Creating Time... 3
Proven Principles to Make it Happen for You
-- by John-Paul Micek
-- http://www.redtienda.com/english/newsletter74.htm#1Have you ever
wondered why some people consistently accomplish
more than others with the same amount of time?
Every person has the same 24 hours in a day, yet
some seem to have more time and fewer excuses
about what they couldn´t accomplish. What
separates winners from whiners in business? It is
their use of time.
Did you
know that winners have a secret reserve account
of time they can draw on? Would you like to know
how you can open an account like that? In this
article, I´ll share three proven principles with
you to get you started in building that account
and on your way to the winner´s circle. But
before we get into the principles, just let me
share the dominant focus that permeates the
thoughts of consistent winners.
To
explain it simply, winners make decisions that
create the future they desire, while whiners make
decisions that create the present they desire. If
you are not willing to embrace this concept and
allow a change in thinking, I am sorry to say
that you may as well save yourself some time
right now and stop reading. These principles will
not work if this mind-set seems foreign to you.
Think about it for a moment, and then decide
whether you agree with this focus or not. If you
agree, then read on...
Congratulations!
You are among the best of the best. You reside in
the achiever category at the top of the
performance chain. How do I know that? Because
only the top 10 percent of the population wants
to better themselves, and that is why you are
reading this. Now let´s get to the first three
principles.
Principle
#1: Leverage your focus. Winners leverage every
minute of every day in the most effective way
possible. They make every minute count. They do
not let the "mundane" interfere with
their focus. They don´t waste one minute on what
other people see as urgent or important if it
does not align with their goals. (This of course
requires that you have clearly defined goals and
an action plan, but that is a subject for another
article.)
To create
time, you must shift your focus from minutes and
hours to targeted actions. You need to leverage
the hours that you do have to focus them only on
the actions that will yield exponential results.
Identify the activities that you take part in on
a daily or weekly basis that yield little or no
long-term benefits in relation to your goals.
Then eliminate or at the very least minimize
them. I´ve seen this step alone open up more
than eight hours per week for some clients. What
does this require? Banish the whining and hold on
to the winning mind-set. There are some
sacrifices that need to be made to reach the top.
Coaches
Corner: For example, the average person, just by
eliminating coffee breaks or combining coffee
breaks with meetings, can create two full
workweeks in a year. Those eighty hours can be
used to generate more income, spend more time
with family or enhance your health with three
hours of aerobic activity per week for half a
year. Here´s how. Let´s assume the average
person takes two twenty-minute breaks a day. Over
the course of a year that is 166 hours figuring
on two weeks of vacation. That´s over four
forty-hour workweeks added to your year. You have
just created an additional 166 hours of time in
your year. Try the same calculation with lunch.
Does this
mean that you never take time for yourself? Of
course not. This is your time that you create.
Who is the one benefiting from all that extra
time you have gained? You are of course, with
increased income, enhanced relationships, or an
extended life span due to better health. Remember
that winners make decisions that create the
future they desire while whiners make decisions
that create the present they desire. Make the
shift from a short-term focus to the long-term,
and you´ll find you can create time in many
areas where there appeared to be none.
Principle
#2: Emulate those ahead of you. When you have a
clear vision of where you want to go you can
identify people who are ahead of you on the same
path. Seek them out for direction, learn what
they have done to get where they are, adapt it to
your own life, and then follow through in taking
action. To do this, however, you must set aside
all excuses. After all, if they did it, you can
too! Winners seek direction while whiners seek
excuses.
Coaches
Tip: One effective way to succeed in
jump-starting your time management skills is to
find someone who you admire and would like to
emulate. Ask to interview them and find out how
they schedule their days. Discover how they use
their free time as they worked their way up the
ladder of success. Seek out the top people in
your field and ask them, "What books do you
read? What advice would you give me?"
You´ll be surprised at how happy top performers
are to help you. Write down what they tell you,
analyze how you can adapt it to your business
life and then take action implementing their
secrets.
Principle
#3: Fly with eagles instead of hanging around
with turkeys. Dr. David McClellan of Harvard
found that if you associate with a reference
group (friends, associates, coworkers, family
members, etc.) whose members are not
success-oriented, this one choice alone can stop
any possibility of you being successful in life.
Your choice of whom you associate with
personally, business wise or socially is one of
the most important choices you´ll ever make in
your life. If you associate with turkeys, you´ll
never fly with the eagles. We are either raised
up or pulled down by the people surrounding
ourselves.
Please
understand this does not mean being a snob. It
just means you give careful thought to whom you
are spending time. You want to try to bring
people along with you by helping them to expand
their horizons, but the sad reality is that not
everyone wants to go along for the ride. It takes
some serious dedication to allow yourself to feel
discomfort as a consequence of change, but that
is the only way to grow. Be forewarned, not
everyone will feel the same way as you about this
new concept, and there may be resistance to some
improvements you make.
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