Be Mindful of How You Spend Your Time

To succeed demands that you really be mindful of the people, things and tasks you spend time on.

One of the keys to success is to live in balance. But, in this fast, wired and sometimes crazy world we live in, it is vital to slow down and live your life in balance.

I hear what you’re saying, “Oh that’s a great idea, but how on earth, with kids, family, my business, older parents to care for, social commitments, spiritual commitments and oh did I mention I volunteer at my daughter’s school once a week, how on earth do I live in balance?”

One way is to make a list of all the things you have going on in your life and business right now. Then prioritize them in order of importance. What must get done for your life/business to happen?

Then look at the items on your list that are not a priority, but you do because it is sometimes hard to say no and you feel or risk being judged or feeling shame if you need to step back or away.

The key is to not get time “hacked”. There are so many things we do that hack us or take our focus away from the things that matter most. For example, I have seen professional salespeople build paper clip models at their desk instead of picking up the phone and making the 5-10 new prospect calls they need to do in order to build their businesses. The “busy-ness” of your life is affecting your business, well-being, family and bottom line!

So, make a list of the Must Do versus the Things You Do, But Don’t Need to Do! 

This list is the list that will open more time for you to focus and have more balance.

It is the list of things you do, but really don’t need to do.

You should have 2 columns, sort of like this:

When you compile your list, you want to select what you must “Act on”, what you can “Pass off”, like the cleaning or laundry, and what you must “Eliminate” or at least be more selective with your time. This is A-P-E for short.

This takes some discipline, because it is challenging saying “No” to things and especially to people. It is also important for you to be able to “ask” for what you want and to ask for help when you begin to delegate certain tasks.

Letting go and re-prioritizing is at times challenging, but for the good of your health, mental/emotional states, your time and bottom line, it is vital that you do this from time to time.

I will share an example of a business project I was working on with 2 older gentlemen. I loved the concept and we were collaborating on it with some energy. In fact, I wrote an action plan, business plan, developed an initial customer contact list and developed 2 different market research surveys, plus put forth various contacts, market research and opportunities to get funding. However, when the one colleague whose brainchild this project was didn’t act on any of this, it became abundantly clear that it was time to cut loose and cut my losses.

When meetings with the team went nowhere and it was aggravating, I knew that as much as I liked the people involved and the idea of it, the fact that no true worthwhile action was taking place was a sign that this was not going to go anywhere and it was time to “Eliminate” gracefully!

Maybe you can pass off the cleaning to your child or hire someone.

Or you eliminate the time you spend texting and you just have a quick call instead…the key is to really be mindful of what, who, when and how you are spending your time!

What is that old saying? It goes like this, “If you want something to get done, ask a busy person!”

My aim for this month’s article is to assist you in bringing more balance and quality time to your life.

When you examine your list above, (whatever it is for you), really look at it and ask yourself, what should you choose to do? What can you give off to someone else and ask for help on and/or hire someone on? What can you give up totally?

If you have a challenge letting go of something in your life or on the list, do a “Cost/Benefit” analysis. Now to some, doing one of these is a bit calculating and sometimes cold, but if you want to free up time in your life, you might need to be a bit ruthless.

A cost/benefit analysis will help you review the cost of doing an action or the benefit of that action. The cost/benefit analysis will help you analyze the cost of not doing an action and, of course, the benefit of not doing the action on your list too!

If the costs outweigh the benefits, then you need to cut your losses and let it go, in other words delete it from your list.

It might be tough to do at times, but once you do it you will feel good about your decision. Cutting something or an action or even a person out of your life because the cost of it is hurting your bottom line (time, money, happiness) is paramount to your success.

Cutting something that is not working for you also opens the door for new people, opportunities and things to come in. It also will free up your time, so you can have more balance and be more effective.

Cutting doesn’t have to be mean-spirited. In fact, if you feel a twinge of guilt, let it go with love and bless the time you spent on the action item or work with the person or group, bless it, thank it for the lessons and what you gained, but let it go with grace and compassion.

The things we need to delete are pulling on the very things we need to invest in. Look at your life and business as you would if you were investing in the stock market or investing in a new business venture. You must ask yourself this: “Is the time, energy, sweat equity you are giving to the person, task or project bringing you a good rate of return?”

If the answer is no, then let it go, gracefully.

I like to write letters and get my angst, anger, disappointment out about something or someone that I need to let go of on paper. It sure beats yelling at someone! Then I burn the paper and emotionally let it go!

Then I choose to emotionally let go and not invest time or energy in the person, place or thing. Focus then on your goals, dream, vision and do it fully.

Focus on the things that bring you joy, success, value, money, results and put your best into that.

Yes, have some “you time” in your life too, but just learn to be a bit more critical about where you do spend your time, money and energy.

When you let go of how much time/energy you spend on something or someone, it may feel as if there is a void and that is totally normal, but I assure you, that void will fill up soon enough, but ideally on the things that bring you more happiness and value.

Spend more time on the things/people/areas of your life and business that bring you better results; this is a true recipe for success.

Now, go make it happen this month and be patient with yourself and the process.