This law says that, "There is never
enough time to do everything, but there is always enough time to
do the most important thing."
You Always Find the Time
When you run out of time and the
consequences for non-completion of a key task or project can be
really serious, you always seem to find the time to get it done,
often at the very last minute. You start early, you stay late
and you drive yourself to complete the job rather than to face
the negative consequences that would follow if you didn't get it
completed within the time limit. Rule: "There will never be
enough time to do everything you have to do."
You Are Already Overwhelmed
The fact is that the average person
today is working at 110% to 130% of capacity. And the jobs and
responsibilities just keep piling up. Everyone has stacks of
reading material they still have to go through. One study
concluded recently that the
average
executive has 300-400 hours of reading and projects
backlogged at home
and
at the office. What this
means is that you will never be caught up. Get
that out of your mind. All you can hope for is to be on top of
your most important responsibilities. The others will just have
to wait.
The Key Question You Should Ask
The key question you should ask is
"What is the most valuable use of my time, right now?" This is
the question that dominates time management. This is the key to
overcoming procrastination and becoming a highly productive
person.
Every hour of every day, there is
an answer to this question. Your job is to ask yourself the
question, over and over again, and to always be working on the
answer to it, whatever it is. Do first things first and second
things not at all. As Goethe said, "The things that matter most
must never be at the mercy of the things that matter least." The
more accurate your answers to this question, the easier it will
be for you to set clear priorities, to overcome procrastination
and to get started on that one activity that represents the most
valuable use of your time.
Action Exercises
Take a few minutes each day and sit
quietly where you cannot be disturbed. During this time, let
your mind relax and just think about your work and activities,
without stress or pressure.
In almost every case, during this
time of solitude, you will receive wonderful insights and ideas
that will save you enormous amounts of time when you apply them
back on the job. Often you will experience breakthroughs that
will change the direction of
your life and work.
