The way a person spends his or her time say a lot. Use it, abuse it, mismanage it, or make the most of it – our use of time effects whether we’re able to do things that really matter.
Michelangelo is noted on one occasion as working feverishly to finish a certain project. When he was questioned and warned that the effort may “cost him his life!” he responded, “What else is life for?” Having thrown himself passionately and wholeheartedly into his art, he was willing to use every moment to see his work through. This affirms what Philosopher William James said: “The best use of one’s life is to spend it for something that will outlast it.”
I sarcastically joked that I had inadvertently slept through my extra hour of sleep during the Daylight Savings Time switch this past weekend. I always consider this event in the Fall to be the good time change. Losing an hour in the Spring is a little bit more painful.
Gaining or losing an hour reminds me that time is precious and passes so quickly. I’m often tempted to think that there’s too little time. Yet I have the same amount of time each day that everyone else has. The issue isn’t more time needed, it’s better time use. People may have more talent than me, more skills than me, more advantages than me, and more money than me – but no one has more time than me.
While the extra hour that was given to us the other night has come and gone (sorry Arizona & Hawaii…you don’t play this game), you and I have the ability to capture an extra hour by doing well in the management of our time. Could you use an extra hour in your day? Then consider doing the following:
- Get up 15 minutes earlier or go to bed 15 minutes later.
- Turn off the TV.
- Schedule out your day.
- Take a shorter lunch break.
- Delegate a task to someone else.
- Stop doing unimportant work.
- Check your email once a day.
- Plan out your day the night before.
- Protect yourself from interruptions.
- Strive for excellence but don’t get stuck by perfection.
If you try one or all of these suggestions, you may very well find an extra hour of time. The question then becomes: What will you do with it?
Share this Post