Albert Einstein was once asked to explain, in layman’s terms, his Theory of Relativity. He replied this way. “If you sit with a beautiful woman, two hours seem like two minutes. If you sit on a hot stove, two minutes seem like two hours. That’s relativity.”
That might be an oversimplification, but it makes a point. What we do and how we feel about what we do is critical to our perception of time. And time IS our most valuable asset. What would you value any more than time? Certainly not material possessions. Yet even to enjoy our relationships requires time.
Time seems to be treated as if there was a never-ending supply. It’s rare I find someone who has a profound regard for this building block of life.
Most everyone you know is probably busy. But the question is, “busy with what?” Are we investing our time or just spending it?
How is it that some people seem to get so much done while others accomplish so little? Why are there some times when we’re able to be highly productive and other times when we’re not?
There are no easy answers.
We all have the same amount of time, and if you’ve read this far, you probably want to maximize the time you have. Maximize it so as to do the things you want to do with the greatest enjoyment and the most productivity.
This issue is very much “up” for me. I’m busier than I’ve ever been. I love what I do (at least most of it). There just doesn’t seem to be enough hours in the day to do all the things I want to do. And of course there aren’t. It’s true that we can do anything we want to do, we just can’t do EVERYTHING we want to do.
So what’s the answer? Well, I have good news and bad news. The bad news is that we can’t manage time. The good news is that we can manage tasks and projects.
It’s a skill that can be learned by anyone, but we have to be willing to invest the time (there it is again) to learn how to make excellent use of this precious commodity. It’s something that will reward us for the rest of our lives—whether we have 1 year or 100.
One of the best books I’ve read on the subject of time management was How to Get Control of Time and Your Life by Alan Laikin. I read this over thirty years ago and still use many of the techniques today.
Recommended Reading
101 Great Ideas to Simplify Your Life: How to Slash Stress, Ditch the Drama & Intensify Your Tranquility
Your best life demands simplicity and clarity. And the great ideas this book offers you is a cornucopia of ways to make your life dramatically better. Implement just three or four of these ideas and you will see your life start to change in a very positive way. Incorporate a dozen and your life will be transformed.
This book is filled with proven strategies, tactics and resources to help you live a simpler, more significant and more meaningful life—in a comfortable and easier way.
