Even time is not a zero-sum game.
I digress, but today I share a tip on time management.
LassieLove has assumed that any time spent doing X (eg "keeping fit") is time taken away from the possibility of doing something better (eg "caring for other people").
Now, I happen to be one of those people who regularly get a heck of a lot of things done in my life. And I have mentioned my secret of time management several times, although usually in the Personal Effectiveness section of this forum.
Here's the secret again. Suppose you have several goals and intentions. To expand your time, concentrate on activities which advance you towards two or three (or even more) of your goals, at the same time.
For example, how do you "keep fit" and "care for other people" at the same time? Simple. Again I can think of dozens of examples. Here are a few:
1. Go out with your family and have some fun outdoors. Eg take the kids swimming, or biking, or trekking, or to play tennis etc. You can keep fit, while simultaneously spending quality time with the people you care about, and inspiring them to keep fit and healthy.
2. In my country at least, charitable organizations often organize sports events with a charitable theme. For example, Yellow Ribbon (which helps to rehabilitate ex-convicts and reintegrate them back into society) organizes a running event. If you participate, your entry fee goes towards the charity; and you help towards an event that will raise public awareness of ex-convicts' challenges and issues. Oh, running also helps you to keep fit.
3. There is a forummer here (who goes by the moniker LifeisAmazing). Read his post. His life is a story about how "keeping fit" and "caring for others" go hand in hand. He is personally very interested in health and fitness, and he wants to spread his message and inspire as many people as possible to become fit and healthy. This is his way of caring for the world. He works as a fitness trainer.
In fact, LifeisAmazing's lifestyle can easily encompass LassieLove's third theme too -"making money". The things which LifeisAmazing does as a fitness trainer can easily advance him towards three goals at the same time - keeping fit himself; caring for others by teaching and inspiring them to keep fit ... AND making money.
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THAT is the time management tip from ALG today. With some creativity, you can identify certain types of activities, each of which can simultaneously advance you towards two, three or even more of your intentions at the same time.
Here are examples from my own life:
- I enjoy gardening.
- I also want my kids to do well in school and be interested in science etc.
- I like to spend time with them.
A very time-efficient activity: when I do gardening, I often get them to come along to help. I show them different types of plants; I explain photosynthesis; we do little experiments involving plant cuttings; we talk about soil types, pollination, fertilizers etc.
- I am interested in improving my public speaking skills.
- I work in a bank and am interested in deepening my understanding of the industry.
- I want to raise awareness of how banks can be made safer.
- I am interested in raising my personal profile and achieving career success.
A very time-efficient activity: speaking at conferences, on different aspects of how banks can be made safer. I've spoken at two such conferences this year, and was recently invited to do a 3rd.
- I am a published writer, best known for poetry.
- I love kids.
- I'm always happy to make a bit of extra money.
Recently, a newspaper invited me to write a children's poem, for a series of articles that they plan to publish, about how parents can encourage their kids' interest in reading. I have not written for kids before, but I accepted the invitation because it simultaneously fulfills three goals/interests of mine. I have composed a whimsical, humorous children's poem which will be published next month. It gives me publicity (this is the country's main newspaper); kids will enjoy my poem; and I get paid.