Time always wins.

Today I want to talk about time. Time is something everyone wants and something that everyone wastes.  We have a tremendous capacity to waste our time.  We worry about how to change our circumstances, change our past, change our co-workers, and wish away some situation that we find ourselves in.  These are all things that we really cannot change.  

Wasted time.

Time is basically math.  We all have the same 24 hours in a day and we get to choose what we do with that time.  Will you write the next best selling novel or will you binge watch Netflix?   Will you spend time alone or with friends and family?  Will you work or play?

Last week I adopted a new puppy.  I already have one excellent dog named Trent but I guess I felt the need for another challenge.  The new puppy is Parker and so far he has monopolized a good portion of my time.  House breaking, feeding, cleaning and training all take up time.  I must set aside some other important things to invest in developing another good dog like Trent. It is a choice.

How is it that we can enjoy our time and also be the most productive?

Before you do anything, take time to plan.   Spend a moment choosing the activity that will have the most positive effect on your day.  What is it specifically that will most positively affect your family, clients and your team?  Resist the temptation to distract yourself with less important tasks. 

In order to organize your mind, ask yourself some questions. What does my team/family need from me now?  What will cause the most problems if I do not get it done?  Which task, if completed, will bring the most value to my day?

Minimize interruptions.  Identify the activities that tend to disrupt your day and find a way around them.  It could be something as simple as closing the door to your office.  Your team will still interrupt you (as mine often do), but they may do it a little less often.  Avoid checking email or social media when you are in the middle of something important.  Keep your flow going and work on one task at a time to completion.  If you get the most important things done first you will feel a sense of accomplishment and build momentum.

Learn to delegate wisely.  There is no rule that says you must do everything yourself.  Team leaders often feel that they need to do everything themselves to be sure that it is done correctly.  They have an attitude or fear that others will get it wrong.  I have seen many veterinarians and managers doing things that their team is perfectly capable of doing all in the name of misplaced perfectionism.  If you let go of a little control and ask your team for help, you will not only get more done, but it will free you up to be even better at the things that only you can do.

Learn to say “No”.  If you just weed a few things out of your day, you will have so much more time to spend working on things that are important to you.  People pleasers like myself have a difficult time with this concept.  We will often say yes to things that we really don’t want to do in the name of not disappointing our team.  We will spend our precious time working for others instead of ourselves.  Take a few moments before saying yes to someone and really think about how the “yes” will impact your day and your time.  If in your heart you know that a “no” will serve you better, be brave enough to say so.  There is always another way to complete the task if you think outside the box.

Be bold enough to guard your time.  It is your most important asset.

As my favorite movie character Rocky so eloquently said,

“Time takes everybody out.  Time is undefeated.”  - Rocky Balboa

Dr. Julie Cappel