Making the most of your time!

Note: This is a guest post by Kaled Asmri of SuccessElixir.net.


Nothing we have is more valuable than time. As they say, time is money. Strange that we rarely think of time as something we should invest. If we invest it wisely, a little time can pay huge dividends down the road, whether financially or personally. Unlike money, time can be invested in anything — in your relationships, for example. The time you spend nurturing those relationships with other people can produce untold benefits in terms of happiness.


But making the most of your time involves some delicate juggling of priorities. How much time do you invest in your professional, personal, and spiritual life? How much to each person in your life?


Think carefully. Unlike money, you can’t possibly recover any of your funds after a foolish investment. Once time is spent, it’s gone forever. Once the sand slips through the hourglass, it disappears. But if you spend it wisely, it may remain with you, in the form of those relationships and business ventures into which you’ve wisely invested what little time you have.


A few keys to help you stop wasting time are listed below. Keep them in mind as you’re planning every day.


1. Take control of those far-flung aspects of your life with some central planning.




You’re the central command — and that’s as it should be, since only know what is most important to meeting your goals, and where to prioritize. Charting one’s time commitments effectively is the key to personal and businesses efficiency.


A good plan should bend but not break. Pin down the most important events in red — those deadlines and meetings that you cannot miss under any circumstances. The time that’s left over can be your flex time. Pencil in those random appointments that come up on short notice, and can be cancelled at short notice!


2. Develop a list of simple, spot-on questions to begin your day with as you look at the day’s schedule.


Re-evaluate your existing appointments based on the latest developments. Some questions might include:


What must I finish before the day is over?
What one thing can I most efficiently eliminate from my day? Get rid of it!
Can I combine certain scheduled items? Reshuffle them for more efficiency?
How does each item relate to my long-term goals?
Are any personal habits interfering with realizing my plans?

As you answer your list of questions every day, you can effectively recognize patterns in your time management — problems to avoid, and positive trends to encourage.


3. Never stop learning.


Many people conceive of learning as a passive endeavor, the way they remember it being back in school — do whatever the teacher says, memorize the information in the textbook. But learning should be a lifelong activity — that is, it should be active.


You can manage your time very effectively by learning from those around you, with similar goals and interests. Imagine the amount of time you can save by simply avoiding some of the errors others have made in the past. Never stop consulting with your associates and colleagues, and learn from their priceless experience.


4. Avoid the distractions.


Effective time management involves trimming away the nonsense — those little things that break up large blocks of valuable time, in which you’d otherwise make real, concentrated progress on serious projects. Otherwise, you can lose entire days on trifles — worst of all, on trifles of other people.


A disciplined approach to time management is one of the essential elements in the makeup of a successful person, no matter what their field of endeavor. Develop a plan, and, by analyzing it in everyday practice, streamline it. If you ask the right questions on a consistent basis, you’ll become an expert planner, and a successful person.


Learn to regard your time as the valuable commodity it is!


Kaled Asmri writes daily success secrets at his own blog, SuccessElixir.net. If you like this article, subscribe to his feed and read one of his best articles such as How Can I Improve My Self-Esteem?



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