how to better manage your time
I spent the last two weeks writing about my big three - accountability, valuing your time, and honesty - which inspired my most recent written post on setting boundaries. I’m a value-driven person, which is what motivates me to pursue my dreams and goals. My “big three” - as I like to call them - make up the strong foundation that dictates my decision-making in life. I’ve gotten a lot of questions recently about how I’m able to accomplish so much in a day. It’s simple, but it’s a two-step process. This post will be about time management, but as I’ll explain in my next post, it’s really a matter of self-management.
Have you ever done something you didn’t feel like doing? I know I have. I’m a positive person, so I focus on the good, but there are just some situations that don’t have as much value as others. It sucks to feel like you’ve wasted your time on something, doesn’t it? I value my time immensely, so I completely understand, but I would, of course, encourage you not to view it as a waste of time because, if anything, you learned what you don’t enjoy so that you can correct that mistake moving forward. Life is all about growth. There’s a lesson in every experience if you choose to look for it and focus on the positive growth you’ve achieved.
When we feel like we’ve wasted time on something, it’s usually tied to the fact that we’ve been in that situation before and have already experienced those feelings of frustration. It happens a lot in business and in relationships. Sometimes you might want to shake other people to wake them up, especially when they keep repeating the same mistakes.
Mistakes are good, as long as you learn from them. If you’re not making mistakes or failing in life, then you’re really not trying anything. I recently made a comment to a friend of mine along the lines of “I don’t do anything halfway. I’m either going to succeed big or I’m going to fail big.” The most important thing to remember about that last statement, though, is that you’re supposed to be making new mistakes and failing in new ways. If you’re making the same mistakes over and over, it’s because you didn’t learn from them before. You need to recognize and break those patterns of behavior that hold you back from achieving everything you want in life. You can’t expect better, different results if you don’t capitalize on your opportunities to grow. You can’t expect to receive more if you keep settling for less. I hope I fail a million times in life in a million new ways because that means I’m learning and growing and trying new things. Each failure puts you that much closer to success as you long as you learn and grow from those mistakes.
I’ve written about following the fear before. It’s important to remember that things that seem scary at first usually end up being the most rewarding for your growth because those scary things pushed you outside your comfort zone and taught you many valuable lessons about yourself.
So how do I accomplish so much in a day? I’ve mentioned before that I start each day at 5 AM so that I can capitalize on the hours I’m given in a day, operating on Eastern Standard Time, but I also accomplish as much as I do by valuing my time, setting boundaries, and prioritizing myself and my goals. It also helps that I embrace failure instead of fearing it, but that goes along with being value-driven.
So, for now, this is a good place to stop so that I can really dig into the bigger picture in my next post on Wednesday, which is what time management is really all about— self-management. So until Wednedsay, starve your ego, and feed your soul! And, of course, as always, if you have any pressing questions or if you want to discuss something further, feel free to subscribe below or reach out to me on the “contact” page. I’m so grateful that I’ve been getting a lot of really challenging questions and even better feedback. I couldn’t do this without you! I’m here for you, and I love hearing from you, too!