How to make the most of your time from today

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Anthony Golden
How to make the most of your time from today

Why are there people who apparently have time to do everything and other people are always overwhelmed with no time for anything? Is it a matter of having a tight schedule or is it due to a poor way of using time? It is actually a combination of both variables, the second being the most important.

Having a tight schedule is a consequence of multiple factors over which we don't really have much control.. Both genetics and learning are two determining factors about the person we are going to become. If you are an outgoing person, you will have a great social life. If you were born with a knack for sports, doing some exercise is probably part of your daily routine. If you are a nonconformist person with cultural concerns, you may have decided to go back to study despite already enjoying a stable job. All these are mere examples in terms of the genetic component.

The experience and learning they are no less important. Both are factors that, like genetics, we can hardly control or modify. In the same way that we cannot choose our genes, neither can we choose the family and the culture in which we are born. In addition, we cannot ignore the obligations that will arise in our lives that, although they arise as a result of chance (accidents, illnesses, family responsibilities ... etc.) will also contribute to occupying our agendas..

More than one will have put their hands to their heads with my previous statement about the learning immobility. Of course learning is modifiable, or rather, of course behavior is modifiable through re-learning, and this is something that should be treated when there are pathologies that pose a problem in your day-to-day life..

However, focusing on these problems is not the objective or the focus that I intend to give this article and I assume that if you are reading it it is because you are relatively satisfied with your life. I want to think that you feel satisfied with your genes and experiences and your only intention is learn new techniques to make better use of time without modifying the essence of your person.

How to take advantage of the time

Genes, learning, and experience aside, I'm going to focus on the one factor that we really have 100% control over: Time management.

Like we learn math, a new language, or even ride a bike, time management is also learned.

So… what is the best way to start learning? There are many authors with different programs that offer solutions to optimize time. One of my favorites is Bryan Tracy with his book "How to master your time" whose translation would be "How to take advantage of your time". The book is also available on Audio CD consisting of 12 chapters. So far I have only been able to find both the book and the audios in English, so I don't know if there is also a Spanish version.

Here are some of the most valuable insights I've gleaned from listening to it:

Why is good time management necessary??

In my case, happiness arises when I embark on a multitude of different projects such as courses, studies, sports competitions, writing in a blog, etc. Having so many fronts open forces me to structure my time so that I can optimize it as much as possible and allow me to finish each of those projects.

The path and time invested in developing each of these activities is as important as the fact of finalize them to be able to undertake new companies. Starting something and abandoning it early does not bring any personal satisfaction. Yet few things offer greater satisfaction than propose a challenge and meet it.

I am addicted to challenges and leading an intense life. Luckily or unfortunately, that's what makes me happy. And to achieve that happiness I have needed to learn new ways of structuring my time and managing it better than I used to. As I have already mentioned, one of the best authors on the subject is Bryan Tracy. This author proposes 4 basic reasons why anyone should work to take advantage of time.

4 reasons to take advantage of the time

1. You will save more time to be able to do what you really like.

When you have learned to structure your time, you will be able to enjoy 2 more hours of free time each day. That means 10 hours a week (Monday to Friday) and 500 hours a year. Personally, I do not understand what the author relies on to calculate the 2 hours. However I can say in a totally objective way that a couple of years ago I would not have imagined have a full-time job, study a second career and be able to do sports on a daily basis.

2. Both your productivity and your income will increase by 25%.

If you manage to do in 6 hours what you used to do in 8, that represents a 25% increase in your labor productivity. You do the same as before in less time. Therefore, in an ideal world, what you earn per hour should also increase by 25%. If you are self-employed, you fully understand this concept.

If, on the other hand, you work for third parties, your boss will notice this increase in your productivity and will be willing to pay for it and if not, sooner or later another boss will appear who is. Finally, if you are a civil servant, this concept is hardly applicable for you, but you can use your new free time to do freelance work.

3. A good structuring of your time will cause a reduction in your stress levels and an increase in your energy.

Focusing on the work area, stress can arise for several reasons: having to process a large amount of information in a short time, pressure from our superiors, frustrations, etc. The common denominator in all these situations is a lack of control on our part. The situation is beyond our control and the stress response is generated. If we make an effort to keep time under our control, there will be less chance of any of the above situations occurring. and therefore stress will appear less frequently.

4. You will spend more time with your loved ones.

You can invest that extra time in meeting a friend you haven't seen for a long time or even visiting a relative. Without going any further, today I got up at 7 to go running and then later at 9 I went to work. My mother called me in the middle of the morning. My grandmother was not feeling very well today and I decided to pay her a visit this afternoon. Thanks to the fact that I did sports this morning, I had the whole afternoon totally free to spend at my grandmother's house.

Of course, even if I hadn't run this morning, I would have gone to visit her anyway, but I would have stayed out of sports today. Let's go back a moment. What allowed me to get up early this morning to go for a run? Going to bed last night at 11 instead of being until 1 in the morning lying on the couch watching TV. Therefore I have changed those 2 hours lost from 11 to 1 so that I can do more productive and rewarding things the next day. It's really worth it to me.

If you have read this far, congratulations. You are beginning to be interested in this topic and share some of the reasons why you want to improve your time management. However, it is still too early. Bryan Tracy explains that we must overcome various psychological barriers before being able to change the chip that allows us to take advantage of the time. Below I explain some of these barriers.

Psychological barriers that prevent you from taking advantage of time

Barrier 1

Many people confuse structuring and planning with a gridded life lacking spontaneity. However there is nothing further from the truth.

Disorganized people are no more spontaneous, they are simply confused and receive life on automatic pilot. Without a fixed course. I want you to become aware that you are the scriptwriter of the movie of your life. In your hands is the decision to turn that movie into something proactive. Non reactive.

Barrier 2

It is possible that since you were little you have received information about your way of being. If your parents or friends have always told you that you are someone messy, unpunctual, serious (as is my case) etc, in the end you will end assuming and internalizing that role unconsciously until it becomes an indissoluble part of your person and way of being. You must erase this "bad programming" and reprogram yourself with some information closer to your goals and objectives.

Barrier 3

As a consequence of the previous barrier, a negative and limiting self-concept about ourselves and our abilities. Many people waste or waste time because they believe that they are not good at managing or taking advantage of it. However this belief is just a thought. An idea. We cannot let that idea limit us in achieving our goals.

Bryan Tracy tells us that there is no one genetically ill-prepared to take advantage of time. To demonstrate this, he offers us a very curious and visual example: If someone offered you a million euros to make the most of your time for 30 days, surely once the period is over you would have achieved very good results thanks to that big dose of monetary motivation. 

If, on the contrary, they offered you much more money to run a marathon in 2 hours and you had a whole year of preparation, surely at some point along the way the genetic factor and you would be aware of the impossibility of your goal. However the only limiting factor in time management is our motivation. And motivation arises from a belief. An idea. Change that idea and you will change your life.

If I have aroused your curiosity about Bryan Tracy, here is an interview in Spanish and subtitled.

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