Your time comes, and then it goes, never to return.
Most people don’t even watch it pass. They simply notice, one day, that they (and everyone around them) are older. They look back fondly on their memories, wondering why they seem so distant, amazed at how quickly they came and passed.
This is not how you treat time, a non-renewable resource. It's not even how we treat some renewable resources!
When Tickle-Me-Elmo was featured on Oprah’s favorite things show, its demand skyrocketed. Supply couldn't keep up, and as such, the value in consumers minds went up. Way up.
When Leonardo da Vinci became a famous artist, the price of his painting skyrocketed. Paintings like the Mona Lisa, whose supply is incredibly low (only one), creates a demand so high that it attains a "priceless" state.
And so it should be with your time.
You may not be as famous as Leonardo da Vinci. You may not have a product or service in high demand like Tickle-Me-Emo. Regardless, your time cannot be brought back. Or bought back. Or won back. Or wished back.
Your time, one spent, is gone. Forever.
And so, like a hot children’s toy at Christmas time, you should treat your time, a non-renewable resource, as high-value. The highest value. Like a one of a kind painting by a famous artist, you should place an inordinate amount of respect on time. After all, when your time is spent, it is as good as destroyed. . . never to be gotten back, never to be replaced by harder work or better decisions.
How do you treat your time with the respect it deserves?
Be a Witness to Your Time
Be a witness to your time. Watch where it goes this minute, this hour, today, tomorrow, and for the rest of the week. Do not let a moment passively pass. Take an active role in recognizing how your time is spent, where it goes, and what you do with it.
More so, be a witness to how spending your time makes you feel. If you work late into the night and feel like crap in the morning, recognize that and build in some rest tonight. If you witness yourself sleeping in when you plan to exercise first thing in the morning, recognize that and move your workout to the afternoon, replacing it with a lower impact, more inspiring activity that will get you up and moving.
Only when you witness where your time goes can you get a handle on how to spend it more effectively in the future.
Special thanks to Annah Rose for giving me the words that made this post possible. Though I was coaching her on productivity, efficiency, and organization, she was, in her words, "a witness to her own time," allowing her to learn what was working in her day, and what needed to be transformed. Amazing and awesome!
About the Author
Michael Mehlberg
PRODUCTIVITY, TECHNOLOGY, ORGANIZATION AND BUSINESS MASTERY
I help high-achieving entrepreneurs live their passion and achieve their dreams by consistently saving time, getting productive, and being more efficient and organized.
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