The beginning of wisdom is the definition of terms.
To gain wisdom, When it comes to time management it is important to define time.
Instead of defining time as a duration, Interval, Or even as a series of events, Let's define time a different way.
Time is opportunity. Time is measured in units of possibilities.
Isn't this an exciting definition? Instead of thinking of time as a series of events that we are trying to manage through to-do lists and calendars, Time is a series of possibilities that create opportunities, Which in turn will create additional possibilities, And so forth
My purpose then is not just to manage time, But to think creatively to maximize and multiply your opportunities this week or this day, As opposed to simply writing a list of the things that need to get done this day or week? It even changes the way you look at what you really have already planned.
°°° Instead of feeling guilty about leaving your kids yet again when called upon to help your neighbor, It can become an opportunity to teach your children the joy of service as you serve your neighbor with your kids. Teach them to have empathy for the needs of others.
°°° Instead of delegating cleaning responsibilities to your children, It becomes an opportunity for family bonding and teaching time to work with your kids. Teach them that you want more than just for them just for them to clean, But you want them to value and see the benefits of order, Cleanliness, Structure, And pride. Teach the importance of creating standards of excellence for themselve and living up to them.
°°° Instead of just helping your children with their schoolwork, Help expand their vision of education. Tell them that part of the purpose of education is to gain knowledge, Convert knowledge to wisdom, And then use that wisdom to lead a life of contribution.
°°° When you go on vacation, Instead of focusing on just hitting the vacation sites, Focus on creating wonderful memories.
°°° Work meeting can shift from being talking memos to engaging colleagues to tap into creative solutions and also new innovative solutions.
°°° Be more deliberate in taking the time to really listen to work associates instead of just focusing on what you are going to say. It's amazing when you hear great ideas and opportunities—and they already exist in all organizations, If only people would take the time to listen.
°°° Instead of just thinking of ideas on how to do your professional job well, Think in terms of how you can expand your opportunities beyond your job description and even beyond your current employer.
°°° Look at your long-term goals through a different light. With the infrastructure and the new norm of conducting business globally, Consider what contributions are needed, Not just locally, But throughout the world. Which do you have the skills, Knowledge, And passion to provide? The possibilities—and hence the opportunities—are endless. Time is indeed opportunity.
Have you ever sat down for your weekly or daily planning, And you're trying to figure out what you should write? Perhaps you start by writing your list urgent matters.
After you complete your urgent to-do list you are at a loss as to what's next. You may be asking yourself, “What should I be doing with my 168 hours this week? Perhaps you are puzzled, And you just sit there staring at the ceiling, Trying to access information in your brain.
Most don't have the questions to ask themselves, So they are simply trying to remember what it is they may have forgotten to do. Consequently, Their planning time is simply an exercise in writing down the urgent things and memory recall.
Others focus on identifying the most important or highest-leverage thing they can do for that day or week. This is a better question, But most people draw a blank when they think in terms of superlatives (Most, Best, Faster, Highest, And other “est” ending words) And go back to memory recall. Here are a few questions you could ask yourself :
°°° What would maximize or multiply my opportunities today or this week in my different roles?
°°° Wouldn't it be cool if I could...? Use your imagination, And don't limit yourself. What unique contribution would you like to make? What needs are so obvious to you, But you are amazed that the problem hasn't been addressed yet? What would need to change to make your contributions come to pass?
Aren't these more profound questions? For most people, Either new ideas come to mind, Or they get a fresh air perspective on existing ideas. Planning time really does become opportunity time or “opp time”.
When you view time as opportunity you will recognizer that time Is and has been in great abundance, And has actually been increasing for quite a while now.
You don't look at time as a scarce resource where you are constantly finding yourself without enough.
Instead you see time as a resource that is Meant to be multiplied —and your job is to figure out exciting ways to make that happen.
For example, When you look back at the economic evolution of man, We provided for our basic needs for food by hunting animals or gathering wild fruits.
In other w words, There were fewer possibilities, When it comes to meeting our basic needs in the hunter/gatherer age than there are today.
We found a new and better way to meet our basics meets, And it was called farming.
Our chances for providing for our basic needs multiplied, And the yield increased. In other words, Time increased because our opportunities because increased.
The next evolution went from farming to the industrial revolution, And our opportunities were multiplied and magnified once again.
Think for a moment what this simple analysis means to each of us daily. I could go hunting to feed my family, And who knows when I would be back or if I would return with anything.
I could farm, And I would have a harvest, But it's questionable what the amount or quality will be.
Today, instead of hunting or farming to meet my basic needs for food, I am compensated for working as I see fit.
I then take part of my pay and easily purchase a wide variety of foods without having to grow it or hunt for those foods myself.
Today I can go to a grocery store and get something from meat department. Push my cart down to the produce section and get some fruits and vegetables.
I can pick up some spices and get some dessert while I'm at it, And I can do this night or day, In the middle of summer or the dead of winter. I can also do all of this on my way home from work. Amazing!
Our time (or our opportunities in this simple illustrations) is greater now than ever in the history of man.
Why? Those who have gone before us have been maximizing and multiplying opportunities for us.
We can now to do so much more with less effort. We take so much for granted, Such as scars, Planes, Cell phones, And Internet. Think about how much change has accelerated, Even lately.
Can you believe that the iPod was only launched in 2001? Google wasn't a publicly traded company until 2004, And now Google is part of our vocabulary as a verb.
Instead of going to the library and not knowing where to turn to find the information I need, Today I don't even need to leave the comforts of home. I just Google it!
I remember last year when my then seven-year-old came home so excited, Because the parent who gave him a ride home from soccer practice has this really cool car.
He said “The door has this handle that you turn one way, It goes in a circle and it makes the window go up.” It took me a while to figure out what he was talking about, And then I realized that my seven-year-old son had only known power windows his whole life.
He had never turned a handle before to make the window go up or down; He just pushes a button.
How many people do you know who don't have power windows? The opportunities around us are plentible and are multiplying quicker than we know in big ways such as Google or in smaller ways such as power windows.
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