Time Management
Chapter 02. Identify the values you value
Remember, your mind is your greatest asset,
so be careful what you put into it. — Robert Kiyosaki
Because time management is essentially life management,
improving personal performance starts
with looking at the values you value.
One of Murphy’s Laws says
that before you do anything,
you must do something else.
You won’t be able to manage your time properly
if you don’t know your exact principles.
Effective time management requires
that you harmonize how you manage events
and what you value most.
If you don’t take that seriously,
you’ll never feel motivated
and determined to take control of your time.
Ask yourself,
“Why am I doing this?”
Why do you wake up in the morning?
Why are you doing your current job?
What is your reason for working here?
************************
Meaning and purpose
Everyone has a deep need to achieve meaning and purpose in life.
One of the main reasons people feel stressed
and bored is the perception
that what they are doing has no meaning
and purpose when compared to their own deeply held values and beliefs.
You should always start by asking “Why?”
You can be effective with time management techniques,
but it won’t help you if you become efficient at things
that don’t make sense to you personally.
Then being more effective only makes you feel more lost,
frustrated,
and anxious.
************************
What do you value most?
The next question you need to ask is:
“What do you value most in life?”
What do you really care about and fight for?
What will you not fight for?
You will only be truly happy
and valued if your daily activities are in harmony
with your principles.
Most of the stress,
anxiety,
and frustration in work
and life comes from doing things
that you don’t believe in and appreciate.
There are many reports of leaders suffering from job stress burnout.
But people who love what they do
and put their whole heart into it
because it represents their values are rarely stressed
or exhausted of any kind.
When you live in alignment with your values,
you will experience a constant flow of energy,
enthusiasm,
and creativity.
Consider your creeds,
your deepest beliefs,
and ask what you could change to align your outer activities
and life priorities more together.
************************
You are extraordinary
Realize and accept yourself
as a unique and wonderful person.
Principles develop throughout your life.
They are the result of your countless influences and experiences.
They are part of your psychological,
emotional
and personality genome.
They rarely change over time.
Your job is to identify the deepest values
that you truly value
and then organize your life to live
and work in accordance with those values.
************************
Analyze yourself
Here are four sentence completion exercises
that you can use to better understand yourself.
Complete each sentence:
************************
1. “I am…” If a stranger asks you:
“Who are you, really?”
How do you answer this?
What would be the first words you would use to describe yourself?
Would you describe your work,
qualities,
hopes,
dreams and aspirations?
Choose three to five words to complete the sentence
“I am a person…”
If you were to interview the people around you,
the people you live and work with,
and ask the same question,
what would they say?
How do others describe you in relation to your values and who you are?
Based on how you treat others,
they will draw conclusions about your personality.
************************
2. “People are…”
Think of people in general in the world around you.
How would you describe them?
Are they nice,
warm and full of love?
Are they lazy,
cunning,
or unreliable?
Your answers will greatly influence
how you treat people in all areas of your life.
It determines nearly everything you will achieve at work
and in relationships with family and friends.
************************
3. “Life is…”
Your answer may be simple,
but it speaks volumes about your outlook on life.
Optimistic, healthy,
and happy people see life as an exciting experience with many ups
and downs but overall,
it’s definitely been a great adventure.
One of my favorite stories is about a young man
who went to an old sage and said,
“Life is hard.”
The sage replied:
“Compared to what?”
Helen Keller once said,
“Life is a reckless adventure or nothing at all.”
What is life to you?
************************
4. “My biggest goal in life is…”
If you could swing a magic wand and achieve one goal,
which goal would have the greatest positive impact on your life?
Now complete the following sentences:
“The biggest goal in my career is
“My biggest goal for my family is…”
These are the most profound
and important questions you can ask
and answer about yourself.
Once you’re clear on the answers
— which isn’t easy
— you can continue to ask what you need to change
to make your time use
and life priorities more aligned.
Napoleon Hill has observed
that life becomes great only
when we can make clear decisions
about our most important goal in life.
What are your most important goals?
Before you can become a millionaire,
you must learn to think like one. ― Thomas J. Stanleyt
