In my job as a life coach I am lucky enough to meet some very remarkable people.
But one thing that is a universal constant is that no matter who you are, rich or poor, young or old, you have the same 24 hours in a day.
In Scotland we use the word 'thrifty'. It's not the same as mean or tight - it's more like cautious or careful.
While most of us are thrifty with our cash, keeping an eye on our bank balance, and how much month is left at the end of the money, we're careless with our time.
We even talk about time in the same terms as money. We spend time, save time, invest time and count the time until...
If time were really money, we'd use it more wisely.
In his book, The Richest Man in Babylon, author George S Clason suggests that the key to financial independence is to learn to live on 70% of your after-tax income.
Of the other 30%, he says, you should invest 10% in the future (savings, policies, etc), 10% in the past (paying off debts, mortgages, etc) and 10% giving something back to good causes.
So if time is money, this also works for time.
Try this exercise for today:
1. Divide a piece of paper into three columns - backlog, current and frontlog.
2. For backlog, jot down anything that is already late, behind schedule or overdue. This does not need to be a comprehensive list.
3. Under current, write down those projects and goals you are currently working on. Yes, put down all of them.
4. For frontlog, list activities that you know you will need to work on at some point in the future - under the subheadings of urgent, three months and two years' time.
5. As you go through your day, prioritise working on current items. Whenever you need a change of pace, dip into your backlog or frontlog.
Your goal is to spend no more than 70% of your productive time on the demands of the present.
You can divide the rest of your time clearing the backlog of the past and the frontlog of the future, being sure to spend at least 10% of your time giving something back to yourself and others.
It's time to do things differently if you want to make the most of your time. The difference between the flower blossoming in the park and the one on your table is that one is growing and the other is dead.
There is no in-between. When we stop growing we start dying: the inevitable is only a matter of time.
Ali Campbell is a life coach and NLP master
But one thing that is a universal constant is that no matter who you are, rich or poor, young or old, you have the same 24 hours in a day.
In Scotland we use the word 'thrifty'. It's not the same as mean or tight - it's more like cautious or careful.
While most of us are thrifty with our cash, keeping an eye on our bank balance, and how much month is left at the end of the money, we're careless with our time.
We even talk about time in the same terms as money. We spend time, save time, invest time and count the time until...
If time were really money, we'd use it more wisely.
In his book, The Richest Man in Babylon, author George S Clason suggests that the key to financial independence is to learn to live on 70% of your after-tax income.
Of the other 30%, he says, you should invest 10% in the future (savings, policies, etc), 10% in the past (paying off debts, mortgages, etc) and 10% giving something back to good causes.
So if time is money, this also works for time.
Try this exercise for today:
1. Divide a piece of paper into three columns - backlog, current and frontlog.
2. For backlog, jot down anything that is already late, behind schedule or overdue. This does not need to be a comprehensive list.
3. Under current, write down those projects and goals you are currently working on. Yes, put down all of them.
4. For frontlog, list activities that you know you will need to work on at some point in the future - under the subheadings of urgent, three months and two years' time.
5. As you go through your day, prioritise working on current items. Whenever you need a change of pace, dip into your backlog or frontlog.
Your goal is to spend no more than 70% of your productive time on the demands of the present.
You can divide the rest of your time clearing the backlog of the past and the frontlog of the future, being sure to spend at least 10% of your time giving something back to yourself and others.
It's time to do things differently if you want to make the most of your time. The difference between the flower blossoming in the park and the one on your table is that one is growing and the other is dead.
There is no in-between. When we stop growing we start dying: the inevitable is only a matter of time.
Ali Campbell is a life coach and NLP master
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