Skip to main content

Time

Time is such a valuable thing, and it is a concept that is difficult for me to control.

I call myself a time-optimist. I always think I have more time to do something than I actually do. This shows itself most of the time when I am about to leave the house to go somewhere. "Oh, I have time to do this one last thing," is what I tell myself before rushing out the door and leaving at the time my appointment--be it a serious appointment like a doctor's appointment or a fun one like a girls' night out.

It's something that I have struggled with my whole life.

Last year I discovered time-blocking. This was revolutionary to me to set alarms and schedule out my entire day. I own an Apple watch and an iPhone, so I enjoyed seeing all of the colors appear on my calendar. They all showed exactly where I was supposed to be and when I was supposed to be there. I also had time blocked out for the small things I wanted to do like contacting a friend I hadn't talked to in a while. On my screens it looked perfect, but when it came to implementing the exactness of the schedule, it became almost impossible to do everything I wanted to do. Something would happen with my children or my dog, or some unexpected thing would pop up that I either forgot about or didn't know about.

I wasn't always glad for the interruption to my color-coated life, but I soon realized that all my plans in life--be them color-coated or not--have had to change. I can plan, but I need to stay flexible to things like, well, cancer.

This is especially important when it comes to my family. I have always put them as top priority. Most of the time I spend in my day is spent with my family. However, how much of that time is quality time? How much of it is time that will be looked back on as time well spent?

This is something I am going to pay more attention to because time is valuable, and I want to spend it wisely.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Integrity

It seems as though a life full of integrity is almost unheard of. Some people lie, cheat, steal, and bully their way through business and through life. Popular television shows today even showcase the lack of integrity that can be found in a business. Sometimes I don't know if the media is applauding lack of integrity or if they are against it. Frank Levinson of Finisar Cooperation even mentions being fired from a job because someone lacked integrity and blamed him for something he didn't do. I admire Mr. Levinson and his ability to get back up and start something new after being knocked down like that. I don't really know how I would respond to something like that. I don't know if I would have had the courage to start my own company. On the other hand, I may have the courage if the act that got my fired wasn't true like in his case. Another person I admire for his positive personality and view in life is Gordon B. Hinkley. I was quite young when I saw him on te...

Finish

If I had advice for someone who was thinking of becoming an entrepreneur, I would tell them to start. I would tell them to start because waiting does not do any good. Then I would tell them to finish. Start. Sometimes starting is one of the hardest things to do. We get in our own way all the time. We come up with excuses as to why we cannot do this or that when in reality it is only ourselves that are standing in our own way.  So, just get going on what you want to do. Know where you want to go. Know what kind of person you want to be and who you want to become. Have standards on how you want to live your life and run your business. Have standards on who it is you surround yourself with. Always have the end-goal in mind and prepare game plans A-Z to get there so you can finish. Life is short, and days go by too fast. That may be a cliché, but clichés usually exist because there is some truth to them. There will never be a time when you feel like there is enough time in the ...

Habits

Stephen Covey's seven habits from his book are (1) be proactive, (2) begin with the end in mind, (3) put first things first, (4) think win/win, (5) seek first to understand, then be understood, (6) synergize, and (7) sharpen the saw. I would say that I am working on all seven of those habits, but the one that has the most meaning to me is the seventh one--sharpen the saw. It is so important to remember to take care of yourself. This can be sometimes seen as a selfish thing, but in reality if you don't take care of yourself, you will have nothing to give to others. I am a personal trainer and a group fitness instructor. I have tried to eat healthy and show love to my body by taking care of it. I have adopted things like meditation and yoga to help to take care of my mind as well. When I got cancer, all of these things have had to either be put on hold or have been interrupted in other ways. I can speak from experience that when these things are interrupted or put on hold, I am n...