE SAY THAT CAREER SUCCESS IS MOST IMPORTANT TO THEM, AND THEN THEY GO HOME AND WATCH TELEVISION SEVERAL HOURS PER DAY. SOME PEOPLE SAY THEIR FAMILIES ARE IMPORTANT TO THEM, AND THEN THEY GO OUT SOCIALIZING OR PLAYING GOLF. ONLY YOUR ACTIONS TELL YOU - AND OTHERS - WHAT YOU TRULY VALUE.
THE ESSENCE TO TIME MANAGEMENT IS FOR YOU TO DISCIPLINE YOURSELF TO SET CLEAR PRIORITIES - AND THEN SICK TO THOSE PRIORITIES. YOU MUST CONSCIOUSLY AND DELIBERATELY SELECT THE MOST VALUABLE AND IMPORTANT THING THAT YOU COULD BE DOING AT ANY GIVEN TIME, AND THEN DISCIPLINE YOURSELF TO WORK SOLELY ON THAT TASK.
PERSONAL STRATEGIC PLANNING
IN CORPORATE STATEGIC PLANNING, THE MAIN FOCUS IS ON INCREASING THE "RETURN ON EQUITY". EQUITY IN A BUSINESS IS DEFINED AS THE AMOUNT OF MONEY INVESTED IN THE BUSINESS BY THE OWNERS (ASIDE FROM DEBT AND MONEY HORROWED). THE PURPOSE OF STRATEGIC PLANNING IS TO FIND WAYS TO ORGANIZE AND REORGANIZE THE BUSINESS IN SUCH A WAY THAT THE COMPANY IS ACHIEVING A HIGHER RATE OF RETURN ON THIS EQUITY THAN IT WOULD BE IN THE ABSENCE OF THE PLANNING PROCESS.
COMPANIES INVEST FINANCIAL CAPITAL, BUT INDIVIDUALS INVEST "HUMAN CAPITAL". COMPANIES DEPLOY FINANCIAL ASSETS, BUT YOUR MOST VITAL ASSETS ARE YOUR MENTAL, EMOTIONAL, AND PHYSICAL ENERGIES. HOW YOU INVEST THEM DETERMINES YOUR ENTIRE QUALITY OF LIFE.
IN PERSONAL STRATEGIC PLANNING, YOUR GOAL IS TO GET THE HIGHEST, "RETURN ON ENERGY" FROM YOUR ACTIVITIES. KEN BLANCHARD REFERS TO THIS AS GETTING THE HIGHEST "RETURN ON LIFE".
JUST AS YOU WOULD BE CAREFUL ABOUT INVESTING YOUR MONEY SO AS TO ENSURE THAT YOU GET THE HIGHEST RATE OF RETURN, YOU MUST BE EQUALLY CAREFUL WHEN YOU INVEST YOUR TIME. YOU MUST BE SURE THAT YOU EART THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF RESULTS, REWARDS, AND SATISFACTION FROM THE LIMITED AMOUNT OF TIME YOU HAVE.
