Part one of a three-part series
Time is the most valuable resource we have been given. How we choose to spend this resource says more about our potential for exceptional life than almost anything else. My professional goal has been to achieve as much as possible while investing the least amount of time, freeing my time up for the other important things in life.
LIVE WITH NO REGRETS
I’ve committed to living as best I can without regrets. This goal has served me well – I can truly say I have very few regrets. When I started my first business, I worked 70 hours a week and this was before I was married. I intently put in a lot of time because I knew once I had a family I wanted to be present. I had a goal for family life and one for financial independence and I had high aspirations for both. Fortunately, I realized early on that there was more to life than making money or building something. It was a privilege to have the opportunity to work hard and attain success, and I’ve tried to never take that for granted. However, I came to realize that working was not the only way I felt my time could be best spent. I therefore needed to be smart in how I managed my time and put together a plan as to how I could achieve both goals.
IT’S NOT HOW MUCH YOU HAVE, BUT HOW YOU SPEND IT
If you truly believe time is your most important resource, everything else should be managed accordingly. It isn’t how much money or time you have that sets the stage for your future success – it’s how you handle what you do have that is most important. Recognize this early on and create strategies for allocating the time you will spend doing the “most important things” in your life.
KNOW WHERE YOU’RE GOING
A well-planned life delivers lots of dividends. It won’t go exactly the way you plan it, but if you don’t have goals, you won’t know where you’re headed. If you don’t have goals, you won’t know when you get there. You won’t know when to celebrate and take time to enjoy your achievements. For those of us who are passionate about our work, it can be easy to allow work to consume more of our time than is necessary, but a life that centers around work is not a successful life in my book.
It’s therefore important to have business goals and family goals. On the business end, I would set 10-year goals, from those goals I would then set 5-year goals, from which I would set 3-year goals and finally get to a 1-year goal. By taking that approach, my 1-year goal was leading me to where I wanted to be in 10 years. This made it easier to identify when I had achieved something and gave me the opportunity to celebrate the accomplishment.
TIME + STRATEGIC BEHAVIOR = SUCCESS
It’s true with family. It’s true with marriage. It’s true in business. It’s true in how you combine them all. Sometimes you’ll hear people say you just need to invest time – that’s true, but strategic time is all the more valuable. Don’t miss it – strategic behavior includes wrestling on the carpet with your kids. Where do you find that you get the best return? One thing I have held to for most of my career is I only do the things I need to do. If somebody else can do it, I delegate it. Don’t spend time just for the sake of it – spend time where it matters most. Reviewing this handout on Making Time Work for You will shed some more light on how to identify the highest and lowest value uses of your time.
MAKE THE TRADE
Train yourself to see opportunities within your day where time could be wasted and plan to make the most of it. Here’s what I mean: I may enjoy listening to music, but I also know that I can get some valuable work done dictating while I’m driving or traveling. Sacrifices need to be made, but you get to choose where they come from. If that means I miss half an hour of enjoying music that I later get to spend with my family, I believe it’s a worthy trade.
TAKE CARE OF YOUR HEALTH
I understand that exercise keeps me sharp and is critical for my overall health. My cancer diagnosis was an important reminder of how my health has an impact on my life and work. Prioritizing my health helps me fend off preventable diseases and gives me more energy to get the most out of my time. Being diligent about rest and eating well is a high priority to me.
KNOW YOURSELF
I get such joy out of helping others fix problems and empowering people. I’ve discovered that I’m wired to work. Enjoying what you do is a great asset, but making sure that you free yourself up enough to enjoy your family relationships, service to your community, and the rest of what is important in life, is so important.
LEARN HOW TO SAY NO
Life would be easier if all you had to do was pick out the good things from the bad – say yes to the good, and no to the bad. Unfortunately, that’s just not how it works. Saying no is always more challenging than it seems like it should be. In order to make the most powerful impact, you do have to say no. If you don’t have a no, your yes becomes meaningless. I am generally above average at saying no as I am impulsive and enjoy getting things done. However, I’ve improved on this by measuring the request against what will generate the highest return for me.
ACTION STEPS
Take an inventory of how you currently spend your time. When you look at it on paper, what does it make you think? Are you happy with how your time is allocated?
Determine what in your life could use some more “A-Quality” time investment and some ways you’re currently spending too much time on “B-Quality” and “C-Quality” items. Brainstorm how you could make some changes to prioritize those “A-Quality” items.
This post is the first of a three-part series on time stewardship. The second post will focus on the power of delegation, and I’ll share some simple tips and tricks to greater time stewardship in the final installment.
If you’re new to the blog, we heartily welcome you. My name is Paul Neff, and I have devoted the latter part of my life to mentoring younger men who desire to live further into God’s purpose for their lives. This blog is an extension of my heart for helping others grow. God has richly blessed me, and my hope for my life is that I could make good on the investment He has given me by offering something to the next generation of leaders.
