The title of this post is a quote by one of my favorite figures in history, Benjamin Franklin. Ben is one of the most colorful characters you’ll ever discover. He was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. He was an author, politician, scientist, inventor, diplomat, and unfailing wit. He was, by all accounts, lively, incorrigible, and creative. He was also one of the most accomplished and effective people who ever lived because he never wasted a moment.
Time is a non-renewable resource. We cannot get it back if we squander it, we cannot slow it down to suit our needs. Time, indeed, marches on. We all get the same 24 hours in a day. It’s how we use them that defines the quality of our lives.
There is a reason some people seem to get so much done in so little time. They have mastered techniques and templates by which they go about their days. They are able to determine what is important and what is not, what deserves their attention and what does not, and very often, they decide how to fit themselves into time, understanding that there is no effective way to do it the other way around.
Another great thinker and prolific inventor Leonardo da Vinci put
it this way: “Time abides long enough for those who make use of it.”
So how do we make use of time? Well, one way is to understand our priorities, our resources, and our limitations. If we continually put ourselves into the position of trying to do too much in too little time, tension builds up within us as we fail to meet our own or others’ expectations. That tension leads us to behave in ways that can further impair our functioning as well as add to more delays, less productivity, and further stress. It becomes an endless cycle that continues into a downward spiral from which we feel we cannot escape.
But nothing could be further from the truth. One of the great things about time is that it does continue its forward motion without fail. There is no need to wallow in the mistakes of the past. Taking action – any action – to break a cycle of faulty behavior or errant thinking can interrupt the patterns that keep us in a rut and prevent us from making progress.
Fortunately, our unconscious minds can be useful in helping get us back on track. Hypnosis and other techniques are perfectly suited to help us break the harmful patterns we fall into that suck up our time and keep us stuck. Together with some conscious tools we can use to provide the comfort of routine and structure, hypnosis is our secret weapon in time management because it changes how we operate on a deeper level, ensuring that once we get out of our rut, we don’t fall back in again out of habit or custom.
If you’re interested in accessing your internal clock for success, see how I can help you become a master of time management with a Productivity Power program, coaching or other program packages.