QUALITY TIME

The quality of time is the only variable, since you cannot increase the quantity of time you receive. Your time is your time. It belongs to no one else. No one else can spend it for you. Other people may make demands on how you spend your time, but it is still you who must do the spending. Only you can improve the quality of your time. Ultimately, you spend your time as will.

No one can force you to spend your time effectively; no one can prevent you from wasting your time. Many people maintain that others control their time, but this is not totally true. In the last analysis, no one has any more control over your time than you are willing to allow. Most people have far more potential for managing their own time than they realize. Much of the control they impute to others is really lack of self control. They are intimidated by the demands of others and thus allow themselves to be controlled.

TIME: Its Characteristics

Once you have accepted the fact that you cannot do everything and have stopped living as though you can, you have taken a big step toward becoming an effective time manager. Identifying priorities will become second nature. Acting on the basis of priorities will become easier. In your efforts to control time, your understanding of time and attitude toward time are crucial to your success.

Many people refer to time as a resource. A resource is something that lies ready for use, or something that can be drawn upon for aid. Time fits this definition. Begin to accept time as your most important resource. Time is a tool that can be drawn upon to help you accomplish results, an aid that can take care of a need, an assistant in solving problems. However, time is not like other resources, because you can't buy, sell it, rent, steal it, borrow it, lend it, store it, save it, multiply it, manufacture it or change it. All you can do is spend it.

TIME IS A PARADOX

Few of us today still read Voltaire, the great French writer and philosopher. We would, however, agree with Voltaire's assertion that nothing is shorter than time. Most of us never seem to have enough of it.

Time is an elusive sunbeam, an evaporating raindrop, a wilted dandelion on a windy day. We cannot, physically, catch it; nor can we harness it and make it our own. Time management is an illusion, because no one can really manage time. Time, simply is constant. It is a measurement of intervals. It moves at the same rate regardless of who we are or what we are trying to accomplish. It respects no one. No one can convert, change or otherwise mitigate time. Despite this, we continue to use the phrase, "manage time" to identify our efforts to use our allotted moments meaningfully.

THE DESIRE FOR CHANGE

In order to change long-established habits, you must want to change. Note that desire was the first step in our change model. It was discussed from the previous post. What we suggest is not simple, and change is not for everyone. All the suggestions in the world are worthless if you don not want to change. And changing the way you use your time is largely a voluntary effort. You cannot force others to use their time well and they cannot force you to use your time well. The "want to" must come from within.

Habit change is extremely difficult, but it is crucial for all serious-minded people who wish to use time well. To improve your efforts to eliminate self defeating habits and replace them with self reinforcing habits, try following these approaches:

STEPS IN BEHAVIOR CHANGE

There are five steps involved in successful behavior change:

1. Desire

2. Knowledge

3. Visualization

4. Planning

5. Action

No change will take place without the desire to make a change. How much do you really want to change your work habits so you will function more effectively? Desire is the key to success or failure. If you have a strong desire, you will probably initiate the change. But if you really don't want to make the change, you will probably never do so.

LAUNCHING NEW BEHAVIORS

Years ago, the famous psychologist William James suggested an approach to changing habits which remains valid today. He recommended that you:

1. Launch the new behavior as strongly as possible.
2. Seize the first opportunity to act on the new behavior.
3. Never let an exception occur until the new behavior is firmly rooted.

Before you can launch a new behavior strongly, you must define what the new behavior is to be. How would your proposed behavior improve upon your present habits? What would you do and how would you do it?

HABITUAL BEHAVIOR

It has been said that people control habits, but habits control destinies. It is a good part  in our lives is spent in a habitual fashion. Much of our daily behavior is patterned and routine. Habits by definition are behaviors that have been performed so often that they have become automatic. This means that habitual behavior operates just below our consciousness threshold. When we are preoccupied, or acting habitually, we are not free to manage our time. We are not simply as alert as when we are acting non habitually. Managing time requires accurate observation of what is taking place.

People tend to assume that habits are always bad. This is not true. Many habits are quite beneficial. If we had to consciously decide on everything we did during the day, life would become quite unbearable. Once we learn to do something well, automatic habit control is a blessing.

HOW CAN YOU BUILD BETTER HABITS ON THE JOB?

One good approach is work segmentation. Examine the different kinds of work you do in the office. If you arrange to do particular jobs in specific spots, you will concentrate better and avoid distractions. Segment your job as many ways as possible so that you have a particular place to do each kind of work. Then whenever you approach a particular work area, you will automatically start thinking about the kinds of tasks you normally perform there.

If you can do each task at a specific time, the arrangement will be even better. If you are interrupted and must do something else, switch to the appropriate location. If you begin to think about other things, get up and move for a few moments, then come back. Think of yourself as a television series: same time, same place, same content.

CHANGING HABITS SUCCESSFULLY

Everything is related to everything else. Events do not stand as isolated instances in our lives: they are related to other times, places, and things. A change in one part of our life, therefore, has a direct impact on other parts of our life as well.

Habits are difficult to change because they too are interconnected. A single action becomes a cue for some of our action, which in turn maybe a cue for still another behavior. In this way, we develop habit sequences that form a vigorous mode of patterned behavior. An important example of patterned behavior is the early morning rituals. What activities take place during the first 60 minutes and how valuable are they? 

SUCCESS IS UP TO YOU

Developing a time management action plan is another important step in your improvement effort. Clarify your objectives, the ways in which you hope to improve your use of time. Then decide on the actions necessary to accomplish those objectives. Put both the objectives and the actions in writing. Give a copy of your written plan to someone who is important to you. Promise improvement by a certain date. Tackle your improvement effort in progressive steps.

When you begin drafting your action plan, be sure to think about possible obstacles. Obstacles has two types. The first are those that come from within, your own shortcomings. The second are those created by your environment. Both types of obstacles can prevent you from reaching your time management objective.