The Secret to Time Management – HYPE
Don’t do what you sincerely don’t want to do. – Ernest Hemingway
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There are all sorts of opinions, and myths, about Millennials (the generation born between 1980 and 2000) and work. Yes, it’s true that Millennials have different professional values, but certain things don’t change. There are timeless principles that apply to every generation.
As a young professional or entrepreneur you need to make intelligent decisions about how to best allocate your most precious resources: time and energy. This post is about the non-renewable of the two. (A future post will discuss the other key personal (and renewable) resource we all have: energy).
The challenge that everyone (and every generation) faces is how to understand and allocate time.
The fundamental truth is that time just is and cannot be managed (only you and your priorities can be managed), this is the essence of effective self- and priority-management. If you can understand this, and make daily choices that respect this truth, you will get more of what matters done and be healthier, happier and more effective – and who doesn’t want that?
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The simple fact is: you’re too busy, or overwhelmed, because 1) you’ve said “Yes” too much; 2) you don’t know know what you (really) want; 3) you want to be and 4) you don’t know how to manage yourself effectively.
Let’s take them in order:
#1 – If you have have too much to do it’s because you taken too much on. Everyone has the same amount of time; smart people learn to say “No” to things that aren’t truly a priority. Of course, they do it in a nice and respectful way, but they have clear and strong boundaries.
#2 – If you don’t know what you want, you’ll likely do all sorts of things; some you to do, many you don’t. When you get clear about what you want you can easily make decisions about what to do and what not to do.
#3 – You’re in charge of you. Whatever you have is a result of what you’ve done and haven’t done. If you’re (too) busy it’s because – some how, some way – you want to be.
#4 – Most people who are overwhelmed don’t have good habits. Their systems-of-life either suck or are hidden to them. So much of what we do is habit. Therefore, if our life is crap it’s largely because our habits are crap.