Respecting Your Time
Huh?
"Wait a minute", you're thinking, "you're a podcast host".
"Why wouldn't you want to have more of yourself on the air?"
Yeah, I get that.
Remember last week when I talked about the 35K decisions we all make every day?
How do we reclaim that time?
What activities can we not do?
We can choose to not answer unexpected phone calls.
We can avoid email posts first thing in the morning or just before bed.
And we can rejoice that not everyone knows how to Direct Message us.
People who spend their time helping others make money tend to make more money themselves. Those who invest time in others build better relationships. People who create more flexibility create more freedom. Whether you want more wealth, more friendship, or however you define good features in your life, decide how you will spend your time.
We all have costs.
We all also have plenty of time.
If you're like me, you probably want some or all of those things and others too, like health. We all want everything, but we can't have everything - not at the same time anyway, so we manage tradeoffs.
How To Respect Your Own Time
That’s my promise to you: To help you make better decisions.
Not just financial ones, but personal ones too.
First, here's what I mean by respecting your own time.
The idea is simple. You don't need to be everywhere at once.
You don't need to be doing everything at once.
There are many people out there who feel they have to be doing something all the time.
They try to be everywhere at once, and end up being nowhere at all.
They're constantly running from one meeting to another.
They're always busy.
But if you take away the pressure, you'll see that you actually have enough time to accomplish everything you want to.
What if you were able to work as hard as you wanted?
What if you didn't have to worry about making ends meet?
Would you still find time to do the things you love?
Would you still find time to help other people?
To serve others?
To be generous?
Or would you just keep working because you had no choice?
Because you couldn't afford to stop?
That's what happens when you feel pressured to be somewhere else.
It's not until you remove the pressure that you realize you have enough time.
Here's another way to look at this.
Imagine you could only do two things at a time.
Which would you pick?
Doing more than two things at a time means you're choosing between them.
You're deciding which one takes priority over the other.
Now imagine you could only do one thing at a time.
Now you're free to focus completely on whatever you chose.
Wouldn't you rather have fewer things to do, but be able to do them well?
Wouldn't you prefer to have less stress, but more time?
That's why I say you should never feel guilty about spending time on yourself.
It's not selfish. It's smart.
Put Yourself First
Think about it.
If you're feeling stressed, overwhelmed, or anxious, you're not thinking clearly.
You're not focused.
Your mind isn't clear.
You're not able to fully enjoy anything.
You're not giving 100% of yourself to any one thing.
You may even be thinking about someone else instead of yourself.
And if you're thinking about someone else, chances are you aren't really thinking about yourself either.
So if you're worried about money, then you're not focusing on yourself.
Value Your Own Time
Start small. Master one new time-management habit at a time. if others see you don't respect your time, they won't either.
You might develop the art of saying “no” more often. It’s healthy for kids, clients, friends and coworkers to be turned down from time to time. It shows them you’re not an all-you-can-eat time buffet.
If you’re worried you might offend someone every now and then, you’re right. Some people are going to be offended (your social-media feed is easy proof that you can't please everyone). Even the most successful people in the world have hordes of haters.
Know this: Others will consume your day if you allow it.
Operate each day with a written plan so you decide how your 24 hours will work for you.
You'll see great benefits -- a propensity for productivity among them.
When you understand your time's true worth, it naturally affects what you choose to do and what you choose to avoid. The more you value your time, the more you streamline your thinking. As a result, your actions become more selective and wasting time becomes increasingly unattractive.
Claim Time Back Without Needing To Tell Anyone
The problem with trying to claim time back from your day can often be that people will be upset with you.
“You can’t just turn off your phone”. I get that, you often can’t be uncontactable for long periods, especially in certain jobs that require people to get in touch with you easily.
However, concentrating on the most invasive, distracting forms of communication can be a valuable exercise, and you often don’t even need to tell anybody that you’re uncontactable. I just believe that great information can be communicated in a more respectfully short amount of time.
Conclusion
You've got to be wondering how I'm going to attach a Call-To-Action to respecting time!
It's really not that hard.
It follows everything we already know about basic time management.
The only exception is that we include positive energy as part of our setup time.
It involves putting yourself in someone else's shoes.
Tell me you haven't ever heard that advocated somewhere before.
You probably didn't get the easy steps, though, so here we go with that.
Stand up.
Take off your shoes.
Find someone else's shoes. In person if possible.
Put them on.
"Now what?" you say.
Nothing is what I say.
Guess what?
You now know what it's like to be in someone else's shoes!
Maybe it hurts.
Maybe it feels good.
Maybe you like when it happens to you.
Maybe you don't.
In any event, you are aware. Even mindful.
Be honest with yourself about whether or not it still meets your expectations.
Be ready to call something good, but just not something that's for right now.
Tomorrow is okay, as long as we stay growing all the way.
Be efficient, with finances as well as life, like we always say.
Take the time you save and decide yourself how to best use it for you.
We’re changing the way we look at things, and
Remember, “THAT’S GOOD”.
Also remember, this is Financial Life Coaching from A Happiness Perspective! Coaching Happiness.