How To Make The *Most* of Time

ByMatthew

I recently read an article by Brian Tracy in which he makes a point of asking three questions in regards to time.

Putting aside the idea that time “management” is impossible (one cannot manage time, only themselves and their choices), I wanted to share these questions here:

#1 – What are my highest-value activities?

#2 – What can I, and only I, do, that, if done well, will make a real difference? (from Peter Drucker)

#3 – What is the most valuable use of my time, right now?

Ask yourself these questions regularly, at least three times each work day: when you begin, a couple hours in and again a couple hours before finishing work.

As you ask these questions regularly, and more and more, they will become part of your “operating system” and you’ll find yourself automatically choosing well in regards to what you do – and don’t do.

Similar Posts

  • Why We Get Side-Tracked

    ByMatthew

    This Friday’s external resource is not a TED Talk, but instead from Harvard Business School’s Working Knowledge blog. In a very interesting post Francesca Gino talks about how and why we get side-tracked. Why, despite out best efforts, we don’t follow though as we plan, or sometimes, not at all. Click here to read the post.

  • What I Do

    ByMatthew

    Work is changing. Life is changing. Much of what worked before simply won’t anymore. Whether you know it or not, you’re playing two games. The first is the Outer Game – this is what you do, your profession, your career, your job. The other is the Inner Game. The Inner Game is what will (really) make…

  • What Is Risk, Really?

    ByMatthew

    “Risk comes from not knowing what you’re doing.” – Warren Buffett There are many things we are not prepared for, that we will never encounter. There are, however, many things that we can reasonably expect to encounter, that we could prepare for, that we ignore (for whatever reason… ). Some examples: Divorce is (generally) a…

  • Look Within

    ByMatthew

    “Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to a better understanding of ourselves.” – Carl Jung I love how this illustrates one of the things I like to say to myself when I’m annoyed by others: “what is it about me, that I don’t like about you.”

2 Comments

  1. This was a great post. I’ve been reading a lot about time management and getting no where. This line of thinking makes sense and I can see where it would be most effective. Thanks

  2. So glad this post was helpful. As with anything, awareness is the key. When we bring greater awareness to our activities, we 1) make better choices and 2) enjoy things more.

Comments are closed.