Shift # 4 Leveraging Your Time
Did it all start in Alice in Wonderland? “You’re late, you’re late, for a very important date.”
Or as our mom or dad pulled us from bed in the morning, “come on, you’re going to be late!”
We have heard of the scarcity of time since the beginning of time!
We are all given 24 hours to each day- all of us, rich, poor, famous, normal, struggling and gurus. How you handle the 24 hours and how you place time on your values determines the amount of perceived rush, struggle and chaos. Our rush to beat time, our push to maximize time is all an illusion anyway. The real deal on time, is to master time, leverage our time and do with it what we want.
But, Mo…I” have to work and I have kids and I have to….church, school, dinner, exercise….”
Yes it is all there, let me ask you…
“Can you be in charge of your time?”
“Can you prioritize what is important and make sure you get time for that?”
Rather than everyone else pulling at you, just make a shift to it’s your 24 hours. What are you going to do for the next 24 hours?
Take today and think about where your time goes, where you must spend time, what you value, how you want to feel. Create your day around the values in your life and what time you want to spend in those activities you value. Through each of my Kick Ass Career shifts (this shift #4), I have a common theme- You taking responsibility for you.
Your ability to master your time is ALL about accepting responsibility for YOU.
When “you have integrity” (shift #1) you are responsible for what you say and do.
When “you have confidence in your worth” (shift #2) you are responsible for knowing you are paid and valued rightly.
When “you own the room” (shift #3), you are responsible to say what you need to say in ways that match your audience:
When “you master your time” (shift #4), you are responsible for the use of your days, weeks and years. YOU are responsible for your time.
Remove blame, take charge. Stop pointing the finger of scarcity of time to a tyrannical boss, company or kids who “need you”. Stop pointing the finger at why you can’t finish your resume because you are so busy at work. Stop blaming everyone else for your time shortage.
Begin to take stock of your time use. Begin to arrange your time around your values that really matter. Kids and jobs of course rank at the top. What else ranks at the top of your list? As a career and life coach I can tell you I see people in this race against time all the time. When you prioritize your life, you day and your week move in the direction of your priorities. When you do not prioritize, your day moves in the direction of other people’s priorities.
Here is a quick list to take charge of your time spend.
- What are your priorities in life? Who are your priorities in life?
- What would you love to do? Schedule an action moving toward it.
- What values do you have that you need to place time in? (Time with spouse, kids, traveling, your friends who say you never go out anymore? Perhaps a neglected hobby?) You may feel more depleted because you aren’t spending time with activities that fuel you.
- Do the extra hours at work really pay off? Are you trying to please a boss or impress a co-worker? If so, impress with the ability to get your work done and get out of there!
As an executive I thought team members with long hours had a few problems, inability to delegate, communicate or a horrible home life. Look at this list and make some decisions about your life. Make the decision that your life is up to you and only you. Spark your soul with activities and priorities that you value.
You may come to realize that your life feels better when you decide you are the master of your time and the captain of your fate! Make the shift #4– Leverage your time. Own your time.
Make an appointment for a Career Clarity call- it may the best time you have spent in a long while.
“I can’t believe the insights Coach Mo had on this call. I have never put it all together like that before.”
G. M., Mother of 2 and rising regulatory executive.
