Time

We all have the same amount of time – 24 hours a day.  No one has less or more time than anyone else.   Each of us ultimately decides on how we use our time. 

Our use of time can be productive, neutral / un-productive, or our use of time can be negative / destructive.

To say, “I don’t have time,” is not an entirely accurate statement.  The fact is that we choose to spend our time on what we feel is important, our priorities.  When we decide not to devote time to something, in reality the reason is because [that], whatever issue is vying for our time, is simply not important - not a priority.

Perhaps, if one is honest with them self, it may help to change their priorities.  For example: If one could admit that they don’t exercise because it is not as important as watching three hours of television each night, maybe this candour could cause them to make a change.  I don’t think anyone would tell their kids that the reason they don’t have time for them is because everything else - shopping, golf, work, any hobby - is more important. 

There is only one person that controls your time - you.  You might now be thinking to yourself, “Try telling that to my boss.”  Do you choose to work or, do you have to work?  Two different mindsets.  Work should be a productive use of time, but I know many people that feel they need to put in more time than is expected to get the job done while others are doing the same job in regular time.  Work does fill the time allotted.   Are you putting in time or, working to accomplish an objective?  Again, two different mindsets, but our mindset - the way that we think - ultimately controls how we do our job, our time and . . . our life.

Instead of using the excuse of “no time,” just be honest and say: “I have more important things to do.”  This may help realign your priorities.

Time

Work / life balance

Why do we work? To make money, to contribute, to find purpose are all reasons that we would hear. I think a colleague of mine stated it best, "we work to improve our personal lives." There are those that work for the sake of work (work is everything) whom I feel sorry for, them and their family (if they have managed to hold on to), but this [improve my personal life] is the reason that I go to work and do my best everyday.

The challenge / problem for some is that they have failed to draw a line in terms of when they will work and when they will stop working, each day / each week.

Parkinson's law:
Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.

To state more succinctly:

The amount of time which one has to perform a task is the amount of time it will take to complete the task.


The reality is that if we have clear goals, putting limits on the amount of time that we allocate to achieve those goals will result in enhanced productivity. We will get the work complete, and have more time for our personal life. We can determine the deadline to complete the work. For example: a project that must be completed by Monday morning could be completed by Friday night at six if we so choose. 

Outlined in the book "Start with Why" by Simon Sinek, a construction company in Baton Rouge, Louisiana actually measures work life balance: employees are required to clock in between 8:00 – 8:30 a.m. and clock out between 5:00 – 5:30pm. Stay any later and they are taken out of a bonus pool. Because they know they have to leave by 5:30 p.m. wasted time has dropped to a minimum. Productivity is high and turnover is low.

Decide when you will start / stop work and which days you will work. Make these restrictions to time dedicated to work a personal commitment to yourself. Most importantly, don't break that commitment. If you break commitments to yourself, it becomes easier to break commitments to others. How you do anything - is how you do everything.

Ultimately, the issue is rooted in our values and we are choosing to cheat. We cheat either our time at work or time with our family.

Work / life balance